York - 
15 January 2020
Family Matters
On 31 December 2019, new legislation made it legal for mixed-sex couples to enter into Civil Partnerships, an option that was previously only available to same-sex couples Civil partnerships afford couples the same financial and legal protections as marriage, but offer an alternative for those who feel ‘traditional’ marriage isn’t quite right for them. Among the couples celebrating were Rebecca Steinfeld and Charles Keidan, whose public battle for a civil partnership made it to the Supreme Court. The couple said that for them, a civil partnership felt more equal than a traditional marriage. They successfully argued that denying a straight couple the right to a civil partnership was discrimination and therefore “incompatible with their human rights.” Ahead of 31 December, hundreds of mixed-sex couples gave notice to enter civil partnerships but not without critics describing…
14 January 2020
Commercial property
Concerns about the impact of climate change are beginning to affect all areas of business including business premises, which are responsible for a significant proportion of the UK’s overall energy use. The government has announced that it plans to tighten regulations on energy efficiency in rented property, requiring significant improvements by 2030. Commercial landlords and business tenants will need to make sure their leases give energy efficiency a higher priority and set out who is responsible for energy efficiency measures and who will foot the bill. “Green leases are being gradually introduced in response to new legislation and a desire both by landlords and tenants to make energy savings,” says Andrew Little commercial property solicitor at our Malton office, “although it isn’t always clear exactly what a green lease is. In simple terms, a green…
14 January 2020
Commercial property
All here at Ware & Kay hope that you have had a happy New Year. As you may be aware, a new year has brought a new government that is looking to bring forward a number of reforms. It remains to be seen how many of the suggested reforms mentioned in the Queen’s Speech will be implemented but there are a number of changes that will affect landlords of both commercial and residential property. Business rates reform The Government has suggested that it intends to conduct a ‘fundamental’ review of business rates. No timescales have been released yet but some of the key points mentioned are: Bringing forward the next business rates revaluation from 2022 to 2021 as well as moving the revaluations from a five-yearly to a three-yearly cycle. The Government describes…
10 January 2020
Employment advice
According to a study by the Resolution Foundation, more than a quarter of workers aged 15 and over are not being paid the National Minimum Wage (NMW). The NMW is the least a worker can be paid per hour by law. Employers who fail to pay the NMW can face fines of 200% of the wage arrears and potentially also criminal prosecution. From April 2020 the NMW will increase to £8.72 for workers aged 25 and over (up from £8.21). Increases for younger workers from April 2020 will be: 21-24 years old: £8.20 (up from £7.70) 18-20 years old: £6.45 (up from £6.15) Under-18: £4.55 (up from £4.35) Apprentice: £4.15 (up from £3.90) Contact our Employment Law Solicitors in York, Wetherby and Malton To find out more about our Employment Law services and how…
13 December 2019
Family Matters
If you are attending mediation to resolve disagreements about some decisions relating to relationship breakdown, separation or divorce, you might be wondering what this involves. A mediator is an independent person that is trained and accredited to assist you in identifying the issues in dispute and help resolve these through discussion. Sometimes two mediators may be used, but more often than not just one mediator will be involved. A mediator can meet you and your former partner together, or separately. They can also arrange to meet you both at one time while you remain in separate rooms, and this is known as shuttle mediation, where the mediator will effectively shuttle between the two rooms to progress discussions. It is important that you are comfortable throughout the process and you will not be forced to sit together…
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