Updates

Membership bodies – is your governance fit for purpose?

Like all organisations, professional membership bodies and learned societies should regularly review their governance and governing documents to make sure they are up to date and fit for purpose. Some of the key things to think about are: Purposes – are the purposes of your organisation still suitable? You will want to consider whether they …
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Bates Wells and Fashion Declares have collaborated on a Sustainable Fashion White Paper: The Future of Fashion Regulation in the UK

In recent years, there have been significant developments in sustainability legislation introduced by the European Union (EU) and United States (US) which apply directly to the fashion and textile industry. Whilst there are a range of views on the effectiveness of this legislation, the United Kingdom (UK) still lacks a coherent fashion and textile regulatory …
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A safer life online for children: Ofcom’s call to action

If your organisation hosts online forums or other communities where users can interact online, you may need to take action under Ofcom’s new codes on child safety. Charities advocating for online safety for children and women will also be interested in the implications of these codes, as well as Ofcom’s current consultation on protecting women …
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Bates Wells and Fair Game drive key improvements in Football Governance Bill as it advances in Parliament

The Football Governance Bill has received its first reading in the House of Commons, having passed through the House of Lords with its key provisions intact. The Bill will introduce an Independent Football Regulator to oversee the licensing of clubs in the top five tiers of the men’s game, with three main objectives: protecting individual …
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Setting up in the UK – support for US non-profits

At Bates Wells, we work with a wide range of international organisations, to support you in navigating the English landscape for charities and non-profits. In the face of increasing concerns about the regulatory landscape in the US, we are working with a number of clients to explore their options for maintaining resilience and mitigating risk …
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Whistleblowing – A cautionary tale

We recently acted for the Royal College of Nursing assisting them successfully to defend an unfounded whistleblowing claim brought by their former Chair of Council. The Bates Wells team was led by Paul Seath and Jasmine Sudworth. This case study highlights the potential pitfalls where claimants fail to raise concerns in the correct way, where …
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Asking a female employee why she wants to work can amount to harassment related to sex: Lessons from A Pereira v Wellington Antiques and Another

In the recent case of A Pereira v Wellington Antiques and Another, the Employment Tribunal looked at the issue of whether an employer asking a female member of staff questions about why she wanted to work, why she needed to earn money, and about her husband, could amount to harassment related to sex; and found …
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Employment Rights Bill faces criticism in the House of Lords

On 27 March 2025, the Employment Rights Bill (“ERB”) passed its second reading in the House of Lords; after a lengthy debate lasting almost six hours. The Bill runs to 300 pages, with a further 200 pages of explanatory notes. The Labour government are claiming that the ERB will be “the biggest upgrade to workers’ …
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Protecting your intangible assets: Intellectual Property for charities and non-profits

Charities and non-profits own and use intellectual property – including their brand (often involving trade marks), copyright materials and rights in software and technology. These can be some of an organisation’s most valuable assets and should be appropriately safeguarded and managed. We’ve created a series of videos to discuss key considerations for charities and non-profits …
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Regulating for growth – a new approach to an old idea?

“We’ve got to look at regulation across the piece, and where it is needlessly holding back investment… mark my words, we will get rid of it”. This was Prime Minister Kier Starmer’s bold commitment at the International Investment Summit in October 2024. Two months later, on Christmas eve 2024, the PM wrote to 17 regulators, …
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Increases in employment related statutory pay and compensation limits from 6 April 2025

From 6 April 2025, as is the case each year, the Government will be increasing the level of employment related statutory payments, as well as the compensation limits applicable to certain Employment Tribunal awards; by 2.7% (roughly in line with the Retail Prices Index (“RPI”)). Below we set out a summary of the key increases, …
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Does a lack of insight and remorse warrant dismissal? Lessons from Hewston v OFSTED [2025] EWCA Civ 250

In the recent case of Hewston v OFSTED [2025] EWCA Civ 250, the Court of Appeal looked at the question of whether an employee’s lack of “insight” and “contrition” during a disciplinary process merited a disciplinary sanction of dismissal, and found that it did not.  The Court also found that the fact that the employee …
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