News

Charity Trustee Meetings – A Coronavirus Guide

Offices are closed, we are not meeting face to face, but we still need to take decisions. There will be forgiveness for not following procedures to the letter of the law and procedural errors can be put right later. Both the Charity Commission and OSCR have stated they will be relaxed about technicalities. What matters …
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Coronavirus and your staff: what if working from home is not an option?

Following the government’s advice that people avoid non-essential contact, many organisations will be asking their staff to work from home. But what options are left when working from home is not possible? Please see our latest update on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme here. We examine what routes are available in this situation – and …
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Our commitment to clients during coronavirus

As a result of the current situation regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) We are following government and best-practice guidelines to avoid any preventable risks. We have already advised people, in line with government guidelines, to work from home. We have been an agile office for over two years so we are fully equipped to continue to deliver …
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The ICO and GDPR enforcement: Victoria Hordern writes for Privacy Laws & Business UK

In the latest edition of Privacy Laws & Business UK, Victoria provides her views on how the ICO has sought to enforce the GDPR. Victoria begins her article with a summary of what the GDPR seeks to do, namely to ‘strengthen the rights of individuals and the powers of regulators’ whilst adopting a deliberately anti-trust …
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The GDPR should not thwart a sensible approach to COVID-19 concerns

A disease that few of us had even heard of until recently has now become the main topic of conversation in workplaces and homes. Given how quickly COVID-19 can spread it’s no surprise that employers are introducing measures to prevent the disease causing serious problems to their day to day activities as well as taking …
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Bates Wells publishes Gender Pay Report 2019

Today we publish the ‘Bates Wells Gender Pay Report 2019’, our annual analysis of our gender pay data and what we plan to do to address our gender pay gap. At Bates Wells, we are motivated and driven by our purpose and values. We believe in creating a workplace that is fair, inclusive and allows …
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Victoria Cook speaks to People Management on how HR teams can prepare for impact of coronavirus on their workplace

Victoria Cook, Senior Associate in Bates Wells’ employment team, has provided commentary to People Management on what employers can do to put themselves in the best position to deal with coronavirus’ impact on the workplace. With many employers now tempted to take far-reaching decisions in light of the virus’ spread, Victoria explains how important it …
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Chetal Patel comments on new government immigration system featured by charity and employment trade press

In the wake of yesterday’s Home Office announcement confirming the precise details of the government’s new points-based system, comments from Chetal Patel have now been covered by leading charity and employment trade publications Third Sector and People Management. Speaking to the Third Sector editorial team, Chetal highlighted what the reforms mean for charities, noting that …
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Government reveals new points-based immigration system: leading immigration lawyer comments on changes

Chetal Patel, Partner in our Immigration team, has commented on the latest government announcement on forthcoming changes to the UK’s immigration system. The new immigration framework, inspired by the Australian points-based system, will fundamentally change the current immigration arrangements, with UK borders soon to be completely closed to non-skilled workers. Responding to today’s announcement, Chetal …
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Civil Society: Data Privacy team on stricter rules around direct marketing

Victoria Hordern and Mairead O’Reilly from our Data Privacy team have recently taken part in a Charity Finance roundtable with a panel of other experts to discuss how charities can ensure their fundraising stays within privacy rules. The discussion centred on how the COVID-19 crisis has hugely effected the way charities operate, as well as having …
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Economic migration and salary thresholds: could an Australian-style points based system work in the UK?

The Migration Advisory Committee (“MAC”) has published its review of salary thresholds for economic migration and how an “Australian-style” Points Based System (“PBS”) could work in the UK. The MAC’s review of how salary thresholds are calculated for Tier 2 applicants was initially commissioned by Theresa May’s government in June 2019. Subsequently, in September 2019, …
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The Times: Lindsay Draffan comments on the future of EU state aid rules post-Brexit

In the aftermath of the UK government’s decision to save stricken airline Flybe, Lindsay Draffan in our Corporate & Commercial team addressed the future of state aid post-Brexit in commentary for The Times. With the Flybe case prompting claims from the airline’s competitors that the government’s measures are an unfair intervention from the state, many …
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