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Divorcing couples face smoother proceedings but more confusion

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Divorcing couples are facing financial risk because of the potential confusion around new divorce laws. The new law, introduced this year, aims to make divorce more amicable but has potentially led to thousands of divorcing couples to not seek a financial order.

UK divorce solicitors, Woolley & Co. Solicitors, have assessed recently released family court data from April to June 2022 to see how no fault divorce has affected the picture. It revealed that there have been 33,234 divorce applications since no-fault divorce was introduced – the highest quarterly figure in 10 years. Out of these applications, over 1 in 5 divorcees made a joint application, taking advantage of new laws.

However, coupled with this were some surprising revelations surrounding financial protection. During the second quarter of 2022, just 9,235 financial remedy applications were made. In the same quarter in 2021, 13,404 applications were made, which shows a significant 31% decrease compared to a year ago.

Stats like these are particularly concerning. They indicate that many divorcing couples may be misunderstanding the necessity to protect their financial position, even during an amicable divorce. Their assets are now left at risk without financial orders in place.

When getting divorced, couples have the opportunity to apply for a financial order, a legal document that outlines a financial agreement between the divorcing parties. It’s commonplace for a financial order to include a clean break clause, meaning that the ex spouses are not permitted to raise financial claims against one another in the future.

The absence of a financial order, and a clean break clause, puts individuals at risk of financial issues and disputes. Without financial remedies there is nothing preventing either spouse from making a claim against assets from their ex-partner at a future date or requesting financial support.

On April 6th 2022, so called no-fault divorce was introduced in England and Wales. It was intended to provide divorcing couples with a more amicable divorce process, through removing the need for blame and allowing for joint applications. However, the 31% decrease in financial remedy applications since Q2 last year suggests that allowing couples to choose more amicable processes may be encouraging couples to start legal processes without first taking legal advice.

Individuals and couples may have mistakenly assumed that getting a divorce under the new rules means that their finances are protected. In fact, it remains incredibly important that those who are applying for a divorce also apply for a financial order. The process is necessary to legally establish entitlement to property, assets, and savings, and to sever any financial ties between the divorcing parties.

Andrew Woolley, Founder and Senior Partner at Woolley & Co. Solicitors, has expressed concerns about these figures. He said: “We always knew the new no fault divorce laws would change the landscape of UK divorce, but we did not anticipate such dramatic figures so soon after the fact. It’s concerning to see the apparent fall in the number of couples protecting their finances when they divorce. It suggests many UK citizens may be misinformed about how protected they are under the new divorce laws, and are becoming complacent because of it.

“Couples who are making joint divorce applications must be aware that they do not offer automatic financial protection nor guarantee the absence of financial disputes. Divorcing couples and those dissolving civil partnerships should always seek advice about their financial rights and take the necessary precautions to protect their financial position for the future.”

The team encourage those who are seeking a divorce to apply for a financial consent order, whether the divorce is amicable or not. Those who do not do so may find they are liable to face financial repercussions later down the line. Please get in touch with the expert divorce solicitors at Woolley & Co if you wish to obtain a divorce financial order, and to draw up a clean break, to ensure financial protection. Get in touch on 0800 321 3832 to discuss your case and find out how we can help.

Irwin Mitchell’s Planning and Environment Team welcomes new partner Pamela Chesterman

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Pamela Chesterman is joining national law firm Irwin Mitchell as a new partner. She will be working in their Planning and Environment Team based in Manchester and their newly opened office in Liverpool.

The new appointment takes IM’s specialist Planning and Environment (P&E) team to thirteen. The team has this year been boosted by the recruitment of Jill Crawford, Senior Associate and environmental specialist in February, which was hot on the heels of Tracy Lovejoy joining as a planning senior associate in Birmingham and Victoria Tague as a planning associate in Manchester.

The P&E Team sits within Irwin Mitchell’s Property Division which will now number 28 partners and over 150 qualified lawyers.

Pamela joins from Brabners where she was Legal Director and Head of Planning and prior to that was Head of Planning at Prosperity Law. She has experience across a wide area of environmental and planning law, in particular to the development sector, advising on housing and commercial led development as well as on local government issues, having spent a considerable period working at various local authorities in the Northwest.

She helped one of the UK’s largest house builders deal with local authorities’ non-determination of applications which threaten to undermine their schemes, working closely with them to negotiate amicable solutions without having to resort to legal actions and to make informed decisions.

Currently she is also retained by a large car park management company to provide planning and advertisement legal advice – acting as their Agent in applying for planning permission, advertisement consent and listed building consent, where necessary, for large heritage estates which wish to use their service to provide remote parking solutions to existing car park sites.

Adrian Barlow, Director of Property Legal Services at Irwin Mitchell said “Both Planning and Environment are currently fast-moving disciplines where our clients need up to date and strategic legal advice to keep ahead of the game, particularly at a time of political change. Our team is headed by the highly respected Claire Petricca-Riding and works as a national practice, advising clients all over the country.

Pamela has considerable contacts across the Northwest and will play an important part in helping us to fulfil Irwin Mitchell’s ambition to provide first-class advice to clients.  She comes with great hands-on experience, especially her in-depth knowledge of both local government and the development sector and will be a great asset to the P&E practice and the wider property department.”

Irwin Mitchell has recently opened an office in Liverpool.

Bold employee ownership move for Oliver & Co Solicitors

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Oliver & Co, a North West law firm that prides itself on promoting happiness and positivity as it’s culture, has become completely employee owned. The 85 employees of Chester-based Oliver & Co Solicitors now own 100% of the business through an employee ownership trust and will enjoy an equal share of the firm’s profits.

The former owners of Oliver & Co describe the move as a “natural progression” for the firm which will “secure the business for the future”.

Oliver & Co is the first law firm in Chester and North Wales to become employee owned and is the largest law firm in the North West of England to make the move to employee ownership.

Oliver & Co’s former owners David Owen and Kay Cook will remain with the firm in senior positions. David Owen said: “We’ve always prioritised happiness and positivity at Oliver & Co, so employee ownership was a natural progression for us.

“By selling the business to our employees we can retain that special culture and secure the business for the future. And our clients will benefit too, because if our people are happy, that is reflected in the fantastic service we give to our clients.”

Employee ownership is increasing across the UK and according to the Employee Ownership Association, companies that are employee owned, or who have a large and significant employee ownership stake, now contribute £30 billion to the UK’s GDP.

Kay Cook explains why employee ownership made sense for Oliver & Co: “Employee owned businesses tend to see higher levels of profitability and productivity, along with improved employee and customer satisfaction. Employee owned companies excel in engaging employees, who in turn drive performance and innovation.

“We’ve always encouraged colleagues to make suggestions and contribute to the way the business is run. Becoming employee owned takes that a step further and gives our people a stake in the business and an equal share in our profits, no matter what their role or seniority.”

Employee ownership is one of the fastest growing business succession solutions in the UK, where there are now more than 1,000 employee-owned businesses, with the sector more than doubling in the past three years.

The fast pace of growth amongst businesses has taken off with the use of the employee ownership trust (EOT), introduced by the government in 2014 to encourage long-term employee ownership, and one in every 20 private company sales is now to an EOT, with Oliver & CO Solicitors joining a network of EOTs in the UK that include Richer Sounds and Go Ape.

James de le Vingne, Chief Executive of the Employee Ownership Association, said: “We congratulate our members Oliver & Co Solicitors on its transition to employee ownership; securing the ethos, values, and culture of the business, as well as rooting jobs in Chester.

“Businesses that give employees a stake and a say build trust and shared responsibility, uniting leaders and employees behind a common purpose, and leaving businesses in a better position to flex and adapt.”

Oliver & Co’s employees will be eligible to become employee owners after working for the business for six months.

Oliver & Co has recently received recognition in the fields of personal injury, industrial disease and clinical negligence by being ranked in the 2023 edition of the Legal 500, the independent guide to the legal profession that is based on feedback from clients. 

Salford is the third most social media-obsessed area in the UK

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  • Salford, Greater Manchester is the third most social media-obsessed place in the UK with the highest levels of interest in WhatsApp and Linkedin in the UK. Salford also ranked high for interest in TikTok, according to Google Trends
  • Ranking third in the UK overall, Salford is the most social media-obsessed area in Northern England
  • Eight out of the top ten most social media-obsessed areas are based in England with two places in Northern Ireland making the list

Salford, Greater Manchester is the third most social media-obsessed area in the UK, according to new research.

The study conducted by NewCasinos, analysed the last 12 months of Google Trends data for the areas with the highest search interest for the top ten social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to see which areas had the highest levels of search interest out of 100 across the UK, relative to the total searches in that region. Search interest for each platform was totalled to find out which areas had the highest combined search interest to find out which areas are the most obsessed with social media.

The most social media-obsessed areas in the UK
Location Rank Facebook TikTok Instagram WhatsApp LinkedIn Pinterest YouTube Snapchat Reddit Twitter Total
Barking 1 0 98 87 63 0 48 0 61 0 0 357
Long Ashton 2 0 0 82 50 79 41 0 0 100 0 352
Salford 3 0 71 0 100 100 0 0 0 0 0 271
Belfast 4 0 0 77 0 0 0 0 0 77 100 254
Southall 5 0 91 0 58 0 0 100 0 0 0 249
Birmingham 6 0 84 83 0 0 0 0 0 52 0 219
Lurgan 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 68 50 83 201
Middleton 8 0 76 0 0 0 0 0 55 0 57 188
Twickenham 9 0 0 0 0 55 41 91 0 0 0 187
Bradford 10 0 89 0 0 0 0 0 87 0 0 176

 

Salford, Greater Manchester is the third most social media-obsessed area in the UK with Google Trends data revealing high search interest in TikTok, WhatsApp and LinkedIn. Salford recorded the highest level of search interest for WhatsApp and LinkedIn for the UK.

Barking was revealed to be the most social media-obsessed place in the UK, with high levels of search interest in TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Pinterest and Snapchat. Barking ranked second highest among Google searches for TikTok, behind Oldham in Manchester. It also ranked high for Google searches for Instagram, third to London and Beckenham, respectively. WhatsApp, Snapchat and Pinterest were other social media platforms in which Barking showed high levels of search interest.

Long Ashton, Somerset, ranked second most social media-obsessed area in the UK. Reddit was the most searched social media platform in Long Ashton, with Google Trends data revealing that Long Ashton has the highest levels of search interest for the platform in the UK. Searches for Instagram and LinkedIn also ranked high, with Long Ashton ranking fifth and third highest levels of search interest in these platforms in the UK. Long Ashton also showed search interest in WhatsApp and Pinterest.

Belfast, Northern Ireland is the fourth most social media-obsessed area in the UK and takes the top spot for Northern Ireland. Research reveals that Twitter is the top search for Belfast, in which the city also shows the highest search interest for the social media platform amongst any other place in the UK. Belfast also showed the third highest level of search interest in Reddit, behind Long Ashton and Cambridge. It also ranked high for Instagram searches.

Southall ranks fifth most social media-obsessed place in the UK. Google Trends data shows Southall has the highest level of search interest in YouTube out of any other place in the UK. It is also third amongst search interest levels for TikTok. Southall also shows high levels of search interest in WhatsApp, ranking tenth in the UK for search interest in the messaging app.

Birmingham is placed sixth most social media-obsessed place in the UK. Google Trends data shows that Birmingham showed the highest level of interest in TikTok out of all social media platforms in the study, with the city ranking sixth most interested in the video sharing app. Instagram and Reddit were also popular in Birmingham.

Lurgan, County Armagh, Northern Ireland is the seventh most social media-obsessed area in the UK. It has the fourth greatest level of search interest in Twitter in the UK. Lurgan also shows high levels of interest in Snapchat and Reddit. It is the second area in Northern Ireland to make the top ten list.

Middleton, Greater Manchester ranks eighth most social media-obsessed area in the UK. TikTok is revealed as the social media platform with the highest level of search interest in the area. Middleton also appeared on the list of areas with high levels of interest in Snapchat and Twitter.

Twickenham is number nine on the list of most social media-obsessed areas in the UK. It has the second highest level of search interest in YouTube in the UK. Pinterest and LinkedIn also ranked high for the area.

Bradford rounds off the list as the tenth most social media-obsessed area in the UK. Google search data shows Bradford has the third and fourth highest search interest for Snapchat and TikTok in the UK, respectively.

A spokesperson for NewCasinos said: “Social media is a part of our daily lives. This data reveals which places in the UK can’t get enough of social media, and what the most popular apps in each area are over the last year. Despite being one of the biggest social networks, Facebook didn’t appear as a top search for any area. Rather, apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and WhatsApp had the highest levels of interest on Google search.”

The study was conducted by NewCasinos, who specialise in helping people find and compare new casinos. They aim to review new casinos before all the competitors and place safety above all else.

The North West welcomes a brand new cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility at the forefront of innovation in Alderley Park

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The location will provide rapid access to plasmid DNA – a vital starting point for therapeutic developers

It’s official: Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) has proudly opened the doors to their new site in Alderley Park, Cheshire. This purposefully-built High Quality (HQ) plasmid manufacturing facility will provide well-needed support to the development of potentially transformative cell and gene therapies (C&GTs).

Accelerated clinical development means an increased demand for C&GTs, and Charles River Laboratories seek to bridge this gap by providing a rapid supply of phase-appropriate plasmid DNA, a critical starting material, to therapeutic developers. Charles River offers three grades of plasmid DNA: research, HQ, and GMP, to transition seamlessly throughout your program development journey.

HQ plasmid is manufactured by Charles River to the principles of GMP, with the added benefit of an industry-leading 5+ week turnaround from initiation to release, reducing time to clinic.

Niall Dinwoodie, Executive Director, Gene Manufacturing Europe, Charles River: “The new 16,000 square foot facility expands our capabilities and will help fast-track the process of bringing therapies to market, address global supply shortages and support therapeutic developers through rapid access to material. As new gene therapies are launched around the world with the potential to change lives, our investment is a further vote of confidence in the future of this exciting and transformative industry here in the UK.”

UK C&GT Industry

The UK is a global leader in the C&GT space, with the largest cluster of therapeutic development companies outside the US. UK investment in ATMPs for human use totalled at £3.8bn, resulting in nine therapies reimbursed and reaching patients, and 38 therapies in Phase III of clinical development at the end of 2021. By 2035, the UK is expected to have a 15% share of C&GT global market activity, contributing £10bn in revenue and providing 18,000 jobs.

Matthew Durdy, CEO, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult: “The funding and launch of the new Charles River facility represents a powerful and vital addition to the national manufacturing network and marks a huge step forward for the UK’s infrastructure needs. The rapid expansion of our manufacturing capabilities is fundamental both to meeting the growing global demand for ATMPs and developing the UK’s standing as a leading international hub for cell and gene therapy.

Overcoming key challenges to further open up local and international market opportunities remains crucial to the sector’s continued growth. Moreover, world class manufacturing technology and robust supply chain solutions become increasingly pivotal as the market evolves to target these life-changing therapies at high prevalence diseases. Capabilities such as those now established at Alderley Park are central to addressing these challenges and to ensuring that the UK continues to excel and be a global leader in cell and gene therapies.”

Cell and Gene Therapies

C&GTs utilise genetic material, or live cells, to treat or potentially cure a disease, and can allow for the creation of highly personalized therapies with approved products already on the market for indications such as multiple myeloma, retinal dystrophy, and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) are widely regarded as having the potential to change the way we manage difficult, life-changing conditions including various cancers and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, also demonstrating their importance in the development of COVID-19 vaccines.

To learn more about the expansion of Charles River’s Alderley Park facility, click here.

About Charles River

Charles River provides essential products and services to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, government agencies, and leading academic institutions around the globe accelerate their research and drug development efforts. Our dedicated employees are focused on providing clients with exactly what they need to improve and expedite the discovery, early-stage development, and safe manufacture of new therapies for the patients who need them. To learn more about our unique portfolio and breadth of services, visit: www.criver.com.

Six & Flow grows international team with two new appointments

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Six & Flow, the Manchester-headquartered growth agency, has added to its Canadian team following two new appointments. Kyla Shaw has joined as a client success manager whilst Amalia Reodica has been named as the agency’s newest solutions architect. Both will be based at the firm’s Toronto office.

Established in 2015, Six & Flow helps its clients grow their revenues by combining strategy, technical expertise, and market experience, enabling them to accelerate and sustain ongoing customer growth. Longstanding clients include Equifax and Capita.

Kyla is the latest addition to the Strategic Marketing team. She will be handling a range of project management duties, including building strategic account plans; onboarding clients; monitoring monthly performance against set goals; and ensuring every project meets its brief and strategic objectives. Before Six & Flow, Kyla was a client success manager at MotivBase which is a market research company. During her career, she has worked directly with many Fortune 500 companies and their marketing teams to support consumer-data-driven innovation.

Kyla said: “Six & Flow is a people-first business with a collegiate atmosphere that is all geared towards client delivery. That mixture really appealed as I want to work for a company where I can wake up every morning excited to work hard, be myself, and interact with vibrant colleagues and clients.”

In her new role, Amalia will work in the Systems team. She will be focusing on helping her roster of clients in various ways including supporting and leading on process map workshops; implementing CRM builds; scoping, building, testing and implementing custom automations and custom integrations; providing training documentation and videos; and creating, reviewing and optimizing reports. Prior to joining Six & Flow, Amalia studied web development. She has previously worked in sales, support and operations roles at various fintech start-ups.

Commenting on her new position, Amalia said: “As a business, Six & Flow invests in and celebrates the talents of its team which is so refreshing. I’m now looking forward to adding commercial value to our clients by supporting them with their process development. This is what Six & Flow excels in – no matter what the industry or where the client is in its journey.”

Unite Students completes £65million refurbishment of three properties in Manchester

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  • Refurbishment of three properties in Manchester – Parkway Gate, Kincardine Court and New Medlock House – was completed in time for start of 2022/23 academic year
  • £65 million project saw the addition of 137 new bedrooms, and improved sustainability throughout, including installation of air source heat pumps

Unite Students, the UK’s leading manager and developer of student accommodation, has completed the £65million upgrade of three properties in Manchester.

The three buildings – Parkway Gate, New Medlock House and Kincardine Court – all reached practical completion in time for the arrival of students at the start of the 2022/23 academic year and are now fully occupied.

Parkway Gate

Parkway Gate was the first of the properties to be completed, with 754 bedrooms being refurbished, including the creation of 24 new bedrooms.

The £38million project includes full keyless functionality along with the installation of a new CCTV system.

Students also have a new reception space and a host of new amenities including a gym, cinema room, yoga room, karaoke room, games room and various study spaces. The courtyard space, which sits in the middle of the three blocks, has also undergone a complete makeover with new furniture, planting and audio system.

New Medlock House

New Medlock House, which is located next to Parkway Gate on Chester Street, underwent a £11.2million refurbishment, adding 21 new bedrooms to now house 696 students.

Sustainability has been at the heart of all the refurbishments, with the installation of air source heat pumps on the roof of New Medlock House and a new supply pipework to feed all mains hot water to the flats.

There was previously a retail space under the building, which has been transformed to create a spacious new reception and amenity space including a live music room, dance studio and post room to store parcel deliveries.

Kincardine Court

At Kincardine Court, on Kincardine Road, there was a focus on creating flats for post-graduates.

The property saw a £12.1million 92-bed new build extension, as well as a £3.28million refurbishment of the existing property over 16 weeks. All existing flats were upgraded to make them more suitable for post-graduates, including the revamp of ensuite bathrooms, and study areas as well as the installation of a new heating system. The kitchens were all fully replaced and now include a dishwasher.

The reception area was also remodelled, and common space was redesigned to give a spacious study area, with breakout rooms.

Tom Brewerton, Group Development Director, said:

“This refurbishment project in Manchester demonstrates our commitment to constantly improving the student experience, not only with the building of new properties but also by upgrading our existing portfolio.

“Sustainability has been at the heart of the work we have carried out to ensure a home for success for the future. Our residents’ wellbeing is our priority, which is why these improvements were required. Students and staff alike will now reap the benefits of these fantastic new spaces, built to the highest specs.”

UpTurn Wins Prestigious Oldham Business Awards

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Upturn has won the Oldham Business Award 2022 for Community Engagement.

The Oldham Business Awards is the borough’s celebration of all the business communities’ successes.

UpTurn won the Community Engagement award in recognition of its consistent support and engagement with its local community by going above and beyond to help improve the lives and the health and wellbeing of people within Oldham.

Maria Williams, Co-Founder and HRM Director of Upturn, said: “Our core value as a business is that we believe that everything starts and ends with the communities we serve. To therefore be recognised by the Oldham Business Awards for our work within the community means everything to us and proves we deliver on what we say.

“Big congratulations to all the finalists and winners and a big ‘thank you’ to all the sponsors for recognising what amazing things they do every day. This award is recognition of all their hard work.

Craig Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer at category sponsor Koder.ly, said: “This is such an important award, so congratulations to everyone at UpTurn for their success.”

Anwar Ali Named in Northern Asian Powerlist for Second Year Running

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An Oldham-based entrepreneur has been named in the Northern Asian Powerlist for the Second Year Running.

Anwar Ali, CEO of Upturn, has been named in the list which celebrates the contribution of Asian influence and impact across the North of England.

Anwar has been recognised in the Social Changemakers category in recognition for his work and achievements in supporting and improving the lives and health and wellbeing of people from diverse groups and disadvantaged communities across Oldham and the wider region.

Anwar Ali, CEO of Upturn, said: “Being named in the Northern Asian Powerlist for the second year in a row is hugely humbling for me. It’s a huge honour and one I am really proud of.”

The Northern Asian Powerlist showcases prominent businesses, professionals, influencers, women, media, politicians and change makers across the Northern Powerhouse.

The Best UK Sales Agent

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Urmston based Estate Agent, VitalSpace has scooped four top honours in the UK’s biggest and most prestigious awards in the UK property sector.

VitalSpace struck ‘Gold’ for both sales and lettings in the Property Academy’s national Best Estate Agent Guide Awards at the Evolution London venue in Battersea Park.

Every year, The Property Academy carries out the biggest performance assessment in the estate agency industry to identify the best agencies in the country.

There are 15,0000 estate agency brands in the UK. The Property Academy judges all agents in an industry-wide mystery shopping exercise based on a fixed criteria in order to establish the best agents in the UK.

The top 20% of performers are then put through a practical assessment with mystery shoppers at every stage of the sales and lettings processes. Agencies are then scored and reviewed based on their response times, response quality and overall delivery of service. VitalSpace excelled in all these areas.

From the 15,000 audited agents, just 750 companies are rated exceptional, and from these exceptional agents, highly coveted trophies are presented to 3 agents in the following categories;

  • Best UK Lettings Agent
  • Best UK Sales Agent
  • Estate Agency of the Year
  • Best Single Sales branch in the UK

The Best UK Sales Agent and Best Single Sales

We are incredibly proud to have been awarded not only the Best Single Sales Branch but also one of the most prestigious awards you can win in Estate Agency, the Best UK Sales Agent.

Our Director – Richard Antrobus comments- “It’s an incredibly proud moment for myself and the team to know that after being judged against all other agents, our dedicated customer focussed approach is recognised against the very best. Being crowned with the ‘Best UK Sales Agent’ further affirms our mission to creating an agency with unparalleled customer service at its heart.”

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