Insolvency Practitioners in the News – Bournemouth and Dorset 2020
We often submit insolvency related stories and comment to the business editors of some of the key
publications in the Bournemouth and Dorset area. Often, the editors choose to use them as the basis
for articles in their publications, and we are pleased to feature links to these stories on this page.
Simply click the link to read the full story as published.
Dorset Business Focus magazine 2nd November 2020: Directors Beware – The suspension of wrongful trading has ended.
In March this year, the Business Secretary, Alok Sharma suspended wrongful trading provisions so that directors could continue to trade through the Coronavirus pandemic, even if they were facing insolvency, without the concern that they would be investigated for wrongful trading. This suspension ended on 30th September 2020.
What does this mean for directors if their business becomes insolvent? What should they do?
For the full story: https://dorsetchamber.co.uk/directors-beware-the-suspension-of-wrongful-trading-has-ended/
Dorset Business Focus magazine 30th September 2020: Company Voluntary Arrangement “CVA” – Not Just for Large retailers.
Company Voluntary Arrangements, or CVAs for short, have seen a huge rise in the last 12 months, mainly due to the recent economic uncertainty, and with our European partners over the protracted Brexit talks. On top of this now we have the global issue of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has hit UK businesses like a freight train.
In this article, John Baalham one of our CVA specialists looks in more detail at: why this insolvency procedure, which was underused, has grown so much. We look at the benefits of using it; the implications for landlords; and why CVAs work for all types of business -not just big retail.
For the full article: https://dorsetchamber.co.uk/company-voluntary-arrangement-cva-not-just-for-large-retailers/
Dorset Business Focus magazine 4th August 2020: Redundancy: What you need to know.
As the easing of lockdown continues and the true cost to businesses becomes apparent, it is inevitable that redundancies will increase. Indeed, that increase has already started as companies tighten their belts and prepare for the future. Some, sadly, will not be able to avoid insolvency and with this will come redundancies with high costs, both human and financial, to all involved. The process can be very complicated.
In this article we look at just 3 areas of redundancy: directors’ rights if their employer is insolvent; the Coronavirus Job Protection Scheme and redundancy payments; and how to make yourself employable if redundancy does strike.
For the full article: https://dorsetchamber.co.uk/redundancy-what-you-need-to-know/
Dorset Business Focus magazine 2nd July 2020: Covid-19 and the commercial property sector.
Covid 19 has had, and will continue to have, a massive impact in all areas of life in the UK. In recent weeks we have looked at the charity, hospitality and travel sectors and what they need as lockdown is eased and commercial life starts up again.
In this article we look at the commercial property sector, and are grateful to Oonagh McKinney, Commercial Property Partner at Fretten’s Solicitors (based in Christchurch and Ringwood) for sharing with us some of the areas her team have been contacted about, and what commercial property tenants should look out for over the coming months.
For the full article: https://dorsetchamber.co.uk/covid-19-and-the-commercial-property-sector/
Dorset Business Focus magazine 24th June 2020: Returning to work from furlough. Can an Employee Refuse to Return to Work? Can an Employer Force an Employee to Return?
The Government’s furlough scheme has been a huge success in keeping our workforce intact. At the time of writing (10th June 2020) about 8.9 million workers have been furloughed since March, whilst at the end of May the Government detailed how the scheme would be wound down steadily by the end of October. However, there are a growing number of instances where people have demanded to be put on furlough, even if it is not justified, and others where people have refused to return from furlough to their normal duties citing “shielding” as the usual excuse. Which begs the questions: can an employee refuse to return to work and, can an employee force an employee to return to work?
We asked Malcolm Scott Walby, a partner specialising in company and commercial law in Poole based Scott Walby LLP Solicitors for his views on these tricky questions.
For the full article: https://dorsetchamber.co.uk/returning-to-work-from-furlough/
Dorset Business Focus magazine 13th March 2020: Antony Batty & Company Opens new Office in Bournemouth.
Insolvency Practitioner Antony Batty & Company opened its latest office in early March 2020.
With its head office in Central London, and the other offices in Brentwood, Salisbury and the Cotswolds, the opening of the Bournemouth office continues the company’s policy of expansion, with a footprint that now extends from the south Midlands down to the South Coast.
For the full story: https://dorsetchamber.co.uk/antony-batty-company-opens-new-office-in-bournemouth/