Legal aid cuts force closure of almost a third of Shelter offices – The Guardian

“Cuts to legal aid are forcing the closure of almost a third of Shelter’s housing advice centres and compelling the Red Cross to abandon its assistance for family reunions, the organisations claim.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th March 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government failing to bring Britain in line with European rules on human trafficking, say charities – The Independent

“The Government has failed to bring Britain in line with European laws on human trafficking, according to leading charities, who say victims of the crime are being left vulnerable to further abuse.”

Full story

The Independent, 10th March 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

RSPCA could hire ‘experienced criminal barrister’ to review prosecutions, Attorney General suggests – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 25th, 2013 in animals, barristers, budgets, charities, news, private prosecutions, prosecutions by sally

“Britain’s most senior law officer has told the head of the RSPCA that he could consider hiring an experienced criminal lawyer to review the charity’s controversial prosecution policy.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 22nd February 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Lord McAlpine drops defamation claims against Twitter users with fewer than 500 followers – The Independent

Posted February 22nd, 2013 in charities, damages, defamation, internet, news by sally

“Lord McAlpine has announced that he is dropping defamation claims against Twitter users with fewer than 500 followers who wrongly named him as a paedophile, instead asking for a charitable donation.”

Full story

The Independent, 21st February 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Guilty: the ringleaders who plotted a terror spectacular to rival 9/11 – The Independent

Posted February 22nd, 2013 in charities, intelligence services, news, terrorism by sally

“The ringleaders of a Birmingham-based extremist cell whose deadly ambitions were matched only by their incompetence are facing life terms after the unravelling of their plot for a terrorist spectacular to rival the September 11 attacks.”

Full story

The Independent, 21st February 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Frances Andrade death: Charity calls for review in child abuse trials – BBC News

Posted February 11th, 2013 in charities, child abuse, news, prosecutions, trials, victims by sally

“A charity for adults who were abused in childhood has said the way prosecutions are brought must change after a victim took her own life during a trial.”

Full story

BBC News, 9th February 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Youth justice system is ‘failing vulnerable young offenders’ – The Guardian

“Vulnerable young offenders are at risk of serious and long-term problems because the youth justice system is failing to support their needs, according to child welfare charities and campaign groups. Figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) last week revealed a 21% increase in the number of young people in custody self-harming between 2010‑11 and 2011-12. Three children died in custody during 2011-12, while incidents of physical restraint rose by 17% year on year.”

Full story

The Guardian, 5th February 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government plans for radical overhaul of family law would do little to help improve lives of vulnerable children, warn charities – The Independent

“Charities warned that Government plans for a radical overhaul of family law including the introduction of shared parental leave would do little to help improve the lives of the most vulnerable children.”

Full story

The Independent, 5th February 2013

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland v Lloyds Banking Group plc – WLR Daily

Posted January 24th, 2013 in banking, charities, contracts, covenants, law reports, Supreme Court, taxation by sally

Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland v Lloyds Banking Group plc [2013] UKSC 3; [2013] WLR (D) 19

“In construing a contractual provision, where there had been an unforeseeable and fundamental change in the legal context since the execution of the contract, the proper approach was to adopt a meaning which best gave effect to the parties’ original intentions and purposes. Where, therefore, a deed executed in 1997 provided for payment to be made by a banking group to a charitable foundation by reference to the group’s pre-tax profit or loss shown in the audited accounts, and a change in accounting practice subsequently required the group consolidated income statement to include, as a profit, a sum representing an unrealised gain on acquisition, the inclusion of such a sum was to be ignored for the purposes of calculating the amount payable to the foundation under the deed.”

WLR Daily, 23rd January 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland (Respondent) v. Lloyds Banking Group Plc (Appellant) (Scotland) – Supreme Court

Posted January 23rd, 2013 in accounts, charities, EC law, law reports, Scotland, takeovers by sally

Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland (Respondent) v. Lloyds Banking Group Plc (Appellant) (Scotland) [2013] UKSC 3 | UKSC 2012/0042 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 23rd January 2013

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

More training to identify and support victims of human trafficking – Home Office

Posted January 21st, 2013 in charities, education, news, trafficking in human beings, victims by sally

“GPs, midwives, youth workers and social workers are among those professionals who will soon benefit from training to identify and help victims of human trafficking, the Home Office announced today.”

Full story

Home Office, 21st January 2013

Source: www.homeoffice.gov.uk

RSPCA warned on hunt prosecutions by charities watchdog – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 18th, 2013 in charities, Charity Commission, costs, hunting, news, prosecutions by tracey

“The RSPCA has been told by the charity watchdog that any decision to prosecute
hunts must be a ‘reasonable and effective use of the charity’s resources’.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 17th January 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Small Charitable Donations Act 2012 – legislation.gov.uk

Posted December 21st, 2012 in charities, legislation, taxation by tracey

Full text of Act

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Model charity: ‘whatever happens, we’ll carry on, but it won’t be easy’ – The Guardian

Posted December 12th, 2012 in asylum, budgets, charities, homelessness, legal aid, news, refugees by sally

“Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group, which supports destitute refugees, may be hit by sweeping legal aid cuts.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th December 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Voluntary sector should be able to charge – LSB – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted December 6th, 2012 in charities, consultations, fees, law centres, legal services, news by sally

“Not-for-profit groups should be allowed to charge for provision of legal services, the Legal Services Board has said.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 6th December 2012

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

New code will keep high street shoppers safe from ‘chuggers’ – The Independent

Posted November 29th, 2012 in budgets, charities, codes of practice, complaints, local government, news by sally

“So-called ‘chuggers’ or ‘street fundraisers’ are seen by many as the scourge of the high street, but a new code of conduct may see shoppers across Britain breathe a sigh of relief as it sets out to curb aggressive money collecting which has plagued the practice.”

Full story

The Independent, 28th November 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Prison mentors: ‘I’ve been in trouble almost all the time’ – BBC News

Posted November 26th, 2012 in charities, housing, news, prisons, recidivists, rehabilitation by sally

“The government wants to give more prisoners on sentences of less than 12 months a mentor – who may themselves be an ex-offender – to try to cut reoffending.”

Full story

BBC News, 26th November 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Upper Tribunal confirms illegality of Catholic Charity’s ban on same-sex couple adoption – UK Human Rights Blog

“A private adoption agency could not justify its exclusion of same-sex prospective parents by arguing that this policy would keep open a source of funding that would otherwise dry up and reduce the number of adoption placements.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 3rd November 2012

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Charity served with monetary penalty notice – Panopticon

Posted October 11th, 2012 in charities, data protection, fines, news, penalties, social services by sally

“Today (10 October), the Commissioner served – for the first time – a monetary penalty notice on a charity. The charity in question, Norwood Ravenswood Ltd, is a social care charity. One of its social workers had attempted to deliver to the home of prospective adopters certain background reports containing highly confidential sensitive personal data on four young children. Finding the couple out, and unable to fit the package through the letterbox, the social worker left the package in a concealed area at the side of the house. When the prospective adopters returned home, the package had disappeared. It was never recovered.”

Full story

Panopticon, 10th October 2012

Source: www.panopticonblog.com

Regina (Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd) v Gambling Commission (People’s Health Trust intervening) – WLR Daily

Posted August 28th, 2012 in charities, gambling, health, law reports, licensing by tracey

Regina (Camelot UK Lotteries Ltd) v Gambling Commission (People’s Health Trust intervening): [2012] EWHC 2391 (Admin);   [2012] WLR (D)  253

“Societies were not precluded from being ‘non-commercial’ and eligible for the grant of lottery operating licences under section 98 of the Gambling Act 2005, as being established or conducted for the purpose of ‘private gain’ within the meaning of section 19 of the 2005 Act, on account of the lottery scheme having been proposed by the company appointed to act as their external lottery manager with a view in part to its making a profit from so doing. Their having the same directors and employing the same external lottery manager did not require aggregation of the proceeds of the lotteries for the purposes of section 99 of the 2005 Act.”

WLR Daily, 22nd August 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk