How do you claim your 30 hours’ per week free childcare?
Currently the Government provides 15 hours per week of free childcare. You may have heard by now in the news that those 15 hours will be doubled to 30 hours per week when the new scheme goes nationwide, which will be in September this year. What you may not be aware of is that the…
Tough new speeding fines aim to clamp down on dangerous drivers
Drivers who are caught breaking the speed limit excessively will face harsher penalties in England and Wales from today. Previously, drivers caught speeding faced a fine of up to 100% their weekly income, but the new guidelines stipulate that drivers can now be fined 175% of their weekly wage. A cap of £1,000 remains (increasing…
Still too many people die on UK roads
The latest figures show that there are almost 2,000 people killed on UK roads each year, with over 25,000 either killed or seriously injured. It’s a shocking number and represents a two per cent increase on the previous year (in line with a 1.4 per cent increase in the amount of traffic on our roads). The new…
List of unclaimed estates shows why everyone should make a will
Every day, people in the UK die without having left a will, and it can create huge problems, as we have discussed on this blog before. Making a will is often seen as a tricky subject to discuss, either because it feels morbid, or because people don’t want to appear as if they are angling for…
Why your car insurance premium could be set to rocket
Your car insurance could be set to increase because of a change in the law that affects the way compensation payments are made. It’s a very complicated issue, but it is based around something called the ‘discount rate’ which is applied to compensation payments. When someone who has been seriously injured in a crash is awarded their compensation,…
Changes to DMA Law: business as usual
From 1st February 2017, DMA Law will be operating its business as a limited company (DMA Law Limited) rather than as a partnership. There will be some slight practical changes – our partners will now be known as directors and shareholders of the company, for example – but as far as you, our clients, are…
New sentencing guidelines on speeders and TV licence cheats
From April 24th, new guidelines will come into effect in all magistrates’ courts in England and Wales. This includes changes to the punishment for speeding and the punishment for dodging the TV licence fee. The Sentencing Council, the body behind the changes, has said that the new guidelines will take “a more thorough and sophisticated…
New laws for 2017 – ‘Road tax’ is changing
There are new laws for ‘road tax’ taking effect from April 2017 – DMA’s Gavin Lucas explains what’s happening and how you could be affected. First of all, we should perhaps point out that there is no such thing as ‘road tax’, the tax that we pay as vehicle owners is actually vehicle excise duty (VED). So,…
Cycling safety – should cyclists wear headphones?
Cycling safety has been making national headlines again after a Coroner ruled a woman caused her own death when the music she was listening to prevented her from hearing an oncoming lorry. She swerved to avoid the vehicle after entering a roundabout without looking right – she fell and fractured her skull and spinal cord,…
Don’t let debt ruin Christmas: DMA Law’s tips for avoiding and handling debt
There is a huge amount of pressure on families at Christmas: the average cost of technology-packed presents is going up far more quickly than our wages. However, it is crucial not to be lured into excessive debt just for the short-term pleasure of Christmas – it’s not worth ruining the whole of next year just…