Streamlined land scheme to boost number of new homes
December 22nd 2021The government is hoping to provide more new homes by improving the way land is made available to developers, making it easier and more streamlined. Elizabeth Crouch Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of Residential provides an update. Homes England launched its new Delivery Partner Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) to mark a significant shift in the way the agency procures housebuilders, as well as increasing flexibility and accessibility. For the first time,…
Worker who went into ‘diabetic rage’ wins unfair dismissal claim
December 21st 2021An employee at a biscuit factory who threatened a colleague while in a diabetic rage has won his claim of unfair dismissal. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team reports on this recent case Mr Dytkowski began working for Brand FB’s biscuit factory in 2009. He was diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes in March 2018, which he described as a “difficult diagnosis to accept and manage”. Occupational Health staff helped Dytkowski adapt…
Café discriminated against teenager dismissed due to her age
December 16th 2021A 14-year-old who was dismissed for being too young to cope with the ‘severity’ of her job has won her claim of age discrimination. Joanne Stronach Head of Employment and HR reports on this recent case. The case involved Miss H Cassidy, who had a Saturday job at Daimler Foundation’s café. Her duties included serving customers, working the till and cleaning. After her first shift, which was described as being a…
A rise in will disputes predicted as demand surges for unregulated online wills
December 14th 2021An increase in family disputes and contested Will cases is extremely likely as more people turn to using online and homemade will writing services, a leading disputes solicitor has predicted. David Tew, a Will Disputes solicitor with Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, is raising awareness of the potential pitfalls of using unregulated and uninsured will writers advertising their product at a cheap rate on the internet after more families reported receiving inadequate…
2022 – The Year of Opportunity
December 10th 2021As we near the end of 2021, a time when many of us will reflect on another challenging year, we would like to share a message of hope and positivity for 2022. The UK economy is in good shape. Despite the doom and gloom in the news, there are many positive signs, including: We have the world’s 5th largest economy. We are the world’s 8th largest manufacturer; and We are…
Phone supplier not entitled to enforce onerous contract term
December 9th 2021A phone supplier has been told it cannot enforce a cancellation clause in a contract with a customer because the terms are “too onerous”. Sam Lyon Head of Corporate & Commercial reports on this recent case. The case involved Blu-Sky Solutions Ltd and Be Caring Ltd. Be Caring, a social care provider, had a contract for a mobile network service (MNS) to provide mobile telephone handsets for its staff. It was…
£8.6 billion allocated to boost the number of affordable homes
December 8th 2021The government has allocated £8.6 billion to boost the number of affordable new homes and help thousands of people on to the property ladder. Elizabeth Crouch Senior Associate Solicitor & Head of Residential provides an update. The Affordable Homes Programme is expected to deliver around 119,000 homes, including 57,000 for ownership, 29,600 for social rent and 6,250 affordable rural homes. The cash injection could support up to 370,000 jobs across the…
Flexible working systems now key to attracting talented workforce
December 6th 2021Implementing hybrid working models permanently will help businesses attract the most talented employees, a leading employment solicitor has claimed. Joanne Stronach, Head of Employment Law and HR at Cartmell Shepherd Solicitors, is recommending businesses retain flexible working patterns where possible in order to keep and recruit the best staff out there, following the success and popularity of working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. As the Government’s…
Directors’ phone conversation amounted to binding agreement
December 1st 2021The High Court has ruled that a telephone conversation between the managing directors of two companies amounted to a binding agreement and had to honoured. Sam Lyon Head of Corporate & Commercial reports on this recent case. The case involved Mansion Place Ltd v Fox Industrial Services Ltd. Mansion had engaged Fox to refurbish and extend student accommodation. There were delays in the performance of the works. Fox said they were…
Mother dismissed on maternity leave awarded more than £60k
November 29th 2021A mother who was dismissed during her maternity leave while the ownership of her company changed hands has won her discrimination claim. Jennifer Cafferky Solicitor in our employment team reports on this recent case Mrs Rodin worked for HR company DMS1 and went on maternity leave in June 2017. During her absence, the company underwent a change in ownership, with Dhillons Management Services taking over, although this company was also…
