Who gets legal aid? – BBC News

Posted April 16th, 2019 in budgets, civil justice, criminal justice, legal aid, news, statistics by tracey

‘Who gets legal aid?’

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BBC News, 15th April 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Regulator warns policy makers to “think very carefully” before setting up charity for singular public project – Local Government Lawyer

‘The fact that more than £50m of public funds was spent by the Garden Bridge Trust without producing demonstrable public benefit or impact represented “a failure for charity which risks undermining public trust”, the Charity Commission has said.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 11th April 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Two-thirds of councils say they can’t afford to comply with homelessness law – The Guardian

Posted April 10th, 2019 in benefits, budgets, homelessness, housing, local government, news, statistics by sally

‘The Homelessness Reduction Act, in operation for the past 12 months, is potentially the greatest piece of homelessness legislation for 40 years in England, according to Southwark council in south London. The Labour-run council pioneered the government’s new flagship act, and is upbeat about it. While homelessness went up in the borough last year, as it did across London, the rise was less steep than expected: 8.6% for families placed in temporary accommodation and a similarly small increase for rough sleepers. At the same time, there was also a 50% increase in the number of people the council helped to stay in their home. “It shows the act works,” says the council’s cabinet member for housing, Stephanie Cryan.’

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The Guardian, 10th April 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Garden Bridge which cost the taxpayer more than £50m was ‘a failure for charity’ that undermines public trust, commission rules – Daily Telegraph

Posted April 10th, 2019 in budgets, charities, Charity Commission, London, news, taxation, transport by sally

‘The London Garden Bridge, which cost the taxpayer more than £50 million, was “a failure for charity” that undermines public trust, the Charity Commission has ruled.’

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Daily Telegraph, 9th April 2019

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Judges, police and lawyers warn MPs over court modernisation – Legal Futures

‘Judges, justice campaigners, academics and others have raised wide-ranging concerns about the government’s ambitious court reform programme in evidence submitted to MPs.’

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Legal Futures, 9th April 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

High Court dispenses with electronic bill – Litigation Futures

Posted April 3rd, 2019 in budgets, costs, damages, electronic filing, negligence, news, part 36 offers by sally

‘A High Court judge has relieved a claimant who won a trial in January from having to produce an electronic bill for the work undertaken since 6 April 2018.’

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Litigation Futures, 2nd April 2019

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

High Court sets June date for judicial review hearing over SEND funding policy – Local Government Lawyer

Posted March 6th, 2019 in budgets, judicial review, news, special educational needs by sally

‘A High Court judge has granted three families permission to bring a judicial review challenge over the Government’s special education needs (“SEND”) funding policy.’

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Local Government Lawyer, March 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Dangerous’ part-privatisation of probation services costing taxpayers extra £467m, watchdog finds – The Independent

‘The number of criminals being sent back to prison for violating licence conditions has skyrocketed since the government’s “dangerous” part-privatisation of probation services, a watchdog has found.’

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The Independent, 1st March 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Before facial recognition tech can be used, it needs to be limited – The Independent

‘New research on facial recognition technology trials by police calls for tighter regulation to protect human rights.’

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The Independent, 21st February 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Teachers (and other public servants) pay – Employment Law Blog

‘Significant budgetary restraints. A significant deficit in the public finances. Does that all sound familiar? It is a feature not only in the United Kingdom but also in the Republic of Ireland. It is the context of Case C-154/18, Horgan and Keegan v Minister for Education and Skills, in which the Second Chamber of the ECJ gave Judgment on 14 February 2019, on a reference from the Irish Labour Court.’

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Employment Law Blog, 18th February 2019

Source: employment11kbw.com

LASPO Review: Bar Council reaction – The Bar Council

‘The Bar Council has reacted to the Ministry of Justice’s LASPO Part 1 review, published today. Richard Atkins QC, Chair of the Bar Council, said: “The Bar Council is disappointed with the Government’s post-implementation review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (“LASPO”), published today. When the Bar Council gave evidence to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) last year on the impact of the LASPO cuts to legal aid we identified five priorities to help reverse the decline in legal aid provision over almost six years. (See notes to editors). Few have been addressed.” ‘

Full press release

The Bar Council, 7th February 2019

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Fury over MoJ ‘betrayal’ on legal aid at inquests – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Ministry of Justice has been accused of betraying those campaigning to ensure an equality of arms between bereaved families and the state at inquests.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 8th February 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

A ‘drop in the ocean’ for justice? – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 11th, 2019 in budgets, legal aid, litigants in person, Ministry of Justice, news by tracey

‘The Ministry of Justice sweetened its long-awaited review of swingeing legal aid cuts with a pledge to spend £8m on legal support and litigants in person. But does its response go far enough?’

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th February 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Gauke: Innovation and tech the way forward on legal aid – Legal Futures

Posted February 8th, 2019 in budgets, civil justice, legal aid, litigants in person, news by sally

‘The justice secretary said yesterday that innovation and technology, rather than significant increases in legal aid spending, are the way to improve access to justice.’

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Legal Futures, 8th February 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Care home ‘neglect’ contributed to teenager’s death, inquest rules – The Guardian

Posted February 8th, 2019 in budgets, care homes, inquests, mental health, news, suicide, young persons by sally

‘Neglect at a care home that had descended into “chaos” amid cost-cutting contributed to the death of Sophie Bennett, a mentally ill 19-year old, an inquest jury has ruled.’

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The Guardian, 7th February 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Surge in parents forced to fight child custody battles with no legal representation – The Independent

Posted February 5th, 2019 in budgets, children, custody, families, legal aid, litigants in person, news, statistics by tracey

‘The number of parents forced to represent themselves in child custody battles at family courts has more than doubled in six years in the wake of legal aid cuts. Campaigners have warned “huge injustices” are taking place and children’s best interests are being “obscured”. Government data revealed 23,881 parents who applied to open private law cases for child arrangements in 2017 had no legal representation – up 134 per cent since 2011.’

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The Independent, 4th February 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lord McNally: ‘We had to cut legal aid. It’s not a bottomless pit’ – The Guardian

Posted January 30th, 2019 in budgets, human rights, legal aid, legal services, news, probation by sally

‘The Lib-Dem peer says coalition cuts were necessary but have gone too far – people must be able to access justice.’

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The Guardian, 30th January 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Government issues guidance for local authorities on Brexit preparations – Local Government Lawyer

Posted January 30th, 2019 in brexit, budgets, EC law, local government, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued guidance to assist local authority preparedness for Brexit and announced that it will provide £56.5m in financial support to councils in England.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 29th January 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Half of magistrates courts in England and Wales closed since 2010 – The Guardian

Posted January 28th, 2019 in budgets, computer programs, courts, magistrates, news, statistics by sally

‘More than half of all magistrates courts in England and Wales have closed since 2010, forcing defendants, witnesses, police, lawyers and justices of the peace to travel sometimes more than 50 miles to access local justice.’

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The Guardian, 27th January 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Courts IT chaos prompts call for compensation and more funding – The Guardian

‘The computer network collapse that disrupted courts across England and Wales for days has prompted calls for compensation and improved funding for the beleaguered criminal justice system.’

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The Guardian, 23rd January 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com