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National Museums Liverpool has recently announced plans for its landmark Waterfront Transformation Project, which is expected to transform part of Liverpool’s iconic waterfront over the course of the next decade. Made possible by the National Lottery’s Heritage Fund, the project aims to create vibrant and welcoming spaces for visitors, while also acting as a catalyst for social and environmental improvements in the area. The project will focus on the area between the Royal Albert Dock and Mann Island, with plans to reshape and renew this part of the waterfront and the local National Museums Liverpool facilities.  

The expansion of the International Slavery Museum in Royal Albert Dock is expected to convert what is currently a series of galleries into a world-leading museum covering all aspects of historic and modern slavery, including the waterfront’s history and the Liverpool’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. At the same time, the heritage and maritime history of the adjacent Canning Dock will be revealed, with two drydocks renewed and upgraded to enhance the experience for visitors and the potential for events and performances.

The Waterfront Transformation Project will further include a series of improvements at the Museum of Liverpool, with new spaces, more immersive visitor experiences and improvements to hospitality areas. A number of historic dockside buildings will also be refurbished and opened to the public, including the Cooperage, Mermaid House, the Pilotage, the Piermaster’s House, the Great Western Railway Warehouse and Hartley Hut.

You can find out more about the plan to create public spaces for everyone to share, enjoy and explore Liverpool’s rich heritage on the National Museums Liverpool website:

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/waterfront-transformation-project

If you’re buying a second home that you won’t be living in, you’ll be charged an additional rate of stamp duty. The amount you pay depends on the property value and where you live in the UK.

With a few exceptions, anyone buying an additional residential property has to pay stamp duty. On second homes bought in England and Northern Ireland, there’s a 3% surcharge on top of the basic stamp duty rate, while similar rules apply in Scotland and Wales. The surcharge applies to any of the following:

• A holiday home
• A buy-to-let property
• A home you own a share in, if your share is worth £40,000 or more
• A property you buy in the UK, if your main home is abroad
• A second home bought via a limited company

The most recent in our series of guides provided by UK price comparison website Comparethemarket explains the rules for second homes and look at cases where you may not have to pay stamp duty:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/second-home-stamp-duty.html

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The number of disrepair claims against housing associations is expected to rise significantly following a coroner’s ruling that the death of Awaab Ishak from a respiratory illness was caused by ‘chronic exposure to mould’ in the Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) flat where he lived.

National press coverage of the health risks posed by damp and mould is making more tenants aware of the steps they can take when a landlord fails to deal with the problem. Many reports highlight the difficulties tenants face when they try to get landlords to address disrepair issues, including failures to respond to complaints and long delays in repair work being carried out. In the meantime, tenants are being forced to endure unacceptable living conditions for periods of many months or even years.

Other reasons for the increasing number of disrepair claims against housing associations include a lack of funding and decades of underinvestment in council housing stock and maintenance and reporting procedures, as well as the cost of living crisis, particularly soaring energy bills, which means damp and mould spreading in underheated homes across the country.    

When a landlord makes no effort to repair a damp and mould problem, tenants have few options apart from making a housing disrepair claim. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 requires all landlords to maintain their properties to meet the minimum standard for human habitation, and gives tenants the power to take legal action if they believe their property is unfit for human habitation. 

Our housing disrepair solicitors are sympathetic to the physical and emotional problems caused by landlords who let out substandard housing, and are experienced in disrepair claims against housing associations:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/accidents-at-home/suing-a-housing-association-for-injury.html

Opening in 13 weeks time, the Return of the Gods: Zeus, Athena, Hercules exhibition at Liverpool’s World Museum will showcase a collection of internationally important classical sculptures that rivals the collections held at the British Museum, the Vatican and the Louvre. Visitors will be able to explore the legends of the gods, goddesses and mortals from ancient Greece and Rome, including how the Greek gods were adopted by the Romans and how they were worshipped in public and private.

Henry Blundell of Sefton was an 18th century antiquarian who put together a collection of classical sculptures to display at his home at Ince Blundell. At its height, the collection consisted of more than 400 artefacts and was one of the largest in the country, considered second only to the British Museum in terms of importance and quality

Marble sculptures, paintings and furniture from Ince Blundell Hall were donated to National Museums Liverpool in the 20th century by Joseph Weld, a cousin of Henry Blundell. The Return of the Gods: Zeus, Athena, Hercules exhibition is a unique opportunity to view the stunning collection of classical sculptures and antiquities, and enter the ancient world of myth and legend through the words of poets, music and drama.

The Return of the Gods: Zeus, Athena, Hercules exhibition runs from 28 April until 25 February next year. You can find out more about the exhibition and the World Museum on the National Museums Liverpool website:

https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/whatson/world-museum/exhibition/return-of-gods-zeus-athena-hercules

Stamp duty is a tax that you need to pay when you buy a property in England or Northern Ireland. In Scotland, it’s known as Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, and in Wales it’s called Land Transaction Tax with rates set locally. The amount of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) you pay is calculated using the purchase price of a property, not the amount you’re borrowing through a mortgage.

Stamp duty was cut in Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s September 2022 mini-budget. Starting from 23 September, the threshold for stamp duty on residential properties has been raised from £125,000 to £250,000, while first-time buyers are now exempt from stamp duty on home purchases up to £425,000 in England and Northern Ireland.

You’ll still need to pay stamp duty when buying a property over a certain amount. In the latest of our series of guides provided by UK price comparison website Comparethemarket we explain how stamp duty works, when it applies, how to pay it and the latest stamp duty rates:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/stamp-duty-explained.html

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A will is a legally binding document that sets out your wishes on how to distribute your assets – the money and property you leave behind – as well as the ongoing care of any children who are minors. Your will also includes the name of the people – the executors – who will manage your estate. Your estate is your property, money and possessions, until they’re distributed to the people named in your will – your beneficiaries.

It’s very easy to put off, or not get around to, making a will. But not doing so could cause issues for family members left behind. More than half of UK adults might not have a will, but in the latest of our series of guides provided by UK price comparison website Comparethemarket we explain why you should:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/how-and-when-to-make-a-will.html

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If you have a complicated financial situation, for example, you own a business, multiple properties or investments overseas, you may want to take advice from a solicitor specialising in wills. Solicitors can also help clear up any issues around beneficiaries, and what each stands to inherit. Bartletts can help you draft your will and can store it safely on your behalf. We also offer a full probate service:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/will-solicitor-in-liverpool.html

January is the month when we receive the most enquiries from people who have been injured at hotels. With both Christmas and New Year’s Eve being popular times for getting away, hotels are usually booked to capacity, and have a wider than normal range of services offered and events planned for guests. This often leads to staffing pressures, which in turn can cause lapses in safety procedures with potentially hazardous consequences. The most typical enquiries we receive regarding accidents and injuries at hotels are:

Accidents in hotel bathrooms – Hotel guests may slip, fall and injure themselves in bathrooms causing cuts, bruises, broken bones and head injuries. Safety defects and hazards in hotel bathrooms must be dealt with by the hotel before guests are exposed to the risk of injury.

Find out more: https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/accidents-at-hotels/compensation-for-accidents-in-hotel-bathrooms.html

Bed bug bites at hotels – Bed bug infestations continue to pose a problem for hotels around the world. Apart from the impact of being bitten by potentially hundreds of bed bugs, guests may find that the tiny insects travel home with them. stowed away in luggage and clothing, causing an infestation that will usually be difficult and expensive to deal with.

Find out more: https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/bed-bug-claims/suing-a-hotel-for-bed-bug-bites.html

Burns from hotel radiators – Hotel radiators may be missing the necessary safety covers resulting in guests burning themselves on contact with hot exposed pipes and radiator surfaces. Guests commonly sustain burns to the legs, hands and fingers, injuries with the potential to leave long-term or permanent scarring.

Find out more: https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/accidents-at-hotels/compensation-for-burn-from-radiator-in-hotel.html

Other common accidents at hotels include falls down stairs lacking either proper safety rails or adequate lighting, cuts from broken glass, trips over electric cables, slips caused by spilled drinks, and food poisoning. Our solicitors have handled numerous successful compensation claims against hotels over the years, and offer advice and expertise that you can trust in this area of personal injury law.

Find out more: https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/accidents-at-hotels/compensation-for-hotel-accidents.html

Sales of e-scooters have grown dramatically in recent times, and this trend is set to continue with power-assisted cycling becoming increasingly popular, particularly among those looking for an easy, cheap and sustainable way of travelling to and from work, visit friends or explore a city. However, it is clear that electric scooters have created new safety concerns, one of which is the risk they pose to pedestrians.

As the number of e-scooters active on UK roads and pavements continues to rise, pedestrians are exposed to the danger of being run into by inexperienced and irresponsible riders, with the risk of serious injury heightened by the speed at which power-assisted scooters can travel. While e-scooters have engines that are set to automatically switch off at speeds above 15.5mph, the speed limiter can be relatively easily disabled by private owners, meaning that many e-scooters are used in public areas at much higher speeds.

There also remains confusion about where e-scooters are legally allowed to be used, with different rules applying to rental e-scooters and private e-scooters, and reckless riders illegally using the vehicles on pavements and in pedestrianised areas like shopping centres. With the government seemingly planning to legalise the public use of privately-owned e-scooters in the near future, dangerous e-scooter use is likely to continue to pose a risk to pedestrians for some time to come.

If you are a pedestrian who has been injured in an accident involving an e-scooter, contact our firm for expert legal advice from solicitors who have experience of e-scooters and have recently handled e-scooter accident claims:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/road-accident-claims/who-is-reponsible-for-an-escooter-accident.html

Inheritance tax (IHT) is a one-off tax paid on the value of the estate, above certain levels, after someone dies. The estate is made up of money, property and any other assets they owned, less any debts.

The tax is paid by the beneficiaries. It can, in many circumstances, be paid from the estate, but doesn’t have to be paid on all estates.

Typically, there’s no inheritance tax to pay if:

• The value of your estate is below £325,000 or below £500,000 when leaving your home to your children or grandchildren.

• You leave your estate to your spouse, civil partner or a charity or amateur sports club.

Fundamentally, the earlier you face up to inheritance tax, the more chance you have of cutting the bill paid by your loved ones.

Inheritance tax is a tricky and emotional topic. Read the latest of our series of guides provided by UK price comparison website Comparethemarket to discover when inheritance tax is charged, and how to cut the bill:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/inheritance-tax-guide.html

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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