Archived Legal Articles from 2022

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Housing & Regeneration

December

Social Housing Regulation Bill

14/12/22

Social housing tenants stand to benefit from better quality housing and have their complaints dealt with quicker under the government measures to increase inspections and drive-up competency amongst staff. The Social Housing Regulation Bill (the Bill) was introduced into Parliament earlier this…

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November

Register of Overseas Interest

24/11/22

Following the passing of the economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 (the Act), the Register of Overseas Entities (ROE) was created which is maintained by Companies House, and from 1st August 2022 any overseas entity that own or intends to acquire UK property, will be required to be…

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October

Cladding in Court

20/10/22

Many significant developments regarding fire and building safety have occurred in recent years . The construction industry has kept busy trying to adhere to bills and legislative changes to avoid disputes. More guidance has landed now that the Courts have issued the long awaited first substantive…

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September

Review of Hybrid and Distance Working by the Office of Tax Simplification

21/09/22

The Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) is conducting a review on the trends and tax implications of hybrid and distance working in the UK and across borders. The focus of the review is to look at changes in practice and any emerging trends away from the 'traditional' way of working. From…

New Acas Guidance: Staff Suspensions

21/09/22

A suspension occurs when an employer tells an employee to stop carrying out work temporarily, and Acas has recently published new advice on how to approach this ( https://www.acas.org.uk/suspension-during-an-investigation; https://www.acas.org.uk/acas-publishes-new-advice-on-staff-suspensions-at-work…

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August

Menopause and the Equality Act 2010

16/08/22

In July 2022, the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) published their report titled 'Menopause and the workplace'. The report emphasises the important topic of menopause, how it affects those who suffer from its symptoms and the impact this has on the workplace. With 4.5…

The Building Safety Act 2022

16/08/22

Following the Grenfell Tower Disaster in June 2017, The Building Safety Act 2022, compromising of 6 parts, received Royal Assent this April creating provisions for the standards of buildings and the safety of people in or about buildings. The reform amends previous legislation such as the…

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July

How hot is too hot (to work)?

25/07/22

The recent record-breaking temperatures and the first ever red heatwave warning from the Met Office has led to calls from some MPs and unions for legislation to be introduced to put a limit on workplace temperatures to 30 degrees, or 27 degrees for workers doing strenuous work. There has also been calls…

Statutory guidance for frontline professionals updated

25/07/22

The guidance was first published in 2014 and relates to the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (ASBCPA), which provides police, local authorities and social housing providers with a range of tools and powers to respond quickly to anti-social behaviour (ASB) and to ensure victims have a…

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June

The Renters Reform Bill

28/06/22

The Renters Reform Bill is shortly due to receive royal assent, the Bill aims to 'level up' the private rented sector, ensuring that the percentage of none-decent homes is greatly reduced, tenants are protected against the rising cost of living and the balance of power between landlords and…

An Update on the Fire Safety of High-Rise Buildings

14/06/22

In March 2020, following the Grenfell tragedy in June 2017, the Fire Safety Bill was introduced into Parliament. The Fire Safety Act 2021 set out to demolish any previous loopholes from the previous Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order Act 2005 (FSO). It provides significant development on the issue…

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April

Update: Tenant Access to Information Scheme

05/04/22

Back in November 2020, the government published the Social Housing White Paper which set out proposals to drive up standards and improve the regulation of the social housing sector in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire. One of the proposals related to introducing a new access to information scheme…

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March

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February

Forbes' Employment Team - Tribunal work for Registered Providers

24/02/22

Aside from the provision of routine advice to our clients, the Employment team at Forbes has significant experience in working with housing associations on specific projects, including running grievance and disciplinary investigations, and advising on each stage throughout restructures. We also support…

ICO Enforcement over Subject Access Request Backlog

24/02/22

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has recently received an Enforcement Notice from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) following a substantial backlog of subject access requests described by the ICO as being of "significant concern". The ICO has found that the MoJ failed to adequately…

A boost to supported housing needs

24/02/22

In December the Government published their Social Care White Paper which sets out the Government's plans to address adult social care issues over the next 10 years. A key component is to plunge "at least" £300m into supported housing between 2022 and 2026, at a time when "we do…

Implied term that a disciplinary process will be conducted fairly?

24/02/22

Burn v Alder Hey Children's NHS Hospital saw a claim brought by an employee seeking an injunction preventing her employer moving forward with the disciplinary process she was subject to, until an issue of disclosure was dealt with. The claimant considered that a contractual right to see correspondence…

Fourth time lucky? Gove's plan to fix the Cladding Crisis

24/02/22

In January Michael Gove gave a fully funded plan of action to allegedly 'fix' the cladding crisis. Gove warned the residential property developer industry that he will take all steps necessary to make it happen, including imposing legal solutions, to make developers pay. The Government also…

ASB injunction with a positive requirement

10/02/22

Rebecca Webster of Forbes Solicitors' ASB Team has been successful in obtaining an interim anti-social behaviour injunction with a positive requirement relating to access into the property of a tenant of a large social landlord in the Midlands. Anti-social behaviour included an unprovoked violent…

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