News & Insights

Older people with substantial pension savings are increasingly looking at ways to spend their money rather than risk saddling relatives with additional inheritance tax (IHT) payments after their death. Sector experts say the trend has been triggered by the government’s recent announcement that unused pensions may be subject to IHT from April 2027. Roddy Munro, […]

More than 6,000 care homes in England have not had a full inspection from regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC) since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, according to recent research. The CQC says the frequency with which it inspects care homes depends on the rating of the property, varying from every two […]

A law firm has filed a complaint to His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) following lengthy delays to a complex probate case. While HMCTS has made considerable progress with its digital probate system (recent figures suggest grants for online cases are now taking an average of 4.8 weeks), more complicated cases still require paper […]

Creating additional cemeteries should be an “absolute priority” for Sheffield, councillors say, with six out of the city’s 16 burial grounds lacking any space for new graves. In a meeting earlier this month, council leaders said the city risked having no available burial places whatsoever within six to eight years and, to meet this challenge, […]

A 76-year-old woman with dementia “had no idea what was going on” when her daughter guided her hand to sign a will, a court has heard. Margaret Baverstock was extremely unwell and in the last days of life when she supposedly signed the will in March 2021. It left her entire estate, including a property […]