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Research commissioned by the consumer finance company Pepper Money has revealed that more than two million people are eligible for the government’s Right to Buy scheme. A YouGov survey of 6,377 adults in England and Wales found that 11% were currently renting their home from a local authority or housing association, and of these, 54% stated that they would consider buying their home using the Right to Buy scheme. Based on the estimated 34.8 million people aged between 20 and 60 in England and Wales, this amounts to a potential two million potential customers for Right to Buy. 

The current Right to Buy rules provide local authority and housing association tenants with the opportunity to buy their homes at a discounted price if they have been living in the property for more than three years. The Right to Buy scheme was introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s government in 1980, and figures from its introduction in April of that year to March 2021 show that there have been 1,992,799 sales of social housing to tenants through Right to Buy during that time. Of these sales, an estimated 94% were to local authority tenants.

The Right to Buy scheme has always been controversial due to the fact that local authorities are not permitted to use the funds generated by Right to Buy sales to build new homes. This has added to the pressure on social housing in England and Wales, with the number of council homes having fallen from 6.5 million in 1979 to 2.2 million today. The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, has recently attempted to address the problem with the announcement in April that local authorities will be able to keep 100% of the funds from Right to Buy sales for the next two years. However, it remains to be seen what impact this will have on what is widely described as a crisis in UK social housing.

Find out more about Right to Buy: https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/right-to-buy-solicitors-in-liverpool.html

The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest arrives in Liverpool next week, with the host city expecting around 100,000 visitors and a television audience of 160 million for what has been described as Europe’s biggest party. NatWest bank estimates that visitors will spend £40 million during Eurovision week, while Liverpool City Council expects Eurovision to generate £25 million for the city this year and a possible £250 million over the next three years, as visitor numbers continue to rise on the back of the city’s global exposure during this year’s event.

These figures highlight just how important the competition is for Liverpool’s economy and international profile both now and in the coming years. The city’s tourism was booming prior to the Covid pandemic, particularly after Liverpool was European Capital of Culture in 2008, with international tourist numbers rising dramatically (by more than double the national average) in the decade before Covid. As in other parts of the UK, the city’s tourism was badly affected by the pandemic, and Eurovision 2023 is seen as the perfect opportunity for the sector to recover its previous momentum.       

The city seems ready to do both the event and its own musical legacy justice, and the mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, has promised ‘the best party ever’. With Liverpool hosting the competition on behalf of Ukraine this year following the Russian invasion, the mayor went on to say, ‘Ukraine – you have my promise we will do you proud’. With excitement building in Liverpool and across Merseyside, Eurovision 2023 will undoubtedly see the city rise to the occasion with vibrancy, confidence and solidarity before the eyes of the world.    

Eurovision 2023 runs from 9-13 May. You can find out more at: https://eurovision.tv/event/liverpool-2023

As part of EuroFestival 2023, the cultural festival taking place across the city, Liverpool Cathedral is hosting ‘Izyum to Liverpool’ by the Ukrainian artist Katya Buchatska. Commissioned by Culture Liverpool in partnership with Liverpool Cathedral, Izyum to Liverpool is a multi-channel video installation charting the train journey of escape taken by so many Ukrainians since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Starting in the liberated Ukrainian regions and moving towards calmer cities in the west, the real-time filming offers a unique and poignant window into the experience of those escaping war, and how normal life can change so suddenly and dramatically in just a moment. Izyum to Liverpool also examines the mental impact of the one-way journey, focusing on the loss, uncertainty, and sense of the fragility of their environment experienced by those travelling further and further away from the frontline.

Izyum to Liverpool will be hosted by Liverpool Cathedral from 1-19 May; meanwhile on 11 May, the artist Katya Buchatska will give a detailed talk at the Cathedral about her visual art installation and the themes it explores with Elisa Nocente, Cultural Programme Manager at Liverpool Cathedral. Katya Buchatska was born in 1987 in Kyiv, Ukraine, where she continues to live and work in various forms of media including painting, installations, sculpture, photography and video. You can find our more about Liverpool Cathedral’s exciting plans for EuroFestival 2023 below:

https://www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk/events-calendar/eurofestival-at-liverpool-cathedral/

Liverpool is preparing for what is billed as Europe’s biggest party, the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest, with the city and the BBC hosting the one-of-a-kind competition on behalf of Ukraine this year. National Museums Liverpool has organised a packed programme of events and live performances at its venues to celebrate this musical extravaganza. Many of these are part of EuroFestival (1-14 May 2023), the two-week long cultural festival taking place across the city, which will allow visitors to see its renowned museums and galleries as they’ve never been seen before.

Eurovision week is made up of three main events: two semi-final nights on Tuesday 9 May and Thursday 11 May, with the Grand Final to follow on Saturday 13 May. The Museum of Liverpool is putting on events on all three nights, with a programme of exclusive performances by a diverse selection of artists for both semi finals and food and drink available throughout the evening. Both the Museum of Liverpool and the World Museum will also host screenings of the Grand Final, giving visitors the opportunity to watch the event in their choice of glorious surroundings.

National Museums Liverpool will also be hosting Museum Sessions Live music events between 14 April and 14 May at various venues including the Walker Art Gallery, the World Museum, the Museum of Liverpool, the Maritime Museum and the Lady Lever Art Gallery. These events are inspired by NML’s YouTube series, and will give individual musicians and groups the unique opportunity to take centre stage and perform in such iconic venues. Various other displays at NML’s galleries and museums will also be open to the public, and a number of family-friendly events will aim to keep the young as thoroughly entertained as the adults.

Find out more: https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/eurovision

As British people start to travel again following the COVID pandemic and the end of strike action at UK airports, an increasing number of enquiries we receive here at Bartletts come from guests injured at hotels and, in particular, bed bug bites during stays. Bed bug infestations at hotels have long been a global problem, and one which if anything appears to be getting worse rather than better over time, as bed bugs develop resistance to commonly used pesticides. Bed bugs also become more active during the summer months when warmer weather speeds up their breeding cycle, which is exactly the time when hotels are at their busiest.

Apart from being bitten sometimes hundreds of times during a hotel stay, guests also risk transporting bed bugs home with them in their luggage or clothing, likely causing a domestic infestation that will require the services of pest control experts. Bed bug bites may therefore affect a person’s physical and mental wellbeing (particularly children), as well as cause significant financial loss, all of which will be considered for the purposes of settling a compensation claim. In our experience, hotels will often acknowledge the fact that a room was infested with bed bugs and offer a refund on a guest’s stay, which is usually viewed as an unacceptable response in the circumstances.   

Hotels have a legal duty under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957 to take all reasonable care to deal with potential risks to the safety of guests such as bed bug infestations. Hotel staff need to be trained to spot the telltale signs of the presence of bed bugs in rooms and obliged to carry out routine checks, yet the high turnover of staff and other pressures at hotels mean that such training is often not provided. When staff have not been trained to look out for recognised signs of bed bugs, a compensation claim for bed bug bites against a hotel is likely to succeed. Claims for bed bug bites against foreign hotels are also possible under the Package Travel Regulations 1992 if a holiday and hotel stay was booked with a UK package holiday or tour operator.

You can find out more about this bed bug bite claims on our dedicated pages:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/bed-bug-claims/compensation-for-bed-bug-bites.html

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

Liverpool Cathedral’s Grand Organ Appeal aims to raise the £900,000 needed to restore and preserve what is not only the largest organ in the UK, but also one of the greatest musical instruments in the world. Built in 1926, the Grand Organ of Liverpool Cathedral was the largest instrument ever designed at the time, and continuous daily use in worship since then has resulted in the imperative need for major restoration work.

Apart from one-off donations, Liverpool Cathedral has devised a range of activities to get involved with in support of the appeal. One of the most appealing options for those with a passion for organ music is the unique Organ Experience, costing £500, which offers the rare chance to play one of the world’s finest church organs and to learn about the instrument from one of the Cathedral’s resident organists. Another excellent and unusual choice for the organ enthusiast is the chance to adopt one of the organ’s 10,268 magnificent pipes for as little as £2.

Donations to the appeal can be made on Liverpool Cathedral’s website, online or by mobile phone with JustGiving, via a cash back donation using the Easy Fundraising online shopping service, or by buying merchandise including organ music from the Cathedral Shop. Supporters are also welcome to organise their own event to raise money for the appeal such as recitals, plays, coffee mornings, cheese and wine evenings, quiz nights, raffles – the possibilities are endless.

Liverpool Cathedral has so far raised almost two-thirds (£600,000) required to restore the Grand Organ, and participation in any of these various fundraising activities will help reach the target and preserve this special musical instrument for future generations:

https://www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk/support-our-work/make-a-donation/organ-appeal/

 Bartletts Solicitors are proud to be long-term supporters of Liverpool Cathedral, with Thomas Bartlett, a direct ancestor of the firm’s owners, leaving a bequest for the construction of the array of 13 bells for the new cathedral which was then being built in 1912.

Microblading uses a sharp tool and micropigmentation uses tiny needles to implant ink (pigment) under the skin on the eyebrows or scalp, creating the appearance of fuller hair and added shape. The most frequent complaint following these procedures is when they fail to achieve the desired results and a person is left feeling partially deformed and unnatural. In the most serious cases, a botched treatment may cause disfigurement which may persist for an extended period of time. This is usually the result of inexperienced and poorly trained practitioners failing to take the proper precautions or making errors during treatments.

Good hygiene standards at beauty salons are essential in preventing the risk of infection from unsterilized needles, contaminated ink or generally unsanitary conditions. Allergic reactions to the pigments used in the treatment are also possible, and this is why skin patch tests are routinely carried out to prevent adverse reactions. The human body may also react negatively to the ink as a foreign body, and this can result in unsightly nodules (granulomas) or keloids (raised) scars forming on the skin.

Apart from patch testing, a detailed pre-treatment consultation to identify contraindications which make microblading or micropigmentation unsuitable for an individual (e.g. pregnancy, recent Botox use and various inflammatory skin conditions) is another critical factor in making sure some customers are not exposed to an unacceptable risk of injury. At Bartletts, we have an all-female team of solicitors specialising in claims for beauty treatments gone wrong, including microblading and micropigmentation:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/hair-beauty/compensation-for-a-microblading-injury.html

Lash lifts are a relatively new beauty treatment that have become a popular alternative to eyelash extensions and fake lashes due to the procedure being quicker and cheaper, with fewer potentially damaging side effects and longer-lasting results. A lash lift is often combined with a lash tint resulting in darker and thicker permed eyelashes lasting for up to three months. While the procedure is easier and less risky than eyelash extensions, much depends on the skill and experience of the beauty therapist in terms of minimising the possibility of an adverse outcome.

The keratin glue used during lash lifting poses the biggest risk, as the chemicals it contains can trigger an allergic reaction if it comes into contact with the skin with potentially very serious consequences. The pads used to protect the lash line may not serve their purpose, or else a therapist may spill the keratin glue onto exposed skin. Skin irritation including rashes, redness, blistering and inflammation are common side effects of botched lash lifts, while the lash hair can become dry and brittle with the possibility of temporary hair loss.

A further possibility is the keratin glue solution entering the eye itself, resulting in irritation and the possibility of a burn or corneal abrasion. The use of chemical formulations on the eyelashes and in the eye area has inherent dangers, and much depends on an individual’s skin sensitivity, which is why skin patch tests are essential to check for pre-existing allergies and other contraindications. When a lash lift is combined with a lash tint, the exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals increases, as does the chances of an adverse reaction, emphasising the need for thorough and efficient pre-treatment care.

Our firm offers an experienced all-female team of lawyers specialising in eyelash perming, eyelash tinting and eyelash extension injuries. Every year we help hundreds of injured women make claims for compensation against beauty salons on a no win no fee basis for botched treatments. Find out more on our dedicated eyelash injury pages:   

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/hair-beauty/compensation-for-burns-and-hair-loss-from-eyelash-perm.html

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/hair-beauty/claiming-compensation-for-eyelash-tinting-injuries.html

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/hair-beauty/claiming-compensation-for-eyelash-extension-injuries.html

A conveyancing solicitor will assist the property seller with completing the necessary documents and stages in the selling process and ensure they meet all their legal obligations. Firstly, a solicitor will check the title deeds to the property to prove that there are no issues affecting the owner’s right to sell. The solicitor will then help the seller complete the mandatory property information forms, and prepare a draft contract for sale. The draft contract and a copy of the title deeds will then be sent to the prospective buyer’s solicitors, and any queries can then be addressed.

Once the buyer confirms they are ready to proceed with the transaction, contracts will be signed by both parties and ‘exchanged’ between their respective solicitors, at which point the agreement becomes legally binding. The buyer will then pay a deposit (normally 10%) and a date will be set for completion, by which time the seller will have vacated the property. On the day of completion, the seller’s solicitor will receive the balance due, and the keys to the property will be handed over to the buyer. The seller will then receive the proceeds of the sale from their conveyancing solicitor.

Another important role a conveyancing solicitor plays is in ensuring that the seller’s financial liabilities relating to the property are met, especially concerning any outstanding sums owed on a mortgage or other loans secured on the property. A solicitor can request a redemption statement from a mortgage provider, and settle the seller’s account with the lender before the completion date. They can also make sure that any other financial obligations (e.g. estate agent’s fees) are settled by that date.

Our firm has years of experience helping property sellers in the city of Liverpool and across Merseyside. All conveyancing work is supervised by Louise Nelson who is a conveyancing solicitor in Liverpool with over 40 years’ experience. Louise and her team can provide you with a no obligation immediate quotation based on our transparent fixed fee structure:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/conveyancing-prices.html

Conveyancing is the process of legally transferring a property from the seller to the buyer, and the job of a conveyancing solicitor is to make this process as fast, smooth and straightforward as possible. A significant amount of paperwork is involved that needs to be properly understood, and handled in a timely and efficient manner. Both property buyers and sellers, therefore, will normally require legal assistance to drive the conveyancing process towards a successful conclusion.

One of the most important roles of a conveyancing solicitor is to carry out searches to establish information about a property and the local area, as well as any restrictions and other issues affecting the property that the buyer should be aware of. This includes a local authority search to answer a number of questions, such as whether the council is undertaking or planning development work, and whether there are any charges or debts owed on the property.

A conveyancing solicitor will also check whether the title to the property is valid and make the necessary payments (disbursements) to the Land Registry to facilitate the transfer and registration of the title to the property. Another disbursement will be Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), which is payable on the purchase of residential properties in England and Northern Ireland costing more than £250,000.

Property buyers will often need advice on their mortgage requirements, and a conveyancing solicitor can liaise with the mortgage provider to ensure funds are available to complete a transaction on the due date. This completion date will be the day on which the balance of the purchase price is paid, and the buyer is able to collect the keys for the property and move in. The entire conveyancing process up to completion usually takes 8-12 weeks.

Our firm has years of experience helping property buyers in the city of Liverpool and across Merseyside. All conveyancing work is supervised by Louise Nelson who is a conveyancing solicitor in Liverpool with over 40 years’ experience. Louise and her team can provide you with a no obligation immediate quotation based on our transparent fixed fee structure:

https://www.bartlettslaw.co.uk/conveyancing-prices.html