Member News

New routes and more choice for sun seekers from Norwich International Airport

Thomson and First Choice are pleased to announce that for Summer 2013 they will be doubling capacity at Norwich International Airport through the introduction of three brand new routes to Dalaman in Turkey, Enfidha in Tunisia and Tenerife – as well as the addition of another weekly flight for existing route Palma.

The move to introduce these routes is part of the UK’s largest tour operator’s strategy to ensure customers across the UK can fly from their local airport and stay at the best hotels in some of the most exciting destinations.

Not only will customers from East Anglia now be able to visit new destinations, they will also have the opportunity to choose varying durations – not just the standard seven and 14 night stays. The changes also mean that Thomson and First Choice customers will now be able to fly to Palma and sail on the Thomson Dream cruise ship visiting a number of ports across the Mediterranean. An increase in capacity on the existing Norwich to Corfu route will also see a further 50 seats a week available to local customers.

Local Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire customers will now have access to some of Thomson and First Choice’s most highly scoring flagship hotels including; the five star Sensatori Tenerife, which gives customers a luxury holiday experience, featuring world class spas and gourmet dining; and the Holiday Village Tunisia which delivers everything a family could want in one place – great entertainment, food, kids clubs and lots of activities to keep the whole family occupied.

Paul Cooper, Airport Negotiations Manager for Thomson and First Choice, said of the move:

“Doubling capacity demonstrates our continued commitment to the region and Norwich International Airport, which has always been a popular departure point for our customers. The increase in capacity comes as a direct result of customer feedback – our customers want to fly from their local airport.

“Modernising our operations across the UK is a key part of our overall strategy and this move is definitely a step in the right direction towards creating an enhanced holiday experience for our customers.”

Andrew Bell, the airport’s Chief Executive, said:

“We are delighted that Thomson and First Choice have announced these fantastic new destinations and increased the frequency on two of our most popular holiday flights. This decision demonstrates their commitment to the airport and reflects the high level of demand from customers wishing to fly from Norwich.

“An easy, hassle free start to a holiday cannot be under estimated. With short journey times to the airport compared to London airports, on-site secure car parking next to the terminal, a friendly welcome when you arrive, efficient check-in and security procedures and no endless corridors to navigate with your bags, Norwich International Airport puts some of the pleasure back into flying.”

Bigfork have just launched a new website for Flooring Supplies Anglia, the regions leading flooring products distributor. Using our strategic approach to website design we produced a digital marketing plan which included a website content plan, search engine optimisation and a broadly appealing, easy to use design. The new website is supported by our Content Management System which allows FSA to manage all content inhouse. See the new site at www.flooringsuppliesanglia.co.uk

A new set of Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure has been published, following a fundamental review carried out by Mr Justice Underhill. Professional Support Lawyer Elizabeth Stevens looks at the main changes.

In November 2011, Mr Justice Underhill (former president of the Employment Appeal Tribunal), was asked by the Government to conduct a fundamental review of the existing Employment Tribunal Rules of Procedure. This review has now been completed and a new set of draft Rules has been published, which will be the subject of a formal consultation later this year.

The new draft Rules are intended to be more straightforward and easier to understand, particularly for unrepresented parties. They are written in simpler language and are less than half the length of the existing Rules.

Some of the key proposed changes are as follows:

• Introducing a new ‘sift’ process at an early stage of the claim, aimed at identifying weak cases and dismissing them without a full hearing if they are regarded as having no reasonable prospects of success;

• Combining the existing separate case management discussions and pre-hearing reviews into ‘preliminary hearings’;

• Requiring tribunals to give reasons for all decisions on disputed issues;

• Allowing tribunals to set strict timetables for oral evidence and submissions;

• Simplifying the rules relating to default judgments;

• There will be no change to the substantive criteria for the award of costs or making deposit orders, but the new Rules will remove the current cap of £20,000, above which costs awards must be referred to the county court for assessment (meaning that tribunals will be able to assess costs above that limit themselves).

There will also be new versions of the prescribed claim (ET1) and response (ET3) forms, which will also be subject to consultation later this year.

A copy of the new draft Rules is available here

Employment Team win Tribunal for Golf Club

Leathes Prior’s Employment Team successfully represented Sheringham Golf Club at an Employment Tribunal this week.

Faced with high value claims for alleged disability discrimination brought by a former Club Secretary/Manager, claims always strenuously denied by the Club, Dan Chapman (Head of the Employment Team) represented the Club during the course of three days before Bury St Edmunds Tribunal. All claims were unanimously dismissed.

The litigation was complex and lasted for almost two years, and the outcome thus comes as a huge relief – not to mention vindication – for the Club. Dan commented; “We are delighted for the Club, and particularly those committee members and officials who have had to give evidence in these proceedings and give up so much of their time helping me and my team defend these claims. Without their support and endeavour, we would not have been able to deliver the successful outcome which was not only essential for the future of the Club, but absolutely just in the circumstances.”

The Government has confirmed the level of fees for bringing an employment tribunal claim, to be introduced from next year. Professional support lawyer Elizabeth Stevens reports.

Following the consultation that was issued in December last year (see our previous briefing), the Government has issued its response confirming plans to introduce fees for bringing a claim in the employment tribunals.

Fees will be charged in two stages: the first will be payable when a claim is issued; the second will be payable prior to the hearing. The level of the fee will be determined by the type of claim:

Level one claims are generally straightforward claims involving a defined sum of money, such as unauthorised deductions from wages and redundancy payments. Such claims will require an initial fee of £160 when the claim is issued, followed by a further £230 is the case proceeds to a hearing, making a total fee of £390.

Level two claims are those involving more complex issues, including unfair dismissal, discrimination and equal pay. Such claims will require an initial fee of £250 followed by a hearing fee of £950, making a total of £1200.

Fees in claims involving multiple claimants will be increased by a factor depending on the number of claimants. A fee of £600 will be introduced for judicial mediation (which is currently free of charge). Fees will also be introduced for bringing an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

Those on low incomes will be subject to the remission system that currently applies in the civil courts, meaning that they may not be required to pay the full fees. In addition, the tribunal will have the discretionary power to order the losing party to pay the fee incurred by the successful party. This will mean that if an employer loses a claim brought against it in the employment tribunal, it may be ordered to reimburse the fees paid by the claimant.

One of the Government’s stated aims for introducing fees is to encourage parties to think carefully about whether to lodge a formal claim, or whether it can be settled informally via mediation or conciliation. The Government wants to ensure that tribunals are used as ‘the option of last resort to resolve employment disputes’. The introduction of fees will also go some way to meeting the £84 million cost of running the employment tribunal system.

It is proposed that the new fee structure will be introduced from summer 2013.

A copy of the consultation response is available here

The firm’s Franchising Team is boosting its international profile by sponsoring a team of three students who are undertaking the 9,500 mile journey from Goodwood to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Rally’s rules state that maximum engine capacity is 1,200 cc and that the car must be less than 10 years’ old. In other words a “banger”. So the team of Teddy Chadd, Poppy Rainer and Pete Henriques, known as the “Three Mongateers”, is driving a turquiose 1.2 litre Vauxhall Aguilawith LP’s banner.

The route takes the team through Europe and on to Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan and Russia before arriving in Mongolia around 6 weeks later. The Vauxhall Aguila is making good progress and has just crossed the border into the Czech Republic. The money raised by Teddy and his team will be split 50:50 between Help For Heroes and Lotus Children’s Centre Charitable Trust.

Whilst Western Europe has a developed franchising sector many of the other countries which the Vauxhall Aguila will encounter are somewhat behind the curve. Jonathan Chadd, head of Leathes Prior’s Franchising Team explains:

“Much of the impetus in franchising over the last 25 or so years has come from the US and Western Europe. We have seen an accelerated impact of franchising in countries like Australia and Brazil. However, whilst India and China are fast becoming franchising heavyweights much of the rest of Asia is still deemed to be a relatively untapped market. The principal benefit of franchising is it allows developed businesses with globally recognised brands to be adopted and replicated by entrepreneurs in developing countries with relative ease. We are delighted to have been able to support the rally and the initiative of the Three Mongateers in participating and raising funds for such good causes. We have asked them to report back on their experiences and in particular to identify the opportunities that exist for franchising and licensing into the diverse Asian countries through which they will pass.”

Steeles Law called in to Wymondham based communication solutions provider and fellow Chamber member APR Telecoms on Friday to deliver the champagne prize won through its Norfolk Show business card draw.

Steeles Law Business Development Executive Matt Reed presented the bottle to Matthew Coe, who is part of the executive team at APR Telecoms.

This year’s Show saw Norwich, Diss and London based firm Steeles Law increase its presence at the event, with a spot in the new All About Business networking marquee, in addition to its continued sponsorship of the bandstand.

Steeles Law Property Disputes Associate Jean Parkinson and Trainee Solicitor Laura Tanguay discuss the recent gas safety prosecution of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

The most recent statistics available from the Health and Safety Executive (“HSE”) reveal that there were 264 gas related incidents in the last recorded year, causing a total of 18 fatalities and 399 non-fatal injuries. But despite these tragic outcomes – and indeed, the serious consequences of flouting gas safety legislation – we are presented with another example in the news of a local authority landlord in breach of its obligations.

Following on from our article, “Safe as Houses? Required Gas Safety Checks for Landlords”, we are prompted to revisit this topic by the recent prosecution of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

On 11 July 2012, the local authority was fined £83,600 for failing to arrange annual safety checks on gas appliances in its tenanted properties. Investigations by the HSE revealed the authority failed to provide adequate certification in respect of appliances in many of its properties between April 2008 and July 2010.

At the hearing, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard evidence that the various breaches had been uncovered following a tenant complaint that gas safety certificates were not available. Upon inspecting that property, it was found that the gas safety record had expired on 4 April 2008 – 15 months previously.

By law, landlords are required to arrange annual gas safety checks (undertaken by a Gas Safe registered engineer) and maintain gas safety records for every tenanted property in its portfolio as per the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (the “Regulations”).

The local authority in this instance was prosecuted under Regulation 36(3)(a) of the Regulations. Under Regulation 36(3), landlords must:

1. check every gas appliance for safety within 12 months of being installed by the landlord and every 12 months thereafter;

2. check every gas appliance owned or installed by the landlord for safety within the 12 months prior to a new lease commencing; and

3. keep records in the manner prescribed by the Regulations of appliances checked and retain these for a period of 2 years thereafter.

The authority pleaded guilty to all nine breaches of the Regulations and was fined a total of £83,600 and ordered to pay full costs of £15,553. At the Crown Court, a breach of these Regulations can in fact be punishable by imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

There are a host of further gas safety requirements in addition to the above to which landlords must adhere, a summary of which can be found on the HSE website. Should you have any further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact Jean Parkinson on [email protected].

On Tuesday 10th July, Norfolk training company, the Red Cat Partnership, travelled to London to be honoured in the House of Commons by the President and Chair of the Board of Governors of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).

Husband and wife team, Sarah Daniels and Richard Mills, who established The Red Cat Partnership in April 1999, made the trip to receive the awards for CIEH Health & Safety Training Centre Of The Year, as well as CIEH Trainer of the Year, for their delivery of the CIEH Level 4 Award in Health & Safety in the Workplace. They were joined by Sarah Moss, one of their course delegates, who is Branch Office Administrator for the Samaritans in Norwich. Sarah beat nearly 2000 other candidates who took the course in 2011 to be awarded Highest Scoring Student of the Year, with an impressive result of 95%.

This is the second consecutive year that The Red Cat Partnership has been awarded these highly prestigious honours from the CIEH, which is the professional voice for environmental health; setting standards, accrediting courses and establishing qualifications for the education of members and other environmental health practitioners. In addition, the CIEH gives information, evidence and policy advice in the public and private sectors, as well as providing qualifications for over 50 certification training programmes, hosting events and supplying support materials on topics relevant to health, wellbeing and safety, to develop workplace skills and best practice.

The Red Cat Partnership is based in central Norwich and offers a wide range of courses and expert consultancy in health & safety and food safety compliance. They are one of over 6,000 training centres for the CIEH, which enforces the highest standards from all of their registered centres, trainers and staff, as well as presenting clear guidance on what to expect from trainers and training centres and outlining procedures for candidate enquiries.

The CIEH awards aim to recognise the trainer and training centre which has supported the delegate who achieves the highest exam score for their Level 4 Award in Health & Safety in the Workplace, worldwide. The awards are results based and companies cannot nominate themselves or others. Instead the awards are judged by the CIEH based on exam results and course delivery.

The course itself is delivered over five days and is designed for owners, senior management and those in a supervisory role of small to medium sized businesses, and for those who have a hand in higher level management of larger businesses, such as hotel managers or residential care home managers. It aims to equip delegates in applying the basics of an appropriate management cycle to their business, and to have a more detailed understanding of key Health and Safety issues, such as hazard areas. Assessment is by a formal written exam, and a controlled assignment, in the form of a case study of the delegate’s own business, which is also carried out under exam conditions.

Richard Mills, Director of The Red Cat Partnership, said: “We work very hard to use a wide variety of activities and case studies to ensure the five day course is interesting and stimulating, as well as an effective learning environment. The course itself is equivalent to degree-level studies and requires a great deal of work, so it is important that our delegates are passionate and enthusiastic about their learning experience.”

Sarah Daniels, Director of The Red Cat Partnership, said: “We are obviously over the moon to have been honoured by the CIEH for the second consecutive year. It is particularly rewarding that these awards are based on the success of our delegates, which obviously speaks volumes and there is no better testament to the successful delivery of any course than when our delegates achieve outstanding results. We would like to congratulate Sarah for doing so fantastically well and to thank her for her passion and enthusiasm.”

Sarah Moss, Branch Office Administrator for the Samaritans, said: “The course was extremely interesting and informative – I really enjoyed the five days with Sarah and Richard and felt I learnt a great deal. The course was invaluable in introducing me to the legislation underpinning health and safety, as well as helping me to identify and understand workplace hazards and how to assess and reduce risk. The course also helped me to understand how to manage health and safety in the workplace, so that by the end of the course I felt well-equipped to go on and apply what I had learnt in a practical way, in my role with the Samaritans.”

Heather Griffin, Deputy Director for the Samaritans, said: “Achieving her CIEH Level 4 Award in Health & Safety in the Workplace has been invaluable for Sarah in her role with us here at the Samaritans. For her to be honoured with this award, therefore, really is the icing on the cake and we would like to thank Sarah and Richard at The Red Cat Partnership for supporting Sarah in achieving such a great result.”

For details of the next course contact the RedCat Team on 01603 502136

Emma Alfieri, fromSteeles Law’sfamily law team, reports that the recession is having a real impact on couples wishing to separate or divorce.

This is due to the recession having diminished the value of many assets:

Splitting one household into two is becoming increasingly difficult. Stagnant or in some cases falling house prices, reduced savings and volatile investment and pension funds, are acting as a ball and chain for many parties wishing to separate. So much so, that some couples are delaying bringing divorce proceedings due to a lack of funds and diminished asset values.

Conversely, some individuals are using the current economic climate to their advantage. For the higher earner, commencing divorce proceedings during the recession could mean benefiting from a reduced settlement based on lower asset values and lower income.

Where couples do decide to separate or divorce, the way in which the assets are shared is becoming less straight forward.

This is due to mortgage lenders now having tougher lending conditions and requiring larger deposits. In some cases we are finding that lenders are not prepared to lend at all, perhaps due to a low income or not taking certain benefits or child maintenance income into account.

Other issues can arise when for instance one party wishes to buy out the other party’s interest in the family home. We are regularly seeing that mortgage lenders are unprepared to release one party from a joint mortgage. There are other options that divorcing couples can consider, such as a “Mesher order” or a “transfer with chargeback”, however some individuals who may have been homeowners for a long time are finding that they are forced to rent. This is a more recent development as prior to the recession lenders were less cautious and it appeared simpler to meet both parties’ future housing needs.

Due to the above, there is also a renewed focus on other assets such as pensions which are becoming a critical consideration in terms of the overall settlement.

Whilst the changes we are seeing may appear to be rather depressing at an already difficult time, our specialised family law team are experienced in getting over these hurdles and working towards overcoming the issues that the recession brings.

For further information, or for an informal chat with one of our family team please contact us on 01603 598000 or visit www.steeleslaw.co.uk.

OpenContact has been awarded the contract to manage telephone bookings and customer service calls for The View from The Shard. The Shard, the iconic, landmark building on the London skyline, designed by Master Architect Renzo Piano will be the tallest building in Western Europe. The View from The Shard is nearly twice as high as any other viewing platform in London and will offer an unparalleled encounter with an incredible building that invites guests to experience the most spectacular views of London past, present and future like never before.

The View from The Shard spans floors 68, 69 and 72 at a height of 800ft or 244m. The visit provides guests with a multi-sensory experience and exhilarating 360° views for 40 miles across London. Opening on 1st February 2013, tickets for The View from The Shard are available by pre-booking and are now on sale online at www.theviewfromtheshard.com. Norfolk based OpenContact beat national competition to be the partner that will help to deliver the customer experience required by The View from The Shard as a premium visitor attraction to local, national and international audiences.

OpenContact will be reporting to The View from The Shard’s management team including Anders Nyberg, Chief Executive and Sandy Clark, Operations Director.

OpenContact’s Head of Client Services, Steve Gregory said: “The Shard is an international icon and work of art. The View from the Shard will enable visitors to unlock London’s culture, architecture and history and we are thrilled to be involved in one of the most significant international launches of 2013.”

Anders Nyberg, Chief Executive Officer, Shard Viewing Gallery Management Group said: ‘We are delighted to have OpenContact on board to help us provide the highest level of customer experience for The View from The Shard. OpenContact’s expertise in managing customer services for visitor attractions will help us to ensure that our guests have the best possible experience, even before they arrive.’

– ENDS –

Press contacts:

OpenContact Steve Gregory: 01603 895406 / [email protected] Susanna Yellop: 01603 895426 / [email protected] Fiona Temple: 01603 895405 / [email protected] Website: https://www.opencontact.co.uk

The View from The Shard Ruth Howlett: 020 3102 3973 / [email protected]

About OpenContact: Established over 11 years ago in Norwich, OpenContact is an outsourced customer contact centre designed to manage customer encounters on behalf of our clients and deliver the customer experience they need. Still family owned and operated, Fiona Temple and her team always create a bespoke service to match every client’s specific requirements and deliver to them consistently.

OpenContact’s work includes: GoApe, UK General Insurance, Mattressman, Harrod Horticultural, National Trust, Booking.com and Christian Aid

About The View from The Shard A premium visitor experience, The View from The Shard offers guests an unparalleled encounter with an incredible building and the creativity, history and culture of London.

The View from the Shard is the highest viewing point from any building in Western Europe, nearly twice as high as any other view in London.

Guests will reach The View from The Shard through a two-stage, state of the art lift experience with music and light effects, which build anticipation, excitement and exhilaration. Guests will arrive at level 68 before ascending to The View on level 69, a triple-height, light-filled main level where the view is revealed and London past, present and future is laid before you like you’ve never seen it before.

On level 72, guests have the opportunity to experience the elements with part of the building exposed through the fractures where the shards of glass come together and the opportunity to gaze at the giant glass shards disappearing into the sky.

Guests exit via a small boutique on level 68 prior to descending in the lifts back through reception where they will have an opportunity to browse the main boutique as well as purchase a souvenir photograph.

The View will be open from 9.00am to 10.00pm to enable guests to enjoy the experience by day and night.

Advance adult tickets for The View from The Shard are £24.95 and available by pre-booking, a system that ensures an unpressured, premium quality experience with no waiting and no queues.

– END TO ALL –https://www.opencontact.co.uk/call-centre-news/

The new legislation may improve the image of enforcement, but will it achieve the correct balance between the rights of creditors and those of debtors? Steeles Law’s Tom Bailey and Denise Cushine investigate.

Click here to view the article in full (reproduced with the kind permission of the Solicitors Journal): https://www.steeleslaw.co.uk/news-item.aspx?id=7190c072-3505-42b3-9e91-02e0e82d6cb7