Williamsons Solicitors News Stories
Tweet, Tweet, You’ve Been Defamed!
A recent case shows how dangerous it can be to think that because ‘tweets’ on the social networking site Twitter are short, they can’t do much harm. In the case, a councillor from South Wales… Read More
Trustees' Tax Error Not Rectifiable - Court Says 'Sue Advisers'
Trustees who ‘get it wrong’ have traditionally been able to go to the court to rectify a mistake they have made if they failed to take account of something which turned out to be significant… Read More
Royal Wedding Boozy Weekend in Store
The House of Lords has approved regulations allowing pubs to stay open late on 29 and 30 April to mark the Royal wedding… Read More
Lily blows time!
The owner of a residential care home has been ordered to pay compensation to a former supervisor after she was subjected to detrimental treatment and unfairly dismissed. Ian Darbyshire, proprietor of… Read More
Government Signals Reform to No Win, No Fee
TFollowing a major review carried out last year by Lord Justice Jackson, the Government has unveiled its plans for a radical overhaul of the civil justice system. Firstly, it intends to reform… Read More
Investment Guidance for Charity Trustees
One of the more frequent problems faced by charity trustees is that of balancing the need for charity investments to produce financial benefits with the desire for the charity investments to produce… Read More
Brakes Put On Out of Control Executor
A woman in her 60s was recently forced by her two brothers to repay more than £30,000 she had charged for administering their late parents’ estates after they threatened legal action against her… Read More
The Budget - Issues For Individuals
Budget Summary 2011 23 March 2011 With Chancellor George Osborne caught between a rock and a hard place as regards the yawning public sector deficit, it was perhaps… Read More
The Budget - Issues For Business
Budget Summary 2011 23 March 2011 With Chancellor George Osborne being caught between a rock and a hard place as regards the yawning public sector deficit, it was… Read More
Revenue Up Credit Card Charges
HM Revenue and Customs have announced that they are increasing the cost of paying tax bills by credit card to 1.4 per cent from 1 April. Paying tax by credit card can be very expensive. Think before… Read More
Last Minute Change on the Right to Request Flexible Working
Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced that the right to request flexible working will not now be extended to parents of children aged 17. The measure had been due to come into force on 6 April… Read More
Gaming Machines - Act Fast
If you have gaming machines and are thinking of applying for new licences, act fast - you have only 2 days to avoid the increase announced in today's budget. The relevant section of the HMRC press… Read More
The Opportunity to Tender for Government Contracts
When the Coalition Government took office, it expressed the view that the system in place for competing for government contracts was actively discouraging small and medium-sized businesses, charities… Read More
Companies House Warns - Get Your Accounts Right
With many companies having just passed a 31 December year end or coming up for a 31 March year end, it seems a good time to remind directors of the need to make sure that when accounts are filed… Read More
Surgery Admin Error Led to Mother’s Early Death
The High Court has ruled that a GP surgery’s failure to send urgent appointment letters to a woman’s correct address was responsible for her premature death from breast cancer, thus entitling her… Read More
Unreasonable Shareholder Rebuffed By Court
A shareholder who sought, by refusing to agree to a share valuation, to force the company of which he was a shareholder to give him information he wanted, was rebuffed by the court recently. A… Read More
Take Aways May Get VAT Bonus
According to Accountancy Age, a ruling by the EU concerning the VAT payable by a German sausage-seller means that some take-away food sellers will be able to zero-rate some of their sales, and… Read More
Pilgrims’ Progress Unhindered by Revenue
The ‘football creditor’ rule, which applies to all clubs in senior professional leagues, has the effect that football creditors (players, other clubs etc) are paid out in full on an insolvency… Read More
On your marks, get set...GO Yeovil!
Williamsons are delighted to be sponsoring Midwest Radio’s coverage of an all new and exciting sporting event on 27 March 2011. Hundreds of eager runners have already registered to take part in… Read More
Spousal Visas – Better Support for Victims of Domestic Violence
The Home Secretary has announced that the Government is to give overseas spouses and partners of UK residents who are forced to flee their relationships as a result of domestic violence the permanent… Read More
OFT - Small Print Must Not Vary Contract
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has issued a paper on unfair contracts, making it clear that for a consumer contract to be fair, it must mean what the customer thinks it means. Companies that hide… Read More
Managing Your Cash
Money management is one of those areas that many people prefer not to think about, let alone do anything about, until it is too late. However, there are simple steps you can take to help to make… Read More
Bank Cuts Loans As Property Prices Predicted to Fall
Following hard upon the Institute of Chartered Accountants’ report that construction sector business confidence has ‘collapsed’ comes the news that Lloyds Banking Group has cut its property… Read More
Life in the Black Economy May Bring Prison
The view HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) take on members of the ‘black economy’ is well known to be harsh, but the strength of their animosity to petty tax evaders is illustrated by a recent… Read More
Supreme Court Hands Down Landmark Mesothelioma Ruling
The Supreme Court has handed down its judgment in two cases concerning women who died of mesothelioma. In each case, the employer was the sole known source of occupational exposure to asbestos dust… Read More
Celebrity Chef Calls Off Divorce but Pursues Lawyers
Marco-Pierre White and his wife Mati may have called off what looked like being a very acrimonious divorce, but the celebrity chef is still to take action against her former solicitors. He accuses… Read More
Administrations and TUPE – EAT Gives Guidance
In an important case (OTG Ltd. v Barke and Others), the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has provided clarification on the application of Regulation 8(7) of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection… Read More
Balance Sheet Insolvency Test Fails to Impress Supreme Court
One of the traditional definitions of insolvency when the liabilities of a business exceed its assets, leaving a balance of ‘net liabilities’. This is known in accounting circles as the… Read More
Ankle Damage Brings Settlement for Dean Ashton
A footballer whose career was effectively ended when he sustained an injury whilst preparing for an England game has won an undisclosed sum in compensation. Dean Ashton, now 27, was injured in 2006… Read More
VAT on Catalogues: Tribunal Rules
If you supply catalogues to your customers you should consider the implications of a recent decision of the VAT Tribunal involving retailer Next. Next has operated a policy of supplying catalogues… Read More
Court of Appeal Backs Council Worker
A council worker who sued his employer after cutting his hand when clearing garden rubbish has won his case in the Court of Appeal. Stephen Threlfall claimed that the gloves provided by Hull City… Read More
Will Writers Should Have Formal Qualifications, Says Law Society
Unlike solicitors, will writers do not have to be legally qualified or insured. The Law Society has launched a campaign to persuade the Government to introduce a requirement that all will writers… Read More
Foreign Unrest – Tax Guidance
Workers who normally work in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, but who have been evacuated, are to be given special consideration by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) UK tax residence normally depends on how… Read More
Expensive House Sale or Purchase? Don't Waste Time!
If you are considering buying or selling a property worth more than £1 million, our advice would be to get on with it. In only 1 Month, on 6 April 2011, the rate of Stamp Duty Land Tax on such… Read More
Triple Blow for Fraudulent Accountant
An accountant who committed fraud has suffered a triple blow as a result of the offence of fraud. Accountant Jeremy Greene had co-signed cheques in respect of fraudulent invoices on behalf of two… Read More
Revised Codes of Practice for Sponsored Skilled Workers
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has published the annual update to the codes of practice for sponsored skilled workers. If an employer wants to sponsor a migrant worker from outside Europe under Tier 2… Read More
Landfill Tax - Reminder
The standard rate of Landfill Tax will increase by£8 per tonne to £56 per tonne from 1 April. The intention is that the standard rate will continue to increase by £8 per tonne each year from 2011… Read More
Normal Practice is in the Contract
Different industries and markets have different customs. On that point the Court of Appeal has recently decoded that when interpreting a contract, account should be taken of ‘market practice’ in… Read More
Views on Sexual Orientation Relevant in Fostering Decisions
The High Court has handed down its judgment in the widely-reported case concerning a Christian couple seeking to foster a child, who had told social workers that they were opposed to homosexuality on… Read More
Abolition of the Default Retirement Age – Act Now
The Government has published the draft Employment Equality (Repeal of Retirement Provisions) Regulations 2011. These will abolish the Default Retirement Age (DRA) of 65 and are due to come into force… Read More
The Equality Act – Positive Action in Recruitment and Promotion
Provisions contained in the Equality Act 2010 that allow positive action specifically in the process of recruitment and promotion, in limited circumstances, come into force on 6 April 2011. Positive… Read More
Paying for Employee Training
It is well known that the rules regarding expenses that are allowed as deductions from income for tax purposes are far stricter for employees than they are for the self-employed. The relevant… Read More
Guidance for Charity Trustees
New guidance for charity trustees has been issued: Guidance on exempted and excepted charities has been revised – see the guidance. This is especially relevant to the trustees of smaller… Read More
New Online Marketing Regulation
From 1 March 2011, the remit of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is being extended to cover marketing on websites. From that date, marketing communications on companies’ own websites and… Read More
Government Delays Extension of Right to Request Training
The Government has announced that the ‘Time to Train’ regulations will not be extended this April to employees of small and medium-sized businesses. The right to request time to train was… Read More
Different Insurance Costs ‘Sexist’, Rules Court
The European Court of Justice has ruled that charging men and women different motor insurance premiums is unlawful, despite the fact that the differential in premiums paid merely reflects the cost of… Read More