The Commercial Rent (Coronavirus) Bill (the Bill) was introduced to the House of Lords having passed the House of Commons, on 13 January 2022. As such as at the time of writing the Bill has not passed into law and may be subject to further amendment. The purpose of the Bill is to enable the matter of relief from payment of protected rent debts due from a tenant to a landlord under a business tenancy to be resolved by arbitration, if not resolved by agreement (section 1). A ‘protected rent debt’ is by section 3 defined as a debt under a business tenancy consisting of unpaid protected

In what circumstances can an application be made? A charge created by a company must be registered at Companies House. Significant consequences flow from a failure so to register. The requisite forms to effect the registration must be delivered to Companies House by the end of the period of 21 days beginning with the day after the creation of the charge. If the documents are delivered after that date, the Registrar will only register the charge if the documents are accompanied by a court order made following an application under section 859F of the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006). CA 2006, s 859F is a provision which allows the 21-day period to be extended by application to court. Although the wording of CA 2006, s 859F(3) appears prospective in its nature, in practice, particularly given the test to be applied in CA 2006, s 859F(2),

Inner London Crown Court has sentenced Mohammed Khan, aged 20, from Camden, London, to seven months in prison for sending coronavirus (COVID-19) scam text messages. The messages sent by Khan included a link to a 'form on a fake webpage imitating official government websites, with the aim of tricking customers into giving away their personal and account details that could later be used to commit fraud​'. Khan plead guilty to one count of fraud by false representation and one count possession of articles for use in fraud, following a successful investigation by the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit.

The European Commission has announced that the European Commission's Health Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) has signed a joint procurement Framework Contract with HIPRA Human Health for the supply of their protein coronavirus (COVID–19) vaccine. According to the Commission, '14 Member States and countries are participating in this joint procurement, under which they can purchase up to 250 million doses'.

The European Commission has published a ‘stakeholder dialogue outcome’ on best practices in relation to relief measures offered to consumers and businesses in the context of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. It reflects the outcome of the high-level dialogue between participants of two roundtables on best practices organised in May and June 2020 by the European Commission in light of the crisis.

Local Government analysis: The court dismissed an application by the homeless person, Ms Merritt (the claimant) for an interim injunction requiring the local authority and managing agent to re-admit them to the property. The claimant had been allowed to occupy the property pending a review of the local authority’s decision that it had discharged its housing duty towards them. The court held that there was no serious issue to be tried that the local authority had let or licensed the property to the claimant ‘as a dwelling’ as they were unable to distinguish the decision of the Supreme Court in R(N) v Lewisham. The court granted a cross-application from the managing agent for an interim injunction requiring the claimant to vacate the property, but suspended its operation until the expiry of the Public Health (Coronavirus) (Protection from Eviction) (England) Regulations 2021 (the 2021 Regulations). Written by Matt Hutchings QC, barrister at Cornerstone Barristers.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, has responded to a joint letter from First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, and First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford, which they sent to Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 25 May 2021. In the letter, Gove highlighted the importance of cooperation in the response to the latest phase of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, comprising the vaccine production and rollout throughout the UK. Gove notified Sturgeon and Drakeford that the Prime Minister has agreed to delay the COVID Recovery meeting to allow for additional preparations to take place, but ‘remains keen to meet as soon as possible’.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has successfully prosecuted Aftab Baig for defrauding Leeds City Council of over £710,000 in coronavirus (Covid-19) small business grants. Baig was found guilty at Leeds Crown Court of three counts of fraud under the Fraud Act 2006. The fraud involved making false claims against 32 Greggs properties, with the funds being diverted to Baig's personal business account. While most of the money has been recovered, over £90,000 remains outstanding. The CPS has announced intentions to initiate proceedings to recover any assets resulting from this criminal activity.

The chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, and the governor of the Bank of England (BoE), Mark Carney, have held a banking industry summit on support for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) affected by the coronavirus. Together with BoE governor-designate Andrew Bailey and economic secretary to the Treasury John Glen MP, they met representatives from the banking industry to discuss co-ordinated action to support SMEs whose finances are affected by the outbreak.

Clare Ambrose, Twenty Essex We all know the crisis is fast-moving. Arrangements that seemed sensible a week ago now look unrealistic or inappropriate. As matters stand there is some certainty that any hearing listed before the end of April 2020 will be significantly disrupted by global travel restrictions and guidance on social distancing. Everyone concerned wants to reduce disruption but work safely. Tribunals will expect parties to co-operate, adapt and compromise in order to find solutions that work. My current experience is that most parties are doing this. Obstructive and tactical positions are likely to be fairly obvious and viewed unfavourably. The client will need to be briefed but constructive discussions need to be broached promptly with the other side with a view to

On the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website, Judge Geraint Walters has shared his reflections on how Swansea Crown Court has adapted during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Walters J recounts the early days of the pandemic and the ‘remarkable response’ from Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for ensuring that court hearings could be conducted remotely. He also discusses catching up on jury trials and mentions that the new Civic Centre Court will begin hearing jury trials on 17 August 2020.

At the time of publishing, the Master of the Rolls has issued three updates (numbers 116–118) which modify provisions of the CPR to reflect the impact of COVID-19, introducing three new practice directions, CPR PD 51Y, CPR PD 51Z and CPR PD 51ZA. None of these practice directions have modified any existing requirements in the CPR for personal service so it is safest to assume that all requirements