Insights

Workplace Compass: As the government refines one of its flagship employment reforms, the latest amendments raise important questions for employers planning contractual change.

On 10 July 2025, the Government published the first reading of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.  The Bill is intended to transfer power out of Westminster by devolving more powers to local government by making changes to democratic processes and funding streams.

I've been reflecting on the government’s recent amendments to the Employment Rights Bill, and what they really mean for fire and re-hire practices.

One of the things I deal with on a regular basis are contracts that auto-renew. So for example an academy trust enters into a services contract that looks like it's set up to run for two years. However buried in the terms and conditions is some drafting that says unless the client takes some specified proactive actions, then rather than come to an end after those two years the contract will automatically roll-over and the term will be extended - sometimes by a year, sometimes by more. (The 'worst' example I've seen was a contact that was auto-extended by an additional five years).

The Employment Rights Bill is without doubt the most significant piece of Employment Law to be introduced in the last 20 years or so. There is a lot in the Bill from the introduction of day 1 unfair dismissal rights to the establishment of the Fair Work Agency.

Whilst my fraud work is in the Civil Courts, I couldn't help but note with interest that Sir Brian Leveson has proposed a significant change to the way that fraud trials might be dealt with in the Criminal Courts - he has proposed abolishing trial by jury