Tuesday April 26, 2011 at 11:18am
Back in February I posted a blog introducing you to the Bribery Act and promised an update when further news was available.
The Ministry of Justice has now published its long awaited Guidance on the Act, and announced that the Act will come into force on 1 July 2011. It has also produced a very useful Quick Start Guide to the Act.
There were 2 big fears. The first, particulary for SMEs, was that here was another piece of legislation with a huge amount of red tape to burden their already over....
(read more...)Thursday April 21, 2011 at 3:21pm
If you run an e-commerce business and sell goods online new EU rules could have a significant impact. The rules in question would be under a planned EU Consumer Rights Directive which concerns contracts for the sale of goods by businesses to consumers (B2C). The draft Directive is not a new proposal – it was issued in 2008. Since then it has been going through various discussion and consultation processes, but recently it moved a step closer when endorsed by the European Parliament which a....
(read more...)Wednesday April 20, 2011 at 3:25pm
Last week I blogged about consuming alcohol in pub gardens and similar areas. But how does a Designated Public Places Order (DPPO) affect such areas?
Many local authorities have made DPPOs to combat the problems that can be caused by drinking alcohol in public. The DPPO will set out the specific geographic area it applies to. But what does a DPPO do?
It is a common mistake to think that a DPPO amounts to a total ban on drinking alcohol in public places. It is not. The drinking of alcohol is pe....
(read more...)Wednesday April 13, 2011 at 10:47am
There is a lot of confusion, notably on the part of the Police, about where alcohol may be consumed where it has been purchased in premises licensed to sell alcohol by retail.
In premises licensed to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises, the plan filed with the application for the licence will usually identify the areas for sale, and that area will be deemed to be "on" the premises. So there is no doubt in that case that alcohol may be consumed in that area. But what abou....
(read more...)Wednesday April 6, 2011 at 12:20pm
From today (6 April 2011) residential property with a purchase price of more than £1m will be subject to a higher Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) rate of 5%. This increase only applies to land which consists entirely of residential property. It does not apply to commercial or mixed used property where the SDLT rate remains at 4%
Steve Petty Commercial Property Solicitor 01926 629 005....
(read more...)Wednesday April 6, 2011 at 11:02am
If you are a tenant in a multi-let building/estate and reimburse your landlord for the electricity supply then you will be interested to hear about your new rights. Recent changes give tenants the power to demand cheaper electricity costs from a different supplier.
A tenant may now notify their landlord that they want to receive electricity from another supplier and the landlord must respond within 21 days or risk committing a criminal offence.
This will benefit those tenants that believe th....
(read more...)Tuesday April 5, 2011 at 5:49pm
Over the past few weeks I have received many enquiries from property owners looking to minimise the amount of business rates they pay whilst their property stands empty. This is a particularly important issue since the threshold for claiming Empty Property Rates Relief was reduced from £18,000 to £2,600 this month.
Property owners therefore need to review tactics to minimise liability for business rates by adopting new initiatives.
The Meanwhile Scheme was introduced by the gover....
(read more...)Tuesday April 5, 2011 at 9:35am
It wasn’t an exciting budget, and it did contain some help for SMEs, but did it go far enough? The government is beginning to realise that sustained economic growth will need to come from the SME sector but should it do more to boost this vital sector? The focus for the economy as a whole remains the reduction of the public sector deficit. This is essential to create the right economic environment. It should create more market stability and keep interest rates as low as possible as well as....
(read more...)Friday April 1, 2011 at 4:11pm
Licensing Reforms
We are all waiting for the government's so called "rebalancing" of the Licensing Act, which will involve some fundamental changes to
licensing law. The changes are in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill, currently on its way through Parliament. It is good to hear today via the Morning Advertiser, that the outgoing chairman of the Asosociation of Licensed Mulitple Retailers (AMLR), Tim Sykes, has made a strong attack on the reforms as deliverin....
(read more...)Friday April 1, 2011 at 3:58pm
The Court of Appeal has recently ruled that the demolition of a building can come under the definition of a "project" under EU Law.
Why is this important? Under normal planning rules the demolition of a building does not require planning permission
This case means that where demolition is likely to have a significant impact on the environment planning permission and an Environmental Impact Assessment will be required i.e. in most cases.
Please note there are special protections th....
(read more...)Friday April 1, 2011 at 3:33pm
As of today (1 April 2011) many property owners and businesses will be hit with a large increase in business rates for empty property.
The rateable value where no business rates are payable by an owner of empty property has been cut from £18,000 down to £2,600.
I have already received many enquiries from worried business people and property owners seeking ways to reduce their liability.
Eligible businesses should not forget to make a claim for ....
(read more...)Friday April 1, 2011 at 3:17pm
The temporary increase in Small Business Rate Relief has been extended by a further year to October 2012 Small Business Rates Relief is available to all businesses whose rateable value is less than £12,000. This means that eligible businesses occupying one property with a rateable value of £6,000 or less will pay no business rates. For those with one property having a rateable value of between £6,000 and £12,000 there will be relief on a sliding scale from 100% to zero. A....
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