Megan Armstrong

The Government’s schools white paper, Every Child Achieving and Thriving, and the SEND consultation, Putting Children and Young People First, set out a major proposed restructuring of the schools and SEND system in England.

Employers will soon be required to give workers a written statement explaining their right to join a trade union. The Government has now confirmed what the statement must contain and how it must be provided. It expects the duty to come into force between December 2026 and January 2027, rather than in October 2026 as previously indicated.

Following consultation, the government has confirmed that regulations prescribing a new process for handling flexible working requests, and the new reasonableness test under the Employment Rights Act 2025, will both take effect in autumn 2027.

Tribunals awarding aggravated damages must identify a specific aggravating factor, explain what further injury it caused and ensure that this is not already compensated by an injury to feelings award.

The Government is proposing to replace the Lifetime ISA (LISA) with a new First Time Buyer ISA (FTB ISA), to help people save for their first home. The consultation closed on 18 August 2026, but the new product is not yet available and no launch date has been confirmed.

For now, the LISA remains available under its existing rules. Current LISA holders can keep their accounts and continue contributing to them. Under the proposals, the FTB ISA would have no upper age limit or withdrawal charge. The contribution limit, Government bonus and property price cap have not yet been confirmed.

For most practice it is still not worth moving GMS or PMS practices into limited companies but what about moving the premises into the ownership of a company which is owned by the partners? We consider the pros and cons of this together with Sebastian Beard of Simpkins Edwards.

PCNs have had the option of incorporating since 2019. Previously we felt that incorporation was worth it for some but not others. However we now think that, given the way that neighborhood agenda is developing, those PCNs who haven't incorporated yet really ought to get on and do it now.

GP practices are under growing pressure to improve the environmental performance of their premises. We explore the funding options available and the key property issues to consider before works begin.

From 30 October 2026, independent trade unions will have a new statutory right to seek physical and digital access to workplaces in order to meet, support, recruit and organise workers, and to facilitate collective bargaining. The right applies to all employers with 21 or more workers, meaning the vast majority of charities of any real size will be in scope, whether or not they currently recognise a trade union.