High Court: Council must not axe care for elderly – Daily Telegraph

“Britain’s biggest council has been told its plans to cut care services for elderly and severely disabled people are ‘unlawful’ and must be scrapped, in a landmark High Court judgement with wide-ranging implications for social care.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 19th May 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Disabled people take anti-cuts protest to the courts – The Guardian

“Disabled people are using the courts to challenge multimillion-pound spending cuts which they say will hit them hardest.”

Full story

The Guardian, 10th May 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

LSB publishes literature review of legal needs – Legal Services Board

“The LSB has conducted a review of existing research literature into the needs of different groups of legal services consumers. The review summarises the legal needs of a variety of different groups, their methods of accessing legal services and where their needs are not met. The review helps to identify gaps in existing research and will be used to target our future research programme.”

The Legal Needs of Consumer Groups (PDF)

Legal Services Board, 21st April 2011

Source: www.legalservicesboard.org.uk

Birmingham City Council disabled care limits ‘unlawful’ – BBC News

“Judges have ruled that Birmingham City Council’s plans to limit social care for disabled people are unlawful.”

Full story

BBC News, 20th April 2011

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Oldham woman jailed over ‘disfigured face’ hate attack – BBC News

Posted March 18th, 2011 in assault, disabled persons, news, sentencing by sally

“A woman who attacked another woman because she had a facial disfigurement has been jailed for eight months.”

Full story

BBC News, 17th March 2011

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Call to sue councils that are ‘failing the vulnerable’ – Law Society’s Gazette

“The case of a mentally ill man who attempted suicide after being discharged from hospital to a park bench has prompted mental health solicitors to call on lawyers to sue local authorities that fail to provide adequate healthcare for some of society’s most vulnerable members.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 17th March 2011

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

How the law can be used to fight cuts to services for disabled people – Law Society’s Gazette

“Disabled children and disabled adults need significant support from public bodies to help them lead ordinary lives. These groups require both specialist and targeted services and flexible universal services which can be adapted to their needs.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 10th March 2011

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

DPP says prosecuting disability hate crime is “the next frontier” for the Criminal Justice System – Crown Prosecution Service

“Prosecutors are ‘still in the foothills’ when it comes to prosecuting disability hate crime, the DPP Keir Starmer QC said today (Wednesday ) in a speech to Sussex Law School’s ‘Issues in Criminal Justice’ series at the University of Sussex.”

Full story

Crown Prosecution Service, 2nd March 2011

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Care home residents denied legal aid – by typing error – The Independent

Posted January 31st, 2011 in care homes, disabled persons, law firms, legal aid, news by sally

“A solicitor who has battled for years on behalf of disabled and elderly residents of care homes has been told she will get no legal aid work in the coming year – because of a typing error.”

Full story

The Independent, 31st January 2011

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Disability benefit cuts ‘could breach human rights law’ – BBC News

Posted January 10th, 2011 in benefits, disabled persons, human rights, news by sally

“New assessment tests are planned to help the government decide where to make cuts in disability benefits.”

Full story

BBC News, 8th January 2011

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

IPCC to oversee investigation into wheelchair protester incident – The Guardian

Posted December 17th, 2010 in assault, complaints, demonstrations, disabled persons, news, police by sally

“The police watchdog will oversee the investigation into allegations that police assaulted a young disabled protester as he took part in a student fees demonstration last week.”

Full story

The Guardian, 16th December 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Secretive court opens doors to journalists – The Independent

Posted December 9th, 2010 in Court of Protection, disabled persons, media, news by sally

“One of Britain’s most secretive courts opened itself to public scrutiny yesterday after a High Court judge lifted reporting restrictions on work done by a hitherto-closed corner of the British justice system.”

Full story

The Independent, 9th December 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Disabled will suffer from assisted dying law, claim critics of new inquiry – Daily Telegraph

Posted November 30th, 2010 in assisted suicide, disabled persons, elderly, inquiries, news by sally

“Vulnerable elderly and disabled people will feel pressured to end their lives if the law on assisted dying is relaxed, disability campaigners have claimed.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 29th November 2010

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Regina v Inglis – WLR Daily

Regina v Inglis [2010] EWCA Crim 2637; [2010] WLR (D) 289

“When determining the minimum specified term to be served by an individual who genuinely believed that the murder she had committed constituted an act of mercy, the facts that there had been a significant degree of planning or premeditation, that the victim had been particularly vulnerable because of disability and that there had been abuse of a position of trust should not be taken to be aggravating factors.”

WLR Daily, 15th November 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Appeal court ruling clears way for councils to cut social care services – The Guardian

Posted November 4th, 2010 in budgets, community care, disabled persons, local government, news by sally

“Local councils have been given the green light by the courts to cut social care services to elderly and disabled people previously assessed by law as needing them.”

Full story

The Guardian, 4th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regina (Savva) v Kensington and Chelsea Royal London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted November 4th, 2010 in budgets, community care, disabled persons, law reports, local government by sally

Regina (Savva) v Kensington and Chelsea Royal London Borough Council [2010] EWCA Civ 1209; [2010] WLR (D) 275

“When exercising its duty under s 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 to make arrangements to meet an individual’s needs, a local authority was entitled to consider what that individual’s needs were in relative terms as the starting point for calculating the personal budget allocated to meet them, and had to give reasons for its decision.”

WLR Daily, 3rd November 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Laws v Metropolitan Police Authority and another – WLR Daily

Posted October 18th, 2010 in disabled persons, judicial review, law reports, pensions, police by sally

Laws v Metropolitan Police Authority and another [2010] EWCA Civ 1099; [2010] WLR (D) 254

“By reg 37(1) of the Police (Injury Benefit) Regulations 2006, on a review of an injury pension payable under those regulations, the only duty of the police authority was to consider whether, since any previous review, the degree of pension disablement had substantially altered, and it was not open to the authority to reduce or increase a pension on such a review by virtue of a conclusion that the clinical basis of an earlier assessment had been wrong.”

WLR Daily, 14th October 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Constable blinded by Moat fights ‘unfair’ benefit – The Independent

Posted September 16th, 2010 in benefits, disabled persons, news, police by sally

“The police officer blinded by gunman Raoul Moat has revealed he is fighting the Government after being awarded £18.95-a-week mobility allowance.”

Full story

The Independent, 16th September 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Paddy Power’s blind footballers ruled onside by ASA – The Guardian

Posted July 21st, 2010 in advertising, animal cruelty, complaints, disabled persons, news by sally

“With a team of blind footballers who kick a cat into a tree, it seemed to have something to offend everybody. But one of the most complained-about adverts of all time was cleared today by the advertising watchdog.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st July 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

A v Essex County Council – WLR Daily

A v Essex County Council; [2010] UKSC 33; [2010] WLR (D) 184

“A local education authority which took 18 months to secure a place at one of the few specialist schools which was equipped to cope with a severely disabled child with special education needs, during which time he was unable to attend school at all, had not, by taking so much time, denied the child’s right to education contrary to art 2 of the First Protocol to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.”

WLR Daily, 15th July 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.