Protection for Commercial Tenants under Review
The Government is containing with it’s plans to extend protection for commercial tenants and has indicated that it will introduce a new ring-fencing and arbitration scheme. The new legislation to deal with the commercial rent arrears which have built up as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The legislation is expected to be introduced before the end of the moratorium on forfeiture proceedings for non-payment of rent (25 March 2022).
The government has put forward the following proposals:-
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To ringfence commercial rent arrears that built up since March 2020 (due to business closures), until restrictions for their sector were lifted. Once the arrears are ringfenced, landlords will not be able to forfeit the lease for non-payment of these arrears or take insolvency proceedings against the tenant for this debt.
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To encourage landlords and tenants to negotiate in good faith and reach a solution where possible, using the principles set out in the revised Code of Practice (referred to below).
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Landlords are expected to “share the financial burden with tenants” and “defer or waive entirely an appropriate proportion” of those ringfenced arrears.
Bonfire Night Safety
Remember, Remember the 5th of November!!
Tonight, marks the night where Guy Fawkes tried to blow up parliament (gunpowder Plot 1605).
The history behind the gunpowder plot was an aim to rid the protestant king, king James I, in hope to restore a catholic monarch to the English throne. Due to the failure of the gunpowder plot many people began to light bonfires in celebration that the king was still alive. In 1606 an observance of the 5th of November act was passed, making the 5th of November a public day giving thanks to the failure of the gunpowder plot. Over the years to come the 5th of November celebrations became more elaborate with fireworks.
Bonfire night is one of the most memorable nights every year. You either go to beautiful fireworks show or your parents by loads of fireworks for you to set off in your garden. Although bonfire night is very pretty to look at, it can also be very dangerous.
COP 26 starts in Glasgow
What is Cop 26 ?
The Cop, or conference of the parties, is the overall decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This is its 26th annual meeting, where decisions are made by 197 countries to prevent “dangerous” human interference with the climate.
The conference officially started on Sunday 31st October 2021 and is scheduled to finish on November 12.
The conference will be held at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow.
In 2019, Glasgow city council set their target of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2030. The city was awarded the status of a “global green city” by the Global Forum on Human Settlements last year.
Adopted at Cop21 in 2015, the most significant conference in recent years, the Paris agreement is a legally binding treaty on climate change in which countries are supposed to increase their efforts every five years and submit new targets to keep global temperatures “well below” 2.0C above pre-industrial levels and “endeavour to limit” heating to 1.5C.
With leaders and dignitaries from almost 200 countries attending, Cop26 is effectively acting as a deadline to secure tougher targets from countries that have not already submitted them and fulfil the aims of the Paris agreement.
The History of Halloween
Halloween is celebrated each year on October 31 and it is a misconception that Halloween originated in the United States.
In fact the tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and signified the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. The Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the worlds of the living and the dead merged. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.