Recent Posts
Acas publishes new guidance on staff suspensions
Acas have recently published new guidance to help employers understand when it's appropriate to suspend an employee. It recommends...
14/10/22Delay, Poor Decisions and Under Resourcing: The un-acknowledged cost of planning reform.
If you are to believe the national press we are only a week away from the next great Planning Reform Day. According to The Guardian on 19...
12/10/22Can employers insist that staff use other people's preferred pronouns?
It's becoming more common for workers to announce their pronouns. Some wear badges advising customers how they prefer to be addressed and...
11/10/22What are the Investment Zones and what do they mean for the environment in the North West?
The governmental guidance “Investment Zones in England” describes Investment Zones as specific sites within a Mayoral Combined Authority...
11/10/22A technical consultation on Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) that is not just “technical”
In late September, the window for providing comments to the government’s “Technical consultation on the biodiversity metric” was closed....
11/10/22Being alive to the warning signs is so crucial in a business crisis
As we head towards the end of 2022, companies across the country continue to struggle with the rising cost of doing business. A...
07/10/22A costly outcome
The much publicised “Wagatha Christie” trial reached its conclusion in July 2022 when Rebekah Vardy lost her defamation claim against...
07/10/22Right to Work checks have changed from 1 October 2022
On 30 March 2020, as part of the government’s response to COVID-19, the Home Office introduced temporary adjustments to the right to work...
05/10/22Keeping children safe in education: (some) clarity over extent of on-line checks
In June the government published new guidance on keeping children safe in education. It recommended that schools and colleges conduct...
05/10/22Honesty is the best policy
A few weeks ago, I attended the Recycling and Wastes Management (RWM) Show at the NEC, Birmingham. It was a packed two days of talks and...
28/09/22Government announces U-turn on IR35
Last week Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced that the government will repeal the IR35 rules for both the private and public sectors....
27/09/22Hydrogen powered delivery vehicles: a glimpse into the future?
Whilst petrol prices seem to have stabilised for the time being, the recent exponential rise in the price of petrol and diesel has placed...
26/09/22What Truss did on my holidays: It's much more than 'just' the mini budget....
Last week, whilst my family and I were exploring the highlands of Scotland*, the Truss Government rolled up its sleeves and got to work. ...
26/09/22Brace yourself: new bill may fundamentally change employment law by the end of 2023
Yesterday the government published the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill which, if passed, will allow it to set fire to all...
23/09/22Forget the 'great resignation': quiet quitting is in vogue (and it's bad news for employers)
This time last year, employers were looking at ways to stem the tide of resignations in the wake of the 'great resignation'. Whilst...
23/09/22From virtual to reality - Gamescom returns strongly in 2022
Gamescom returned to an in-person exhibition in August after two years of holding the event virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With...
22/09/22Cultural placemaking - why is it important?
The importance of a place cannot be understated. It gives us a sense of belonging and a shared identity. Cultural placemaking is about...
21/09/22The On-line Safety Bill – an overview of potential implications for online service providers and games companies
With Ofcom recently publishing its roadmap to regulation for the Online Safety Bill, content sharing platforms and service providers...
21/09/22The proposed new Media Bill: what does it mean?
Back in May, a new Media Bill was announced alongside the Queen’s Speech delivered by HRH Prince Charles. Whilst the Media Bill is still...
21/09/22Updated handbook for academy trusts: what's changed?
The Academy Trust Handbook has been updated. Academy trusts must comply with this handbook as a condition of their funding agreement and...
20/09/22An era of change and the need to bring planning back into focus...
We have now reached the end of the second Elizabethan era. A sentence which feels deeply strange both to write and to see written down. ...
20/09/22Immigration: Sponsorship licence process and avoidable challenges
Although the sponsorship route may appear to be an intimidating process for many companies, the sponsorship application itself is not a...
13/09/22Queen's death: employer's guide to the bank holiday
The government has announced that there will be an additional bank holiday on Monday 19 September to coincide with the state funeral of...
12/09/22Our holiday pay webinar: more questions answered
This week around 700 delegates joined us for our webinar on holiday pay. We focused on the Supreme Court's recent judgment in Brazel v...
09/09/22The great energy divide
There is no doubt from today’s announcement there is a divide on the future of energy costs and security between what is needed and what...
08/09/22Dear Prime Minister: A Planning & Environmental Wish List
After a summer of hustings, debates, and garden party faux pas, a new Prime Minister is finally entering Number 10. Whatever your...
05/09/22Creating a crisis: energy woes and rising costs causing issues for manufacturers
Midway into 2022, companies nationwide continue to struggle with the rising cost of doing business. According to analysis of Insolvency...
31/08/22A matter of trusts
Ahead of the 1 September deadline, Polly Seale and I consider the impact of the Trust Registration Service. The Trust Registration...
30/08/22Breastfeeding: what are an employer's legal responsibilities?
Many women are still breastfeeding their babies when they return to work. What facilities can they expect their employers to provide and...
30/08/22Designer refused promotion awarded £85,000 for age discrimination
In Sunderland v Superdry a tribunal had to decide if an experienced designer had been passed over for promotion because of her age. Facts...
26/08/22