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This Christmas, Kimberley, Ricky, and Gina – dressed as Elf, Santa, and Rudolph – made their rounds to each of Palmer’s offices, delivering massive hampers filled with treats to thank staff for their hard work throughout 2024.

The hampers were a special treat for everyone as a way to spread festive cheer in the run-up to Christmas.

Kimberley Portas-Bailey, Project Manager, said: “The hampers are just one of the many ways we want to show our dedicated staff how much we value their hard work.

“They make a difference year after year, and it’s important to us to celebrate that.

“Ricky, Gina, and I loved the chance to visit each of our offices to spread the holiday cheer before the Christmas break and put a smile on everyone’s faces with our festive costumes and treats.”

Since its inception in July 2024, the new Government has introduced reforms to employment law and the obligations of employers.

Following the Autumn Budget, our Head of Employment Law, Lisa Judd, is here to update you on the latest employment legislation and upcoming changes to pay entitlements for your employees.

Staying compliant can help to keep your business protected and boost staff satisfaction and retention.

Paying the right wage

One of the Chancellor’s headline announcements in the Budget was a rise from April 2025 in the National Living Wage (NLW).

Currently set at £11.44, the NLW will rise to £12.21 per hour for all workers over the age of 21.

Alongside a rise in the rate of employers National Insurance (NI) to 15 per cent and the halving of the threshold at which this is paid to £5,000, employers are facing rising costs – but these costs must be met to avoid significant legal challenges.

Statutory payments

Beyond minimum rates of pay, changes have been made to the rights of employees to access statutory pay.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), payable if an employee has been too ill to work for three or more days in a row, has risen to £116.75, for up to 28 weeks. The Employment Rights Bill provides for waiting days to be removed and the lower earnings limit to be removed so SSP would be payable from the first day of illness including those below the lower earnings limit.

Additionally, the Employment Rights Bill would extend the right to Statutory Paternity Pay and Leave to all employees as a day-one right.

You must make these payments to all qualifying employees, so you could see costs rise to remain compliant with the latest legislation.

Planning ahead

The Employment Rights Bill is currently at Committee Stage in the House of Commons, meaning it is still some way off becoming law. An Amendment Paper has now been tabled so there may still be changes to the final obligations.

This is the time for employers to be planning to:

• Meet immediate costs, such as the rising NMW and NLW
• Review their long-term staffing strategy

From a legal perspective, compliance must take priority over cutting costs.

However, we understand the difficulties of increasing costs, so we can advise you on how to meet your obligations while keeping costs to a minimum and ensuring you are not over- or under-staffed.

Need bespoke Employment Law advice? Contact our team today.

When taking out a commercial loan, you might be asked to put up some of your assets as security against the borrowed sum in the event that you default on repayments.

In some cases, this might be property.  If you decide to go down this route, you may need to grant a ‘legal charge’ over your property – a document giving your lender a legal interest in your property and the right to sell the property to reclaim the debt if you cannot repay it.

One of the most common questions we receive is how to put this into place.

Our experts respond

Dashna Morarji-Sagoo, a Solicitor in our Banking and Finance team, said: “This is a relatively straightforward process if there are no prior existing legal charges granted in favour of any other lenders.”.

“Assuming there are no prior legal charges, and the new legal charge is to be granted in favour of a lender, the lender will provide you with a form of legal charge.”.

“If the property is already subject to legal charges, if these are to remain, it is likely that the consent of the prior lender will need to be obtained before any new legal charges are granted.”.

“If on the other hand, the prior legal charges are to be removed before the new charge is granted, it will be necessary for us to liaise with the existing lender to obtain the relevant release forms and deal with the redemption of any sums of money due to that lender.”.

“This will also increase the legal costs of granting a charge over your property.”.

“Depending on the internal policy of the lender, the lender may require some property due diligence to be undertaken in relation to the property.  This again will increase the legal costs of granting a legal charge over your property.”.

“The legal charge will need to be registered at HM Land Registry and possibly Companies House.”.

The cost of a legal charge

Dashna continued: “Assuming that there are no other third-party lenders involved and this lender does not require any property due diligence to be undertaken, I would estimate that the costs associated with this would be in the region of £1,000 – £1,500 (plus VAT and disbursements).”.

“As referred to above, the costs will increase if legal charges have already been granted to any other third parties.”.

“Please also bear in mind the borrower will also be responsible for paying the lender’s costs in relation to the legal charge.”.

“That said, the normal practice is for the lender to agree its legal costs with you, in advance, any costs or expenses it incurs.”.

“Usually, the lender will use lawyers on its panel for the transaction so that discounted rates are applied (which are cheaper than the normal rates for solicitors) and the lender is likely to obtain two/three quotes for you to select from.”.

“The lender’s costs will vary depending on who it uses, but could be in the regions of £1,500 – £2,000 (plus VAT and disbursements).”

For advice on commercial loans and security, please contact Dashna at DashnaMorarji-Sagoo@palmerslaw.co.uk or by calling 07903 631780.