Acas has issued new guidance for employers on managing redundancy for pregnant employees or those on maternity leave. Employment solicitor Sam Greenhalgh reports.
The new guidance, issued in conjunction with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, is a ‘good practice guide’ that is intended to dispel some of the myths that exist about making pregnant employees (or those absent on maternity leave) redundant.
This can be a tricky area for employers to negotiate their way through. The guide makes it clear that provided a fair procedure is followed, with appropriate criteria for selection and proper consultation carried out (adapted if necessary to take account of an employee’s absence), it is possible to carry out a fair redundancy process for those who are pregnant or on maternity leave.
The guidance highlights some of the necessary considerations to take into account in relation to pregnant employees and those on maternity leave, including the requirement to offer such employees any suitable alternative employment that may be available, in preference to other employees.
Spire Solicitors LLP is showing continued growth from its original formation in 2013, by appointing a new Partner within its Corporate and Commercial Team in Norwich.
Matthew Downing joins Spire having led the Corporate and Commercial Team in Cambridge at one of the region’s largest law firms. He brings with him a wealth of experience in advising clients through corporate finance transactions, typically in respect of selling their business or acquiring new businesses. Matthew has lots of experience in advising in respect of owner managed and family businesses. He has a particular interest in the manufacturing sector and has advised numerous clients in this and various other sectors in recent years.
Matthew has a good understanding of the franchise sector and advising on the sale or acquisition of existing franchise businesses. In addition, Matthew also advises regularly on general commercial contract and shareholder arrangements.
Following his appointment, Matthew commented: “I am delighted to be joining Spire and to be back in Norwich where I have spent most of my legal career. It is an exciting time for the firm which is experiencing strong growth across all areas of its services and is now seeing the benefits of key investments in the business and its infrastructure in recent years”.
Roger Margand, Head of the Corporate and Commercial Team at Spire added “We are really pleased to have Matthew join us. He brings with him heaps of corporate experience which will only strengthen our existing corporate and commercial offering”.
After the successful merger of Hood Vores & Allwood Solicitors, Greenland Houchen Pomeroy Solicitors and Overbury Steward & Eaton Solicitors in 2013, Spire now represents one of the largest, and most progressive legal firms in Norfolk, with a presence of 8 offices across the county and over 150 employees. With this latest addition and further growth plans, Spire will only reach new levels, as it looks to tailor its offerings further for the best and most comprehensive offering in the local market place.
James Knight, CEO and Partner commented: “This is an exciting time for all involved in the business. As a united team, we’ve grown from strength-to-strength, solidifying our service offering, as well as increasing the number of strategic Partners and specialist staff joining the business, to which, I am delighted Matthew is joining our team and vision”.
James continued: “The next months are the most exciting for us as with the organic growth attained since 2013, we’re able to continue this with the acquisition of our core team members to continue to flourish in their fields of expertise, complementing our business and enhancing our commitment to Norfolk“.
Spire Solicitors LLP offers specialist legal knowledge in all services. A true Norfolk business from the beginning, its doors are open across all 8 offices for approachable expert advice, on every matter.
Please direct all press enquiries to:
Kristian Tangen-Sorgendal Marketing Manager Spire Solicitors LLP E: [email protected]
Independent guide to the legal profession, The Legal 500, released their results for 2017 today, with increased rankings and continued praise for Leathes Prior. A rundown of the key highlights from the latest edition is provided below. Our Corporate and Commercial Team is praised as “one of the region’s most respected teams”. The firm is noted to have grown our Intellectual Property practice with the addition of Richard Turner and Alex Saunders “further strengthening contentious and advisory capability for technology and franchising clients.” The work our teams undertake for charities is highlighted with one charity client saying “At Leathes Prior, ‘the service is of the highest standard’ and the firm’s ‘efficient and quick service makes it extremely easy to work with’.” Clients also praised Corporate Partner Paul Warman for his work in this area, saying “he is always available and provides answers very promptly, showing a good understanding of clients’ structure and methodology”. The Commercial Property Team is praised for the breadth of work they cover, with the considerable experience of the team members highlighted. The firm’s Wills, Estates & Powers of Attorney Team is applauded as the guide highlights that “STEP-accredited William Riley acts as executor for numerous high-value and complex estates and serves as a professional deputy for many individuals. Partner Tessa Bonser is now a qualified member of STEP and leads the firm’s trusts work. Associate Barrie Barker, who has more than 30 years’ experience in private client matters, focuses on wills and estate administration. Solicitor Claire Woolliscroft mainly handles Court of Protection matters.” The firm’s growing expertise in agriculture was featured, as the guide goes on to outline the firm’s “longstanding reputation as a key adviser to land-owning and agricultural clients on tax, trusts and estates matters. Leathes Prior’s specialist team ‘compares very well with the main competition in Norfolk’.The team focuses on contentious probate, property litigation and agricultural disputes and is led by litigator Darren Bowen who is ‘incisive, clear-thinking and a strong advocate for his clients, but always open to practical ideas for settlement’. He is assisted by solicitors Sabina Haag and Calum Paterson, who are praised for their efficiency and technical expertise.” The guide continues “In Darren Bowen the firm has a highly skilled property litigator who is respected by surveyors, land agents, landed estates and counsel. Solicitor Sabina Haag specialises in landlord and tenant disputes involving dilapidations claims, forfeiture proceedings and commercial rent arrears. She also handles matters concerning timeshare properties.” The guide continued, highlighting the wider Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team to state “team head Mike Barlow and solicitor Polly Langford form a credible team handling a wide range of high-value commercial matters. Partner David Richards, who has a particular specialism in contentious construction matters, frequently advises contractors and employers on high-value commercial disputes.” The firm’s specialist debt collector service is praised as the guide details “Leathes Prior has long been considered one of the market leaders in debt recovery and is able to handle not only straightforward bulk claims, but also complex matters involving niche areas of law. Litigators David Richards, Darren Bowen and Mike Barlow are highly respected. Associates Polly Langford and Ina Beurich are also recommended, as is credit control manager Dawn Lossau.” The firm’s increasing expertise in education is featured, as it “draws on the strengths of an experienced, multidisciplinary team to advise many of the largest schools and universities in the region. Widely respected Associate Polly Langford specialises in both commercial litigation and education law.” The guide also highlights the firm’s insolvency offering outlining that “Leathes Prior has a niche practice that specialises in bankruptcy annulments, in which it acts not only for clients in East Anglia, but also across the UK. The firm pools its expertise in employment, regulatory and property law to advise local IPs and individuals on corporate and personal insolvency. Solicitor Ina Beurich leads the team and ‘provides excellent service’.” Clients of the firm’s Employment Team have said that it “treats every client and every problem individually and takes the time to listen and learn about each client in order to give relevant, practical and correct advice”. The feedback further provides that “Dan Chapman has a stellar reputation in the county and leads a team of four in which associate and ‘extremely able advocate’ Gareth Stevens is ‘particularly good at making clients feel at ease and coming up with solutions they can understand and move forward with'”. Partner Sarah Appleton and Associate Harriet Howes are also recommended. Our Sports Team is highlighted as the guide states the team “extends beyond the firm’s regional presence and offers a national service through Full Contact. The team, led by head of employment Dan Chapman, is extremely busy in both football and motorsport matters”. The firm’s Family Team, led by Partner Alisdair Douglas, is said to deliver “exemplary service and clear and accurate advice”. Associate Simon Willis is described as “superb – he is always clear, on time and makes clients feel valued”. The guide also notes the team to include Chartered Legal Executive Laura Savage and Solicitor Carla Morphett. The firm’s Regulation & Defence Team is praised, in particular the team’s expertise in health and safety and fraud. The guide notes that the team is “active across the UK in business defence, crime and traffic-related matters. Solicitor Tej Thakkar is widely experienced in Magistrates and Crown Courts, including the designated serious fraud centre at Southwark Crown Court.” The guide continues “Leathes Prior handles a wide range of privately funded criminal defence work and is known for its ‘flexible and cost-efficient approach’. Tim Cary is ‘very switched on’.” The firm is delighted with another year of excellent results from the research.
Survival Systems International UK (SSI) has completed the refurbishment of three 50-man lifeboat capsules from the Global Sante Fe Galaxy rig at its UK base at Great Yarmouth.
All three were transported together by road from Scotland to be worked on simultaneously in Norfolk while the North Sea rig was being revamped in the Nigg fabrication yard on the Cromarty Firth.
“We were delighted to be given the work by Transocean, the world’s largest drilling contractor, and even happier to report that we finished on schedule within a tight deadline,” said Andy Dickson, SSI UK’s operations manager.
“It’s meant the workshop has been particularly busy with all three capsules being worked on alongside another major contract.”
Every component from each of the capsules was thoroughly checked through SSI’s ‘traffic light’ assessment – green for OK, yellow for potential refurbishment and red for replacement. Safety testing was also incorporated into the six-week project.
“It was ideal for us to get the job as the capsules were all built by our parent company in the United States so we were very familiar with their design, equipment and layout,” said Andy.
The GSF Galaxy, a harsh environment deepwater jack-up platform, is undergoing a three-month refurbishment, the first oil rig for nine years at the Nigg yard.
Attleborough based renewable heating expert Finn Geotherm, has been shortlisted in four categories in the prestigious National ACR & Heat Pump Awards.
The sought-after National ACR & Heat Pump Awards celebrate excellence in innovation, projects, installations and environmental successes in the air conditioning and refrigeration and heat pump industries. They bring together manufacturers, end users, distributors, heating engineers, ACR contractors and consultants from across the country.
Finn Geotherm has been shortlisted in four categories:
Heat Pump Installer of the Year
Domestic Ground Source Project – for the first installation of a communal ground source heat pump for domestic use in the East of England by housing association Flagship Group. The system installed at Orchard Close in Watton, is delivering domestic heating and hot water for 30 flats. It has cut Flagship customers’ heating bills by two thirds, creating annual savings of hundreds of pounds.
Non-domestic Ground Source Project – also for the Flagship Group district heating scheme at Orchard Close, Watton.
Domestic Air Source Project – for a heat pump system installed at a South Norfolk home. The installation was the second air source project completed by Finn Geotherm for this customer when they moved into a new house.
Guy Ransom, commercial director at Finn Geotherm, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been shortlisted for four awards in the National ACR & Heat Pump Awards, which recognise the country’s most significant heating companies and projects. We are particularly over the moon to have been shortlisted twice for the district heating project at Flagship, which is both a testament to the forward-thinking strategic approach of Flagship and the hard work and skill of the team at Finn Geotherm in delivering the best possible solution for the organisation and its tenants. We thoroughly enjoyed working together on this project and hope we can soon be celebrating its success together too!”
Winners of the National ACR & Heat Pump Awards will be announced on 18th January 2018 at a black tie event in Liverpool.
We are very excited to announce that the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and development teams at Tudor Lodge Consultants are working with the Southdown Gun Club to improve their online presence and positioning on Google Search. An award-winning gun club and shooting school, the Southdown Gun Club are a very unique client with exciting products on offer.
In addition to their West Sussex shooting club and school, they also have a well-renowned shop known as the ‘Gun Room’ which sells all of the necessary and desired additions for amateur and professional shooters. Southdown Gun Club offer a variety of shooting experiences which includes clay pigeon shooting, skeet shooting, target shooting and some truly unique day experiences such as archery and axe throwing.
However, they approached the team at Tudor Lodge Consultants with the problem that as the premier shooting ground of West Sussex, not enough people and customers have been finding their website and engaging with their offerings. We have therefore devised a comprehensive SEO and technical website strategy which together are already showing signs of progress and the huge potential of the Gun Club and its adjoining shop’s website.
The Challenges Faced
The Southdown Gun Club website, being built on WordPress has a huge degree of potential. However, although the site’s appearance and feel are very good, serving customers superbly, the technical aspects of the website need much work. The website was not being properly crawled and ranked by Google and other search engines and therefore, the Southdown Gun Club were not enjoying the fruits of their success and the huge opportunities for customers to find them.
Moreover, the site was not configured to run and be engaged with via mobile and tablet devices, a now crucial Google ranking factor. The website has also traditionally not been targeting potential and prospective customers by targeting keyword and relevant brand and generic search terms.
What We Are Doing
As a result of the challenges faced by Southdown Gun Club, our team have been working to improve a variety of aspects of the site and its online offerings including:
– How the site is crawled by Google
– Site speed
– Mobile functionality
– Targeting of specifically relevant keywords and search terms
– Improved user experience and user journeys
– Improved site architecture
We initially had a detailed consultation with the client and have now devised their keyword strategy after performing in-depth keyword research and analysis. We have used this information and data to help with our initiation of the implementation of the website’s meta data. The meta data is one of the most important factors for Google as it allows pages and their content to be read, ranked and properly ‘understood,’ allowing for better rankings and positions online.
We have also been working with the development team to improve site speed, which is on the up. Southdown Gun Club are currently enjoying site speeds of 71% for mobile and 95% for desktop. This is a very important factor as it allows easy navigation and better user journeys throughout the site.
Further to this, we are also performing a full audit of images on the site, compressing those that are too large to further increase the site’s speed. Whilst the Southdown Gun Club have an adequate link profile, we have also been required to remove an array of toxic links from the backlink profile of the website and we will be working on an improved and logical strategy of building strong, relevant and clean links that point to the Southdown Gun Club website; acting as a strong trust signal for Google and other search engines of the relevant and importance of the website.
Southdown Gun Club have already at this early stage seen their website achieve top 5 positions on Google for the competitive terms of ‘gun clubs’ and ‘gun club,’ some of the most competitive and most popular search terms in the industry.
We are looking forward to building on the progress and positive outlook for the Southdown Gun Club, takin their site to the lofty heights of Google’s page 1 for further terms.
We are very excited to be able to showcase our IT services and solutions within a brand new website.
The Breakwater team worked closely with local design agency, Solid Block, to create a site that clearly outlined how we support clients and their IT systems; delivering greater value from the technology they invest in and providing long-term business growth.
Our approach to delivering IT is to focus on clients’ specific requirements and the results they want to achieve – increased productivity, reduced risk, seamless scalability.
Within our new website we reveal the core components that are the building blocks for future growth. ‘A Platform to Power your Business’ is essentially a secure system that forms the basis of a client’s IT network. We have taken our collective knowledge and experience to provide IT support based on a shared, and tried and tested, understanding of which solutions work well together. Every component we recommend has a deliberate place and purpose and is proactively managed to ensure systems run smoothly.
By outsourcing your IT services to Breakwater, you receive essential solutions as standard – including backup, anti-virus, email security, device maintenance and licensing compliance. We also offer consultative and specialist project work, innovative backup and disaster recovery, cloud solutions, telecoms and CCTV services.
We hope you enjoy taking a look around our new site and learning more about the way in which IT can power your business – keep an eye out for our rather addictive new game and see if you can top the leaderboard!
Norfolk Chamber member Human Capital Department – the people management and development experts in East Angia – have released a free questionnaire which enables companies to verify whether or not they are complaint with the varous rules and regulations relating to people management and development.
Once the questionnaire has been completed human capital department are able to produce a short report which uses a trafic light system – red, amber or green – to highlight any areas of possible concern.
“The people management and development space is highly regulated and continuously changing – recent examples include General Data Protection Regulations [GDPR] and Supreme Court Ruling that makes Employment Tribunal Fees unlawful – and it is difficult for organisations to stay on top of these changes, especially if they do not have a specialist personnel manager in-house.” said Peter Lawrence, Director and Founder of Human Capital Department.
Human Capital Department can help by providing this simple questionnaire and free report and by providing guidance on any areas which the report identifys as [amber or red] of being of concern.
LIFT is a grants scheme run by Norfolk County Council and funded by the European Social Fund that helps people build their skills and find work, and supports local businesses in offering work trials. Our new website promotes the programme and makes it easy for applicants to find the information they need. Another “intelligent website design”.
The Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) team at Tudor Lodge are pleased to announce that we are working with SPF Private Clients (https://spf.co.uk/), who have recently celebrated their 20th birthday. SPF were born out of Savills Property Finance and underwent a management buyout and an exciting rebrand.
Our team have been working closely with SPF on their online presence, discoverability and their brand exposure to a far-reaching target audience. SPF Private Clients provide 4 distinct areas of expertise and service which are: mortgages, insurance, wealth management and commercial finance. Each of these areas are broken down by SPF into verticals that are marketed to their client base and customers.
Unlike typical brokerages and financial services providers, SPF are able to arrange the best solutions for each case and client on a case by case basis. This means that clients of SPF are afforded world-class expertise, high levels of service and exclusive products across the relevant markets. SPF have however had their fair share of challenges online and this is one of the reasons why they have brought in our team.
Having rebranded in the last decade, SPF have seen the need to build a new online brand presence and as part of this target a number of new and previously ranked terms. This is in addition to the desired improvements they continue to seek for their site.
Starting Points
Starting on SPF’s website allowed us to discover that a number of SEO basics had not been fully or properly implemented from past work on the site. This included the following factors, all of which are crucial SEO ranking factors:
– Meta Data
– H Title Use
– Schema
– Backlinking
– Site Speed and Response Times
We have and continue to address all of these points on an ongoing basis. Their previous meta data was not properly optimised with meta titles being too long or duplicated across the site and meta descriptions being absent altogether. We therefore cleaned up all of their meta data, insuring every page has its own data and unique offering. This has already seen various positive shifts on Google Search Results.
SPF were also not making proper and optimised use of their H titles. H titles are a critical SEO ranking factor as they tell Google what the on-page content is about and what is to come. As with the meta data, we have fine-tuned and optimised all of their H titles, paying particular attention to their H1 titles (as these are afforded the highest priority.)
Schema has also been fully rolled out across the site and this allows search engines to better ‘understand’ what is on each website page and the context.
SPF enjoy a strong presence in the media and they have a number of high value and strong backlinks. This includes many links from the likes of world-renowned industry bodies, new outlets and industry experts. However, many of these have not provided SPF with the correctly optimised backlink and so we have commenced a reclamation, reaching out and reclaiming these links for SPF’s online benefit.
We have also worked with SPF’s existing developers on the speed of the website which is important for user experience as well as mobile and tablet use. This has seen the site jump to more than 70% site speed across all platforms.
The Results
Although this project is in its early stages and there is still much more work to come, SPF have already seen numerous high competition phrases reach the lofty heights of page 1 of Google. This includes the likes of ‘private finance,’ ‘residential mortgages’ and others. Building on this progress and that of the work to come, we are looking forward to building a strong, fruitful and successful partnership with SPF Private Clients for the future.
The Brancaster House team temporarily traded tax efficiency for turbo slides as we took on the Inflatable 5K at the Norfolk Showground, raising money for Priscilla Bacon Hospice.
As independent financial advisers in Norfolk, we’re used to helping people navigate long-term plans, but nothing prepared us for the short-term shock of being launched headfirst into an oversized bouncy tunnel at 8.30am on a Saturday. Still, whether you’re managing market volatility or unexpected air-filled obstacles, resilience (and teamwork) always pays off.
Why We Did It And Why Priscilla Bacon Hospice Matters to Us
We’ve long been proud supporters of Priscilla Bacon Hospice. If you haven’t seen it yet, we wrote about exactly why here:
Taking part in the Inflatable 5K brought those reasons to life:
Team unity: Much like pension planning, inflatable obstacle courses require strategy, encouragement and sometimes pushing someone (gently) in the right direction.
Community spirit: As a financial planning firm in Norwich, we’re committed to supporting the people and causes that make Norfolk special.
Real impact: Every bounce, wobble and dramatic fall contributed to raising funds for vital end-of-life care.
What the Day Reminded Us
Whether you’re facing financial uncertainty or an inflatable slide that’s far steeper than it looked online, having the right support makes all the difference.
At Brancaster House Financial Planning, that’s what we’re here for; helping individuals and families across Norfolk feel more confident, more secure and more prepared for the future.
Want Help Getting Your Finances in Shape?
If you’re looking for:
Financial advice in Norwich
An independent financial adviser / advisor in Norfolk
Or simply someone to help you understand your pensions, investments or retirement options…
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