The government is tightening up the Prompt Pay Code (PPC) to encourage firms to pay invoices quicker and so improve cash flow for smaller firms. Business Minister Matthew Hancock says the PPC will now promote 30-day terms as standard and introduce a 60-day maximum limit. Unless firms can show there are exceptional circumstances that justify
A steel production company has won a damages claim against a former director and members of his family after they formed a rival start-up business. The director, his son and daughter-in-law all worked for the production company at the same time. The son and daughter-in-law left to set up their own business in the same
New measures are to be introduced to try to reduce the cost of disputes over Intellectual Property and design rights. The new Designs Opinions Service is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses and will be similar to the current Patent Opinion Service, which was introduced in 2005. It will be run by the Intellectual Property
A company has succeeded in getting a court injunction to prevent one of its former directors from poaching its staff and customers, and using its confidential information. The case involved a director who had begun working for the company in 2008 and was given a number of shares. In 2012, a new Directors’ Service Agreement
Wigan Athletic football club has been ordered to pay compensation after signing a contract to provide match tickets that it did not have the authority to sell. The case arose after the club entered into an agreement with the sporting events ticket provider, Ticket2Final. Under the contract, Wigan granted the company an option to buy
Tenants are to be given greater protection against eviction by rogue landlords under new measures announced by the government. Ministers are focusing on the small minority of landlords who evict tenants simply for asking for essential repairs to be made. The new measures will extend the existing restrictions on a landlord’s powers to evict, such
The government is urging private companies to follow the example of the public sector and start providing employees with loans to cover deposits on rented accommodation. It’s part of a push to provide a bigger and better private rented sector. In February, all government departments agreed to offer deposit loans to staff wanting to take
Employers needing to lay off staff could be spared time and expense following new guidance about collective redundancies from one of Europe’s top law officials. The law relating to collective redundancies applies when an employer wishes to lay off 20 or more workers within a 90-day period. In those circumstances, the employer has to consult
A surgeon who was sacked after allegedly making racist remarks has failed to get an injunction preventing his employer going ahead with the dismissal. The case involved a consultant general surgeon who attended a meeting with a number of other doctors. After some of those doctors had left, he allegedly made remarks about them that
A government minister says it’s scandalous that so many rogue employers are getting away with not paying tribunal awards on time. Business Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe warned firms that they could soon face penalties if they continue to delay compensation payments to employees. New enforcement measures are being introduced as part of the Small Business, Enterprise