Davenport Solicitors

Davenport Solicitors Specialists in employment law, HR and business immigration Specialists in employment and immigration law.

We make doing business easier by tackling the everyday HR and Immigration challenges for you!

27/05/2026

To everyone celebrating, we wish you and your loved ones a joyful and blessed Eid. May this occasion bring happiness, peace, and prosperity to you and all those dear to you.

From Davenport Solicitors Team



https://davenportsolicitors.com/

Care homes are one of the most targeted sectors in the Home Office's 2026 enforcement surge.From 8 April 2026, salary co...
27/05/2026

Care homes are one of the most targeted sectors in the Home Office's 2026 enforcement surge.

From 8 April 2026, salary compliance is assessed on a per-pay-period basis. In a sector where monthly pay rarely stays constant, this is a serious risk.

The most common compliance failures in care:

- Pay varying due to leave, bank holidays, or overtime falling below the CoS declaration
- Accommodation deductions bringing net pay below the required threshold
- Role or location changes not updated on the SMS
- Right-to-work records incomplete or out of date

New overseas applications for care worker roles have also been restricted since July 2025. Managing your existing sponsored workforce carefully has never been more important.

Now is the time to audit your payroll records, update your SMS, and get your compliance in order.

020 7903 6888 | [email protected]



https://davenportsolicitors.com/care-home/

Employment tribunal claims have increased significantly in recent years. With tribunal time limits extending to six mont...
25/05/2026

Employment tribunal claims have increased significantly in recent years. With tribunal time limits extending to six months in October 2026, the window for claims is about to get wider.

Currently, most employment tribunal claims must be brought within three months of the act complained of. From October 2026, that limit doubles to six months for most claim types.

What this means for employers:
- Employees who previously missed the three-month window will now have twice as long to bring a claim
- Situations you considered resolved may re-emerge as claims months later
- Documentation from older employment decisions becomes even more important to retain
- Settlement agreements need to be considered more carefully as a risk management tool

Early legal advice is the most effective way to manage tribunal risk. The best outcomes both in defending claims and in resolving them efficiently come from employers who get support at the earliest possible stage, not after a claim has already been issued.

At Davenport Solicitors, we represent employers before the Employment Tribunal and provide practical advice from first notification through to final hearing.



https://davenportsolicitors.com/employment-tribunal-representation/

From 6 April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay is payable from day one. No more waiting days.For care providers, this is a materi...
22/05/2026

From 6 April 2026, Statutory Sick Pay is payable from day one. No more waiting days.

For care providers, this is a material change, especially with large numbers of part-time, casual, and zero-hours staff.

What care employers need to know:

- SSP is now £123.25 per week or 80% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower
- A worker must miss a full qualifying day to receive SSP
- If a care worker works even part of a shift before going home sick, that day does not qualify
- Part-day absences need a separate policy, they are not covered by statutory SSP
- Many care providers are now updating their sickness policies to handle full-day and part-day absences separately.



Is yours up to date?
https://davenportsolicitors.com/blogs/ssp-for-care-sector/

A worker prescribed medical cannabis failed a drug test, lost a job offer, and was banned from rail work for five years....
07/05/2026

A worker prescribed medical cannabis failed a drug test, lost a job offer, and was banned from rail work for five years.

The Employment Appeal Tribunal has now ruled the policy was misapplied.

Key takeaways for employers:

- Outsourcing drug testing does not transfer your legal responsibility
- Reasonable adjustments must be considered during recruitment, not just in employment
- Automatic exclusions based on test results carry serious legal risk
- A policy that looks lawful on paper can still fail if not applied correctly

As prescribed medical cannabis becomes more common, more cases like this are coming.

020 7903 6888 | [email protected]



Read our blog:
https://davenportsolicitors.com/blogs/medical-cannabis-drug-testing-and-disability-discrimination-key-lessons-for-employers-from-truman-v-spl-powerlines-uk-ltd/

Bringing international creative talent to the UK?The Creative Worker visa covers performers, musicians, artists, and pro...
29/04/2026

Bringing international creative talent to the UK?

The Creative Worker visa covers performers, musicians, artists, and production professionals on specific projects — but it requires a sponsor licence and careful planning.

Key points for employers:

- You must hold a valid sponsor licence to assign a Certificate of Sponsorship
- The visa is granted for up to 12 months, with extensions available (max two years in any three-year period)
- No minimum salary threshold, but the engagement must be genuinely creative
- The worker can only carry out the role stated on their CoS

Common uses: touring musicians, film and TV productions, fashion or media shoots, arts residencies.

Compliance obligations apply in full — including record-keeping, right-to-work checks, and reporting changes promptly. Failures can put your sponsor licence at risk.



https://davenportsolicitors.com/creative-worker-visa/

Hospitality employers face more compliance obligations in 2026 than ever before.Three changes you need to act on now:- S...
28/04/2026

Hospitality employers face more compliance obligations in 2026 than ever before.

Three changes you need to act on now:

- SSP from day one. From 6 April 2026, all staff qualify regardless of earnings. Zero-hours and casual workers included.

- Tipping law. From October 2026, you must consult workers before changing any tipping policy.

- Sponsor licence. Hospitality was one of the most targeted sectors in 2025. The new per-pay-period salary rule adds further risk for staff on variable hours.

Misclassifying casual staff as self-employed is also a growing enforcement risk with the Fair Work Agency now operational.

Now is the time to review your contracts, audit your records, and get ahead of the changes.



Read our blog

https://davenportsolicitors.com/blogs/hospitality-employers-have-more-compliance-obligations-in-2026-than-ever-before/

Not all HR advice will protect you when it matters mostHR consultancy and legal HR advice are not the same thing.- HR co...
27/04/2026

Not all HR advice will protect you when it matters most

HR consultancy and legal HR advice are not the same thing.
- HR consultancy tells you what good people management practice looks like
- Legal HR advice tells you what the law requires – and what the risk is if it is not followed
- When a grievance escalates, a dismissal is challenged, or a tribunal claim is threatened, you need the second kind

Why it matters for employers
Good practice is not always legally compliant and when things go wrong, it is legal compliance not general HR guidance that determines whether you can defend a claim.

What Davenport Solicitors offers
At Davenport Solicitors, our fixed-fee HR packages provide:
- Direct access to qualified employment solicitors
- Advice grounded in current employment law
- Documentation designed to withstand tribunal scrutiny

No call centres. No scripted responses. No generic templates.

The difference in practice
When risk arises, you need advice that is:
- Legally accurate
- Commercially pragmatic
- Defensible if challenged

That is the difference between support that sounds right and advice that stands up when it matters.

At Davenport Solicitors, our fixed-fee HR packages give employers direct access to qualified employment solicitors not a call centre, not a junior adviser. Every piece of guidance you receive is grounded in current law. Your documentation is built to withstand scrutiny if a claim arises.

For growing businesses navigating the April 2026 changes: from new SSP rules and day-one rights to the introduction of the Fair Work Agency having legal-led HR support in place ensures the right decisions are made first time.



https://davenportsolicitors.com/hr-advisory/

Discrimination claims have no compensation cap. One tribunal claim can easily reach six figures.From 6 April 2026, sexua...
23/04/2026

Discrimination claims have no compensation cap. One tribunal claim can easily reach six figures.

From 6 April 2026, sexual harassment is now a qualifying whistleblowing disclosure. If that employee suffers any detriment afterwards, you face two separate uncapped claims.

The most common employer mistakes:

- Redundancy criteria that indirectly disadvantage protected groups
- Dismissals connected to pregnancy or maternity leave
- Failing to make reasonable adjustments for disabled workers
- Inconsistent management decisions across protected groups

And from October 2026, employers must prove they took all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, including from third parties.

Now is the time to review your policies, train your managers, and get your records in order.

020 7903 6888 | [email protected]



Read our blog
https://davenportsolicitors.com/blogs/discrimination-at-work-a-practical-employer-guide-for-2026/

Find the gap before the Fair Work Agency doesAn employment law audit is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It is ...
22/04/2026

Find the gap before the Fair Work Agency does

An employment law audit is not a sign that something has gone wrong. It is what stops something from going wrong.

What a Davenport Solicitors employment law audit covers:

- Employment contracts: are they legally compliant, up to date, and tailored to your business?

- Staff handbook and policies: do they reflect the April 2026 legislative changes?

- Disciplinary and grievance procedures: do they follow Acas guidance and best practice?

- Right-to-work checks: are they documented, timely, and compliant with current eVisa requirements?

- Holiday pay calculations: are they correct for every category of worker in your business?

- Absence management: are your managers handling sickness consistently and lawfully?

- Equality and diversity: are your hiring and management decisions defensible?

The Fair Work Agency is now operational. The protective award has doubled. The unfair dismissal compensatory award cap has risen to £123,543. A proactive audit costs a fraction of what an enforcement action or tribunal claim does.



https://davenportsolicitors.com/employment-law-audit/

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