Kerseys Solicitors September 2025 Newsletter
Kerseys Solicitors September 2025 Newsletter
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Employment Rights Bill Roadmap
The Employment Rights Bill is expected in come into force in Autumn 2025, which plans to make significant changes to the current legal landscape.
On 1 July 2025, the government published a roadmap for the delivery of multiple aspects of the Employment Rights Bill. This outlines a phased implementation over two and a half years to allow time to prepare for the upcoming changes, which has been welcomed by ACAS.
Highlights/Key changes of the roadmap are as follows
April 2026
- Collective redundancy protective award – doubling the maximum period of the protective award to provide stronger financial security for workers facing mass redundancies
- ‘Day one’ paternity leave and unpaid parental leave to support working families from the very start of employment
- Whistleblowing protections to encourage reporting of wrongdoing without fear of retaliation
- Fair work agency established to enforce labour rights and promote fairness in the workplace
- Statutory sick pay – removing the lower earnings limit and waiting period
October 2026
- Ending fire and rehire practices to protect workers from being forced into worse terms under threat of dismissal
- Regulations to establish the fair pay agreement adult social care negotiating body in England to raise standards and pay in the social care sector
- Tightening tipping law – mandating consultation with workers to ensure fairer tip allocation
- Requiring employers to take “all reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their employees to create safer, more respectful workplaces
- Introducing an obligation on employers not to permit the harassment of their employees by third parties to extend protections to all work environment
2027
- Enhanced dismissal protections for pregnant women and new mothers to safeguard job security during pregnancy, maternity leave and a return-to-work period
- Further harassment protections, specifying reasonable steps which will help determine whether an employer has taken all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment to provide clearer guidance and stronger enforcement against harassment
- Bereavement leave to give workers time to grieve with job security
- Ending the exploitative use of zero hours contracts to provide workers with stable hours and predictable income
- ‘Day 1’ right to protection from unfair dismissal
- Improving access to flexible working
NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements)
The government have also announced that employees who are subject to harassment or discrimination will no longer be silenced by NDAs as part of amendments to the Employment Rights Bill. The change will void NDAs used by employers against employees who have been subjected to harassment, including sexual harassment, or discrimination in the workplace.
Update on the Renters’ Rights Bill
Changes for Landlords and Tenants are getting closer
The Renters’ Rights Bill (successor to the Renters Reform Bill brought by the Conservative government) is still being debated in Parliament and is currently ping ponging between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The bill recently passed its third reading in the House of Lords and will now be sent back to the House of Commons to vote on the amendments made by the Lords before granting Royal Assent. With the Summer recess on the 22nd July, the Bill will not now be passed before the Autumn session begins on the 1st September.
The Renters’ Rights Bill will have a major effect on the relationship between landlords and tenants. Below are some of the key changes that the Bill is looking to make. Click the headlines to find out more information.
If you need guidance in any of the above matter, please do not hesitate to contact us. Kate Barnes, head of our Dispute Resolution team is an experienced Dispute Resolution solicitor who is often described as an expert “problem solver”. She has been advising and assisting clients in Suffolk and North Essex since 2002.
If you are a landlord or tenant, and require legal advice, please do contact a member of our Dispute Resolution team at [email protected] / telephone 01473 213311 / visit our website.
Stamp Duty on an Acquisition of Commercial Property
When you are deciding how much you are prepared to pay for a commercial property, you must take into account any Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) you will have to pay on top of the purchase price. Where SDLT is payable on a transaction, you must pay within 14 days or face penalties and interest. The rules on when SDLT applies and at what level are complex, so you should discuss it with your solicitor well in advance, so that you have funds available in good time.
‘Paying SDLT on top of a hefty purchase price can feel like a burden when you buy commercial property,’ says Kimat Singh, head of the commercial team with Kerseys Solicitors. ‘But it produced £11.6 billion for the UK Government in 2023/24. While there are legitimate ways to structure transactions to reduce your SDLT bill, it is hard to avoid altogether. The best approach is to work with your solicitor to understand what you will need to pay, so you avoid an unwelcome surprise just before completion.’
To read more about Stamp Duty on Commercial Properties click the link.
Health and Welfare LPA
The role of a Health and Welfare LPA when making decisions for someone in hospital
When a loved one is admitted to hospital and lacks mental capacity to make decisions for themselves, having a Health and Welfare Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) in place can be vital. But even if you are named as their attorney, you may be unsure how and when to use that authority or how it interacts with the views of doctors or next of kin.
‘Being appointed under a Health and Welfare LPA gives you important legal authority, but many attorneys are unsure how far that power goes, especially in a medical setting,’ explains Leila Murray, head of the Wills and Probate team at Kersey Solicitors. ‘If your views about treatment or discharge differ from medical staff or family members, it is essential to understand how to assert your role in a constructive and lawful way.’
What is your role under a Health and Welfare LPA?
A Health and Welfare LPA allows the donor (the person who made the LPA) to appoint one or more people to make decisions about their personal welfare if they lose mental capacity. This includes decisions about medical treatment, care arrangements, and daily routines. As an attorney, you must act in the donor’s best interests, considering their wishes and values – even if they can no longer express them.
Although most attorneys are aware they hold this power, there can be uncertainty about when and how to use it in practice, especially in a hospital setting.
Find out more about Health & Welfare LPA’s and read the complete blog here.
New Faces at Kerseys
Sarina Bailey joins us as Associate Solicitor in our Family Department based in Ipswich. She trained at a top Legal 500 firm and joined the Family Team at Kerseys Solicitors LLP in August 2025.
Matt Clemence, Head of Family law says ”Sarina brings to the department a wealth of experience in family law matters She is a very assured and accomplished lawyer with first class client care, and will enhance Kerseys Solicitors reputation in family law”.
We are pleased to welcome Belinda Moore as Sarina Bailey’s Legal Assistant.
Alice Levy has also joined our ever growing Residential Property team in Woodbridge as Legal Assistant.
Which is more stressful? Watching Ipswich Town FC or negotiating …
Another wonderful, but nail-biting afternoon at Portman Road. Picture taken from our hard-fought draw against Southampton.
We have been enthusiastically supporting Ipswich Town Football Club at every home game, and it’s a pleasure to be able to enjoy them alongside our clients, colleagues, and friends.
