Recent Posts

Coronavirus - new online 'isolation note' service
The government has today launched a new service employees can use to prove they have been advised to self-isolate due to coronavirus....
20/03/20
Coronavirus and education: Government publishes list of key workers
Schools and colleges are closing this afternoon to all children and students unless they are vulnerable or whose parents are critical to...
20/03/20
Planning in Adversity: a Message of Hope
We are living in strange and interesting times. But in all this uncertainty, we can take some comfort in the fact that the planning...
20/03/20
Brexit and a House of Lords Debate
On 16 March 2020 , the House of Lords, acting through its EU Select Committee, exercised its statutory right under section 29 of the...
18/03/20
Coronavirus and cashflow: the difficult decisions about staffing during a crisis
Earlier this week, the government advised the population to socially distance themselves from others. We were told not to go to clubs,...
18/03/20
Breaking: IR35 delayed for a year because of Coronavirus
Chief treasury secretary Steve Barclay has announced that the IR35 tax reforms due to come into force on Monday 6 April will be delayed...
17/03/20
Brexit, Financial Services Equivalence and a rather formal exchange of letters
The new UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, and Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, have...
17/03/20
Coronavirus update – Impact on the food and drink sector and other key industries
By Katherine East and Rob Coleridge On Monday 16 March 2020, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK had entered the ‘fast...
17/03/20
Brexit and the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee
The title of this Article may well be a candidate for the "wooden spoon" of unimaginative titles but the European Scrutiny Committee of...
16/03/20
Coronavirus: DfE update its education guidance
The Department for Education has today updated its guidance on Coronavirus. Despite many European countries shutting down education...
16/03/20
What can you tell your staff if someone is diagnosed with Coronavirus? ICO wades in with some useful advice
Ordinarily employer's can't say very much to others about the health of a particular worker. Information about someone's health is...
16/03/20
Coronavirus: new advice on self isolation
The Prime Minister has just announced new advice that will affect all employers. If anyone in a household develops the virus (or has...
16/03/20
Coronavirus update: workers must receive SSP if they are caring for someone in self isolation
New Statutory Sick Pay rules relating to Coronavirus come into force today. SSP must be paid to anyone: who is unable to work because...
13/03/20
Brexit and a draft EU trade treaty with the UK
On 13 March 2020, both the BBC and the Guardian newspaper reported that they had seen a draft EU trade treaty with the UK that the EU...
13/03/20
Big, Bold & Beautiful? MHCLG sets out plans to reform the Planning System
Never let it be said that the current Government lacks energy or ambition. Less than 24 hours after the Treasury set out one of the most...
13/03/20
Brexit and the UK Spring Budget 2020
"Brexit" was barely mentioned in Rishi Sunak's Budget speech on 11 March 2020 , except purely in the past tense - "We promised to get...
12/03/20
Brexit and prudential financial regulation
In a significant speech entitled "The ideal post -EU regulatory framework" delivered on 10 March 2020, Dr Victoria Saporta, Bank of...
11/03/20
Coronavirus: Government will refund SSP costs of small employers
The Chancellor announced in today's budget that small employers will be able to recover statutory sick pay costs for up to 14 days for...
11/03/20
Coronavirus update: Cancellation and getting it right - our FAQs
The sudden emergence and expansion of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is making headlines around the world and crashing stock markets as...
11/03/20
Coronavirus – your top ten HR questions answered
This article was originally published on 28 February and was updated on 9 ,11 and 13 March. Coronavirus is spreading in the UK and a...
11/03/20
Brexit and getting down to legal drafting
With the arrival of the Coronavirus on the world scene, Brexit has been relegated to almost (it may seem!) a walk-on role in the UK and...
10/03/20
Brexit and Airbus - an interesting case study
Airbus is one of the World's largest manufacturers of commercial aircraft, helicopters and defence and satellite systems. Whilst the...
09/03/20
Brexit and the politics of "divergence"
The first week-long round of UK- EU trade negotiations has now been completed. Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, is reported to...
06/03/20
To Boldly Go Where No Plan Has Gone Before.... Intervention and Innovation at MHCLG
These are the voyages of the Starship MHCLG. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new policies. To seek out new guidance and new...
06/03/20
How (and why) you should proactively manage staff absence
What's the best way to manage staff absence in schools and colleges? Decide what 'type' of absence you are dealing with It's reasonable...
06/03/20
Brexit and the aches and pains of the Transition Period
The Transition Period of almost one year lasting until 31 December 2020 (unless extended by agreement between the parties), which was...
05/03/20/Passle/55fad6bcb00e7e097cd579a6/SearchServiceImages/2020-03-05-11-55-39-148-5e60e8bb8313d502cc5e2cb6.jpg)
Dismissing staff on fixed term contracts: how easy is it?
Fixed term contracts can be an attractive option for schools and colleges and other employers facing uncertainty over future funding....
05/03/20
Brexit and the EU's vision of a green and digital world
On 2 March 2020 , Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner in charge of EU competition...
04/03/20
Coronavirus: SSP payable from day one
The Prime Minister has announced that workers who fall ill with coronavirus or who are advised to self isolate will be entitled to...
04/03/20
Guidelines to help employers accommodate vegan staff
Last month, the Employment Tribunal in Casamitiana v The League Against Cruel Sports ruled that 'ethical' vegans have a protected belief...
03/03/20