Guidance for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving on an almost daily basis. The effect of COVID-19 is wide reaching and may affect ongoing works for some time to come, including but not limited to those logged as property projects on the property Consents Website for some time to come.  To assist Managing Trustees, TMCP have produced a guidance note COVID-19 and its effect upon Building Contracts and works to Methodist Churches.

The purpose of this guidance is to explain to Managing Trustees the key legal issues which may arise on property projects ranging from ongoing full redevelopment projects to continuing or pending works projects. The Guidance Note sets out the steps which Managing Trustees may need to take in light of the effect of COVID-19 and the effect of Regulations made under the Coronavirus Act 2020 including the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions)(England) Regulations 2020 and other statutory regulations including those made pursuant to Section 45R of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. These regulations place significant restriction on the movement of people and the operation of businesses across England. While these regulations apply for an initial period of six month it is anticipated that there may well be some form of restrictions in place for a longer period of time than this. These regulations only apply to England, there are similar regulations in place for both Scotland and Wales. If you have queries about the regulations in Scotland or Wales please contact TMCP in the first instance.

Managing Trustees will need to consider what steps they ought to take in relation to ongoing works and what to do in cases where work is yet to start. This guidance note is intended to help Managing Trustees consider the different issues that may arise in orderat stake to help them decide how best to proceed.

If you have any specific questions not covered in the Focus Note or need any further assistance then do not hesitate to contact TMCP Legal by email or by telephone using the telephone numbers which you will have at the foot of emails received from members of the Legal team.
Managing Trustees are also encouraged to refer to the external links set out in the “External Links” section of the COVID-19 page for helpful guidance from the Government and the Methodist Church in Great Britain.

We continue to wish you and yours well and hope you all stay safe at this difficult time