Month: December 2022

The most recent Department for Transport (DfT) statistics, published in September 2021, show that 16,294 cyclists were injured in reported road accidents in 2020, with 141 killed, 4,215 seriously injured and 11,938 slightly injured. These figures do not include cyclist casualties that were not reported to the police, or cycling accidents that took place away from the road, meaning the true number of serious and slight injuries during the year is likely to be at least twice as high.

While the 41% increase in pedal cyclist fatalities in 2022 from the previous year was described as ‘staggering’ by the AA, overall cyclist casualties fell by 3.5%, and the number of deaths or injuries per mile travelled fell by 34% in 2020 year on year. Pedal cycles travelled an estimated five billion miles on UK roads in 2020, representing a 46% increase compared to the previous year, while cyclists took shorter journeys due to the impact of the pandemic.

While the steep and surprising rise in the number of cyclist fatalities in 2020 has worried cycling groups, it may be largely attributed to an increase in risky driving during the pandemic lockdowns. Overall, cyclist fatalities have remained flat over the last five years, having fallen significantly since 2005, which should mean that the spike in 2020 was an exception and largely due to lockdown restrictions.

If you are a cyclist and have been injured in a road traffic accident, contact our firm for expert legal advice from solicitors who are themselves cyclists, and who have recently handled cycling accident compensation claims against motorists and other road users.

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/road-accident-claims/when-can-a-cyclist-claim-against-a-motorist.html

The Pure Brilliance: The Boodles Story exhibition opened on 22 October at Liverpool’s Lady Lever Art Gallery and runs until 5 March next year. With the gallery celebrating its centenary year, the exhibition showcases the jewellery and story of this world-renowned brand, which grew over 200 years from a family jewellery business in Liverpool to become one of the world’s leading purveyors of stunning jewels. Boodles is the only high-end jewellery brand to hail from Liverpool, and has remained in the same family for over two centuries.   

Boodles’ origins lie in a family jewellery business established by the Kirk family in 1798, which was later acquired by Boodle & Dunthorne. By the late-19th Century, the brand had acquired a reputation for fine jewellery and metalwork in the flourishing Liverpool jewellery industry of the time. Liverpool was then one of the wealthiest cities in the world, with an affluent merchant class desiring and well able to afford good quality jewellery, and Boodle & Dunthorne was at the heart of the industry’s development. In 1921, the brand opened Boodles House on the corner of Lord Street and North John Street (where Bartletts Solicitors is also based) which remains the company’s headquarters today.

Pure Brilliance: The Boodles Story features breathtaking pieces of both historic and contemporary jewellery, charting the brand’s development from its early years as a city jeweller in Liverpool, to the peak of luxury jewellery craftsmanship and design. Visitors can explore the level of craft that goes into creating Boodles pieces, including the sourcing of precious stones and metals and the painstaking manufacturing process.  

Visitors to Pure Brilliance: The Boodles Story are invited to pay what they think the exhibition was worth, with contributions helping National Museums Liverpool to continue to stage exciting and memorable exhibitions and events. You can find out more about the exhibition and the Lady Lever Art Gallery on the NML website:

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/lady-lever-art-gallery/exhibition/pure-brilliance

During 2019 to 2020, an estimated 15.4 million households in England were owner-occupied – 8.3 million homes (54%) were owned outright (no mortgage), 6.9 million (45%) were bought with an ongoing mortgage (yet to be paid off), and 202,000 (1%) were bought through shared ownership.

Despite this, UK home ownership rates are falling and have been for quite some time – especially among adults of prime working age. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), a third of 35-44 year olds were renting in 2017. This is a significant increase since 1997 when just one in ten 35-44 year olds were renters.

So are Brits more or less eager to buy rather than rent, compared to the rest of the world? In our latest Guide provided by Comparethemarket, we take a look at the challenges both home buyers and renters face in the UK and across the globe. We’ll explore attitudes to homes to see where Brits stand on the great ownership vs renting debate:

Owning your own home: A global look at home ownership and renting

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When someone dies, they may leave behind debts. These are paid out of the estate left by the person who passed away. The estate is essentially the value of everything the deceased leaves behind when they die. The executor – the person responsible for handling the deceased’s estate – will normally use any assets from the estate to pay off the debts. They’ll need to apply for probate, which is the legal right to deal with the deceased’s estate, before they can pay off the debts. They must also estimate the value of the estate before anything else is done, in case inheritance tax needs to be paid.

If there isn’t enough money in the estate to pay off all the debts, the debts will likely be prioritised so the largest are paid off first. Once the money runs out, any remaining debts will typically be written off.

The time after a bereavement can be difficult, especially if you’re also having to deal with a whole heap of debts left behind. Find out what happens to debts when someone dies and who is responsible for paying them off in the latest of our series of Guides provided by UK price comparison website Comparethemarket:

Debt After Death – a Complete Guide

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