Festival Permitting Guidelines

⚽ Yesterday, the Financial Conduct Authority wrote to every Premier League club warning that accepting sponsorship from unauthorised crypto firms "potentially exposes clubs to legal liability, money laundering risks and serious reputational damage." 👕 The timing is deliberate: a betting ban on shirt sponsorships just came into effect, and some clubs have pivoted to crypto deals as a replacement. The FCA was unambiguous, "Sponsorship deals with unauthorised financial services firms don't just harm fans. They potentially expose clubs to legal liability, money laundering risks and serious reputational damage." Clubs are expected to conduct proper due diligence on financial services sponsors, and enforcement action against the clubs themselves is on the table. This will definitely one to watch as it plays out on the pitch #FinancialCrime #Crypto #Compliance

Did you catch the latest headline about Manchester City star Jack Grealish signing a seven-figure deal with Pepsi? As a tax advisor who has dealt with my fair share of tax disputes in this field, the structure of these endorsement and sponsorship agreements always fascinates me. Whilst it's tempting to view sponsorship payments as straightforward earnings, the reality is far more nuanced. Athletes must navigate the intricate differences between taxable earnings and sponsorship payments, ensuring compliance with ever-evolving tax regulations. The distinction between simply endorsing a brand, leveraging one's image, or providing additional services to the sponsor company is crucial. For instance, if a sportsperson is merely lending their image for promotional purposes, the tax treatment may differ compared to situations where they are actively engaged in additional duties for the sponsor company, such as appearances or promotional events. One key strategy employed in managing these complexities is the utilisation of image rights companies. These entities serve as intermediaries between athletes and sponsors, facilitating the licensing of an athlete's image for commercial use. By structuring sponsorship deals through image rights companies, athletes can optimise tax efficiency while safeguarding their brand value. Understanding these nuances is essential for athletes and their teams to ensure compliance with tax regulations while maximising financial benefits from sponsorship deals. If you are a sportsperson in receipt of sponsorship, or even a company making sponsorship payments to athletes at any level, make sure you understand the correct tax treatment so you do not fall foul of HMRC. Feel free to reach out if you wish to discuss further. #SportsFinance #SponsorshipTaxation #Endorsements

Yesterday, the CA legislature revealed transformative changes to the housing development approval process that will go into effect as soon as next week. ★With these changes, most infill housing projects will be exempt from CEQA. ★If a project is by-right, it generally must be approved within 60 days. ★If a project is discretionary & meets CEQA exemption criteria, it generally must be approved (/denied) in 4 - 6 months To qualify for the new CEQA exemption, a project needs to be compliant with zoning (although it can use density bonuses and waivers) and meet certain environmental and site standards. If a project has more than 25 units, it has to comply with (reasonable) wage standards. In LA, all construction workers need to be making at least $24/hour, and at least 60% of construction workers need to be making at least $36/hour. However, if a project is over 85’ in height or 100% LI affordable, it needs to pay prevailing wages. (wage requirements are also stricter in San Francisco) Finally, tribal monitoring is required, and projects are conditional on a clean Phase I or mitigations of any env hazards. Perhaps a bigger deal, however, is another piece of the budget bill that has gone under the radar. California has a law (since 1977) called the Permit Streamlining Act, which sets deadlines by which cities must approve or deny development entitlements. Under the PSA, technically, all development projects are supposed to be approved in between 2-6 months. In theory, under what has been part of this law since 1999, development projects in California are supposed to be automatically approved if a city doesn’t vote to approve or deny it within six months. However, the Permit Streamlining Act has a few fatal flaws that have made it completely unenforceable. First, it only applies to discretionary projects. So cities can take as long as they want to approve by-right projects. Second, the timelines don’t kick in until a CEQA determination is made. So cities have been able to get around the law by holding off on making a CEQA determination until the same time as the project approval. The budget bill fixes these flaws by 1) applying the PSA to by-right developments and 2) aligning the new CEQA exemption with the PSA so that it kicks in once a tribal consultation is complete. It also cleans up some outdated requirements to make the PSA more straight-forward to use. The attached graphic shows what a typical entitlement timeline should look like for a project that qualifies for the new CEQA exemption. Because these changes were implemented as part of the budget bill, they will go into effect when signed by the governor, which may be as soon as Friday. I’m expecting utter chaos at first. Many cities will have no idea how to comply with the law, as their existing entitlement processes are completely incompatible with the timelines required under the PSA. Cities will likely need to rewrite their dev process ordinances to fix this.

How long does it take to get a geothermal permit in Texas, and what can we learn from Sage? Sage Geosystems Inc. Geosystems recently received a geothermal well permit for their 𝟯 𝗠𝗪 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 in Atascosa County. The 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝟲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 from application submission in late 2024. This is longer than historical permits from the TCEQ which have on average taken 3-4 months. 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: • 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: First permit under RRC’s new authority (transferred from TCEQ in 2023). • 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆: Novel geopressured geothermal system requiring additional engineering reviews. • 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Land use agreements with San Miguel Electric Cooperative and ERCOT grid integration planning. • 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀: Senate Bills 785/786 (2023) streamlined authority but introduced transitional delays. • 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: No protests were reported for Sage’s permit, avoiding hearing delays. • 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲: Larger or experimental systems may face extended reviews compared to standard closed-loop installations. For future projects, the RRC aims to reduce timelines as its geothermal regulatory framework matures.

⚠️Employers, HR professionals and Compliance teams, I am receiving a little too many enquiries from sponsored workers who following resigning their roles are being asked to pay back the costs of sponsoring them. In many cases they are being asked to pay costs that cannot be passed on by employers. 🔍 Skilled Worker Sponsorship: What You Can’t Reclaim from Employees — and Why It Matters. As of 31 December 2024 and 9 April 2025, the Home Office has tightened the rules around what costs sponsors can pass on to Skilled Workers. If you're a sponsor, non-compliance could cost you your licence. Here’s what you need to know: ✅ Loans & Clawback Agreements Many employers support visa applicants through loans or clawback clauses. These aren't banned — but if repayments bring a worker's salary below the minimum threshold, you risk breaching the Immigration Rules. 🚫 What You Can’t Recoup From 31 Dec 2024, sponsors must not reclaim: CoS fees (£525 standard) Sponsor licence/admin fees (e.g. £1,476 for medium/large sponsors) Immigration Skills Charge Legal/admin costs where the worker had no real choice ⚠️ New From 9 April 2025 Employers must ensure that any deductions from a Skilled Worker’s salary, including loan repayments and investments, do not bring their salary below the required salary sponsorship thresholds. 📉 Salary Thresholds Matter Minimum salary: £38,700 until 21 July 2025 £41,700 from 22 July 2025 (or the “going rate” — whichever is higher) 👉 Tip: If your worker is just above the threshold, even small deductions can result in non-compliance. Clawback or loan? Get legal advice before proceeding. 👉 Tip: Average salary over the sponsorship period (e.g. 3 years) is considered in the assessment. 📌 The bottom line: If UKVI finds you're breaching these rules and recouping these costs, your sponsor licence could be revoked — even if the agreement merely suggests the potential of recovering these costs. #HR #SkilledWorkers

UK businesses face new challenges in sponsorship compliance. Stay informed to protect your Sponsor Licence. On 31 December, new updates to the Sponsor Licence guidance introduced stricter rules on cost-sharing with sponsored workers. Employers are now prohibited from passing on additional specific costs, including the Certificate of Sponsorship fee and the Sponsor Licence application fee. ☑ Previously, only the Immigration Skills Charge was off-limits for cost-sharing. Now, any administrative costs associated with sponsorship are also prohibited.  The term administrative costs might be open to interpretation, but clarity will come with time. ╳ Businesses with existing clawback arrangements must review and re-assess to ensure they comply with the updated sponsor duties. Failure to comply with these new regulations could result in serious consequences, including the revocation of a Sponsor Licence. ☑ Stay proactive. Review your policies. Update your agreements. Ensure compliance to protect your business. Remember, staying informed is key to avoiding pitfalls.

As of August 11, 2025, Portland’s updated permit dashboard shows it takes a median of 147 business days for a commercial new construction permit to be approved—about twice the city’s 71-day goal—with a third of these permits taking between 90 and 182 days. New multifamily projects face even longer waits, with a median of 211 business days (10 months) and an average of 319 business days (14 months). In contrast, Vancouver, WA, averages 30 days for commercial permits and meets or exceeds state timelines, while Beaverton generally schedules first reviews within 20–30 business days after intake. This would be a great place to start for councilors charged with housing and trying to expedite the building process. Candace Avalos, Office of Portland City Councilor Jamie Dunphy  

Partnerships fail not because of people; but because of unclear agreements. I recently worked with a Canadian e-commerce platform to draft their Brand Partner Policies, Sponsorship Agreement, and Affiliate Agreement. While preparing these documents, I focused on the key elements that every brand partnership agreement should clearly cover: 🔹 Scope of Work – What the brand partner is expected to do, deliver, or promote. 🔹 Compensation & Revenue Sharing – Transparent terms on payouts, commission structure, and timelines. 🔹 Clarity in Clauses – All terms must be openly written to avoid confusion or future disputes. 🔹 Rights & Obligations – Brand usage rights, content requirements, compliance points, and performance expectations. 🔹 Exit Clause – Clear rules on how and when either party can end the partnership. 🔹 Termination Conditions – Steps, notice periods, and responsibilities after termination. 🔹 Confidentiality & Data Protection – Essential, as every collaboration involves some level of data exchange. 🔹 Dispute Resolution & Governing Law – Important for settling disagreements smoothly and knowing which country’s laws will apply. This is crucial for cross-border partnerships to avoid legal confusion later. These agreements not only protect the business but also help build strong and trustworthy partner relationships. If you are working with influencers, affiliates, or brand partners, having the right contract is essential. #Contracts #SponsorshipAgreement #AffiliateAgreement #BrandPartners #EcommerceLaw #InfluencerMarketing #AffiliateMarketing #TechLaw #ContractDrafting #CommercialContracts

🚨Holding a UK Sponsor Licence? Read this before an auditor shows up. Because they won’t call ahead. Sponsor audits are unannounced, and if you can’t produce the right documents within minutes, your licence could be suspended or revoked. I’ve seen companies lose their ability to sponsor skilled workers over simple mistakes: - Outdated employee contact info - No proof of recruitment process - Missed reporting deadlines after a role or salary change This isn’t just a checklist exercise. It’s your legal duty and it impacts real people’s lives. Here’s what you need to have ready at all times: ✅ Right to work documents ✅ Updated contact details ✅ Employment contracts + work location ✅ Absence records + salary logs ✅ Full audit trail of changes If your records are in a paper folder or buried across inboxes, that’s a red flag. Consider using HR software with built-in compliance tools and alerts. It’ll save you hours, and possibly your licence. Good record-keeping isn’t optional. It’s the foundation of your sponsorship. PS: Need a quick internal audit or compliance check? Happy to share what good looks like.

"We need this air permit application submitted in 6 weeks - can you make it happen?" That was the impossible timeline from a client expanding their manufacturing facility. The state agency typically takes 4-6 months just to review applications, and my client needed to start construction by year-end to hit their production targets. Most consultants would have said "not realistic" and started managing expectations downward. But I connected them with a permitting specialist who's spent 15 years building relationships with state regulators. Her approach wasn't about cutting corners, it was about front-loading the work that usually causes delays. She spent the first two weeks modeling every possible emission scenario and addressing questions the agency hadn't even asked yet. Then she did something most consultants never think to do - she called the lead reviewer directly. Not to pressure them, but to walk through the technical approach and make sure they were aligned before formal submission. The result? Pre-application meeting scheduled within a week. Technical issues resolved before they became formal comments. Application submitted complete on the first try. The permit was approved in 8 weeks - faster than any comparable project in that district's history. My client broke ground on schedule and hit their production targets 6 months ahead of schedule. The "impossible" timeline became their competitive advantage in the market. The best permitting consultants don't just know the regulations - they know the people who interpret them. #AirPermitting, #EnvironmentalPermitting, #Manufacturing, #EnvironmentalConsulting, #TitleV, #EnvironmentalJobs, #Environmental, #Consulting, #RegulatoryCompliance, #AirQuality, #CareerAdvice, #EnvironmentalCareer, #Permitting, #LinkedInJobs, #TalentAcquisition, #EnvironmentalEngineering, #HiringManager, #EnvironmentalScience, #IndustrialExpansion, #PermittingStrategy