A new year marks a new beginning, and as we approach 2023, it is worthwhile to consider the year ahead. For example, the new year heralds the implementation of a slew of new laws in the United Kingdom.
According to reports, these laws will have an impact on everything from the cost of receiving care to the ability to protest. Here are some of the laws that will be changed in the coming months:
Mandatory Voter ID
You will not be able to vote in the next election unless you show photographic identification at polling stations. The plans are said to combat fraud, but according to YorkshireLive earlier this year, there were only 34 reports of fraud at the polls in 2019.
A restriction on voting from abroad is also being lifted, and the government has voted to take control of the Electoral Commission.
Increased healthcare costs
Starting in the autumn of 2023, a cap of £86,000 will be imposed on social care in old age. However, people with assets worth between £75,000 and £150,000 will be required to pay more under the law. Because northern houses are worth less than southern houses, northerners will be forced to give up a larger portion of their own assets to pay for their old age care.
Banned noise protests
The Police, Crime, Courts, and Sentencing Bill will allow police to place more restrictions on ‘noisy’ marches that could cause ‘serious disruption’. Someone who ‘resides on land’ while making noise may also be breaking the law.
British citizens’ citizenship removal
A new Nationality and Borders Bill would criminalise knowingly arriving in the UK ‘illegally’ and offshoring asylum claims, such as to Rwanda. It enables the UK to treat people differently based on how they entered the country, such as by boat.
While controversial, the measures are mostly not intended to affect people who already live in the UK – though others in the Bill may. The Bill empowers the Home Office to revoke a British citizen’s citizenship without prior notice.
Making homeowners pay up to £15,000 to repair unsafe property
Under the Building Safety Bill, owners of unsafe flats will be required to pay up to £15,000 to have them repaired.
While the government has developed a cladding action plan, many flat owners have “non-cladding” defects as well. Many government schemes do not cover these, and there is a legal limit of £10,000, or £15k in London.
The House of Lords attempted to impose a £250 cap per leaseholder, but the government defeated it by 22 votes.
Renters
Landlords will be prohibited from not only granting new leases, but also from renewing existing leases of non-domestic properties with an energy rating of less than E, beginning on April 1, 2023.
Landlords have the option of making ‘relevant energy efficiency improvements’ to their commercial properties or registering exemptions on the PRS Exemption Register. Exempt properties include industrial sites, low-energy-demanding workshops, and temporary and religious structures.
Making legal challenges to the government more difficult
Campaigners fear that the Judicial Review and Courts Bill will limit their ability to persuade courts to rule against the government.
Threshold for the Additional Rate of Income Tax
From 6 April 2023, the Income Tax additional rate threshold (ART) will be reduced from £150,000 to £125,140, the income level at which an individual will not have any Personal Allowance, because £1 of the Personal Allowance is withdrawn for every £2 of income above £100,000.
More information on changes to UK legal policies can be found at gov.uk.