Wednesday May 1, 2013 at 9:24am
Earlier this year I told you about the new regulations on payment surcharges which came into force on 6th April 2013. At the time we were waiting for guidance to be issued by BIS (the Department for Business Innovation and Skills). That guidance has now been published and is available from BIS. To summarise, the regulations prevent businesses from charging excessive surcharges for processing payments from consumer. A business must not charge consumers a fee (or surcharge) that exceeds the cost t....
(read more...)Tuesday April 30, 2013 at 4:55pm
I was intrigued when I saw a recent headline announcing that the government was launching a ‘Good Law’ initiative. The cynic in me wondered why we don’t always have good law (as opposed to bad law!), but hopeful of some positive news to counter the overwhelming pessimism we encounter in many quarters these days, I read on. The initiative is from the Cabinet Office and the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) – the people who actually write the laws for the government....
(read more...)Friday April 19, 2013 at 3:50pm
From October 2012 every Licensing Authority has been able to decide whether to introduce a Late Night Levy in its area. In making the decision they must consider the costs of policing and other arrangements for the reduction of crime and disorder relating to the supply of alcohol between midnight and 6am.
Current soundings suggest that very few licensing authorities are currently considering introducing the levy, but the majority may be holding fire until they see how the levy works in pr....
(read more...)Wednesday April 17, 2013 at 12:20pm
It is good to see a Licensing Authority setting out what it expects of licensed premises in its area. The recent Code of Good Practice and accompanying Traffic Light System introduced by the City of London do make it clear to licensees what, in the opinion of the City of London, they need to do to operate a successful business which does not undermine the licensing objectives and jeopardise the Premises Licence. But, I give a word of warning. The Code does not have any legal effect. The City of ....
(read more...)Wednesday April 17, 2013 at 11:01am
Is your business involved in creating charges or other security? If so, you need to be aware of changes which affect the registration at Companies House of charges created on or after 6th April 2013. As a result of amendments to the Companies Act 2006, almost all charges are now registrable with only limited exceptions. This changes the previous position where categories of registrable charges were specified. The limited exceptions to the requirement to register mentioned above include a rent de....
(read more...)Thursday April 11, 2013 at 10:07am
The recent changes in court cost rules mean that more and more business owners are likely to be forsaking solicitors and putting together their own cases and representing themselves in court. These Litigants in Person (LIPs) have a potential minefield of rules and regulations governing court proceedings to navigate if they are to be successful and get the results they want. Even before the case reaches the courtroom there are some important points for the business owner to consider: The strength....
(read more...)Wednesday April 10, 2013 at 10:58am
Since I last blogged on the subject in November 2012 (click here to see it), there have been some changes which came into effect on 16 March 2013. The Late Payment of Commercial Debts Regulations 2013 only apply to contracts entered into on or after 16 March.
You may recall that if there is no contract credit period for payment, and no convention such as 30 or 60 days has been established, then the default period is 30 days. Because many contracts provide for longer periods for payment, and pu....
(read more...)Tuesday April 2, 2013 at 9:23am
The first question to ask yourself when you are thinking about making a claim is who you are going to claim against. And sometimes the answer might not be as straightforward as you think, and particularly when dealing with company groups.Imagine the following common scenario. You are approached by a representative of a large and impressive business, say ‘XYZ Group Ltd’. They are established players in the industry and are known to have many assets. They give you a lot of work but, wh....
(read more...)Thursday March 28, 2013 at 6:57pm
You might think that planning for the unexpected sounds a contradiction in terms, but let me explain what I’m getting at. We’ve experienced many events over the last few years which at the time were described as ‘unexpected’. I’ll give you some examples. 2012 was one of the wettest on record with damaging floods yet we started that year with a drought. Just a year ago the UK was basking in warm sunshine - quite a contrast to the snow on the ground this Easter with m....
(read more...)Monday March 25, 2013 at 1:46pm
Non lawyers are unlikely to have head of the so-called Jackson reforms which will come into force on 1 April, but they will certainly have an impact on you if you become involved in litigation in England and Wales after that date. So what is the fuss all about and how will it affect you? This is all about costs. The first thing all must understand, whether individuals or companies, is that there will usually be a difference between what a solicitor will charge you and what you can recover from y....
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