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A director has been given a 28-day suspended prison sentence after defying court orders during a dispute with another company. His fellow director was fined £1,000 for his part in the offences. The two men were directors of a company that leased premises to a business tenant. A dispute arose which led to the tenant
Nine out of ten small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) say they would quickly go out of business if they didn’t have access to an overdraft, according to a recent survey. The commercial finance group, ABN AMRO, questioned 250 SME owners, managers and finance officers. The survey revealed that 89% said that their firm wouldn’t last
Planning permissions for new homes rose by 36% in the third quarter of last year, according to figures released by the Home Builders Federation (HBF). The increase followed the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) last April, which gave local authorities more power over what is built in their areas. There were 33,881
Businesses will soon be able to use a new 90-day premium service when applying for patents. There will also be a faster trademarks service which will provide a full examination report in five days instead of the current 10 days. The changes, which will be introduced by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), were announced in
There’s to be a new Groceries Code Adjudicator with increased powers to protect supermarket suppliers from unfair practices. The adjudicator will be responsible for enforcing the Groceries Code, which was put in place by the Competition Commission in 2008. It applies to the 10 retailers with a turnover in the groceries market in excess of
Overview A Settlement Agreement is a legally binding contract that is used to settle employment disputes. They can also be called Termination Agreements or Compromise Agreements. In return for receiving a sum of money and/or benefits the employee or ex employee agrees not to pursue claims against the employer. A Settlement Agreement is designed to
We regularly advise employees on settlement and compromise agreements. This service is available from our Luton and Berkhamsted offices. Appointments can also be offered in Hemel Hempstead. Further information on our service and answers to some frequently asked questions can be found here.
The Court of Appeal has imposed the maximum penalty possible on a landlord who failed to comply fully with the requirements of the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). The issue arose after the landlord took action against a tenant for rent arrears. The tenant brought a counterclaim denying rent arrears and seeking repayment of the deposit.
A bus company has lost its appeal against an employment tribunal ruling that its 12-month contract with a local authority should not be subject to the TUPE Regulations 2006 (TUPE). The company, Liddell’s Coaches, had five 12-month contracts to transport children to different locations while their school was being rebuilt. It lost four of the
Figures released by the credit reference agency, Experian, show that companies in the UK paid their bills 1.3 days earlier in the third quarter of 2012 than they did during the same period in 2011. Experian’s late payment index shows that between July and September this year, companies took 24.88 days beyond the agreed terms