Pension Deficit Dooms Museum
When a museum came up short in its ability to fund a pension scheme deficit, the question of the status of the museum’s exhibits became of interest: if they belonged to the museum trust, they could be sold to fund…
Argument Over Who Pays for Repairs is Costly
Failing to settle a dispute out of court has cost a group of tenants in Sussex dear in a case decided recently. The dispute arose when a block of flats suffered water penetration. The tenants were obliged to pay for…
Consumer Insurance Reform on the Way
Insurers do not always pay claims promptly and without question. Indeed, the courts deal on a regular basis with disputes between claimants who have made a claim under their insurance policies and insurers that have refused to pay out under…
Managing Sickness Absence
In the light of a recent Court of Appeal decision, businesses should ensure they allow workers to carry over their accrued holiday if they have been on long-term sick leave and have not had the opportunity to take the holiday…
Business Rates on Empty Properties
Property owners will welcome a High Court ruling on an empty rates relief avoidance scheme. The court held that the temporary storage of documents occupying only a very small percentage of a warehouse's floor space was actual occupation for the…
Adopted Children in £3 Million Trust Victory
Two adopted children stand to benefit from a £3 million trust fund despite the fact that the trust was set up when adoption did not automatically confer inheritance rights. The High Court so ruled, applying European Convention articles against discrimination…
HMRC Seizes Assets for Unpaid VAT
Figures obtained by independent IT finance provider Syscap indicate that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are increasingly using their powers of distraint to seize the assets of businesses with unpaid VAT bills. Last year, HMRC used these powers 2,401 times,…
Court ruling on rates relief avoidance scheme
The High Court has held that the temporary storage of documents occupying only 0.2% of a warehouse's floor space was actual occupation for the purposes of business rates liability. This meant that a new period of empty rates relief applied…
Deregulating listed building consents
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is consulting on ways of reducing the regulatory burden of the current Listed Building Consent system (LBC). The consultation sets out four options for changing the current system, to reduce the burdens on…
Employment Tribunal Fees 2013
Following a consultation exercise, the Ministry of Justice has announced the amended fee structure that will apply to those wishing to make use of the employment tribunal system. The cost of running the service is currently £84 million per annum…