Local authorities that do not have a five-year supply of available housing land can have developments that they consider undesirable foisted upon them. Exactly that happened in one case concerning controversial plans to build 29 new homes in a green gap between two established settlements.
Legal practices and other professional firms are obliged to keep client records by the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 (MLR) – but does that make them data-holders for the purposes of HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) powers to demand information? In an important ruling, the First-tier
Boundary disputes between neighbours have a habit of getting out of hand, but legal advice, taken at an early stage, can ultimately save a great deal of anguish and expense. In a case on point, a couple who cut back their neighbour’s hedge without permission
Building sites can be dangerous places and that makes it all the more important that health and safety rules are religiously followed. In one case where that sadly did not happen, the director of a house building company received a four-year prison sentence following a
Providing misleading information can be just as effective in causing injury as physical acts of negligence. The Supreme Court made that point in guaranteeing substantial compensation to an assault victim who was wrongly informed by an accident and emergency (A&E) department receptionist that he would
In a guideline ruling, the Court of Appeal recently found that two care workers were not entitled to be paid the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for time when they were asleep during sleep-in shifts. Noting that conflicting authorities had given rise to a need for
When the outcomes of public contract tendering exercises are challenged, the award of contracts is automatically suspended in order to hold the ring. As a High Court case concerning a multi-billion-pound railway contract showed, deciding whether such suspensions should be lifted involves a delicate balancing
Giving away assets to your loved ones with warm hands, when you are still fit and healthy, is a readily available means of reducing Inheritance Tax (IHT) liabilities. However, as a guideline Court of Appeal decision illustrated, such gifts must be made without reservation in
Court orders must be obeyed or the whole system of justice breaks down. In a case on point, a brother and sister – with a combined age of almost 150 – were sentenced to imprisonment for contempt of court in the context of a big
Signing personal guarantees in respect of loans made to your thriving business may seem virtually risk free. However, as a High Court case showed, times can sadly change and that is why legal advice is always necessary. The case concerned a professional firm that had
