High Court judge issues mandatory order requiring London borough to secure suitable accommodation for family within 12 weeks – Local Government Lawyer

Posted August 8th, 2022 in children, disabled persons, homelessness, housing, local government, London, news by tracey

‘The London Borough of Lambeth has been told by the High Court to find accommodation for a family within 12 weeks even though the applicant wishes to live outside the borough.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th August 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Sussex PCs used baton and Taser on elderly man in wheelchair – BBC News

‘Gross misconduct notices have been served on two police officers who used a baton, a Taser and incapacitant spray on a man in a wheelchair.’

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BBC News, 4th August 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Sheffield City Council repeatedly let down vulnerable woman – ombudsman – BBC News

‘A vulnerable young woman was told by a council investigation she could have stopped the abuse she experienced if she had spoken up sooner.’

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BBC News, 15th July 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Major change to taxi and private hire vehicle accessibility legislation comes into force – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022 – described as “the most significant change to taxi accessibility legislation since the Equality Act was introduced 12 years ago” – has come into force.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 5th July 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

West Sussex council ordered to pay £2,000 to mother of child with special needs – BBC News

‘A mother of a child with special needs has been paid £2,000 by a council for failures involving his education, health and care plan. The mother – known as Ms C – turned to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman after making a complaint to West Sussex County Council. The ombudsman has upheld her complaint, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.’

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BBC News, 4th July 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court of Appeal Refuses Permission to Judicially Review Infected Blood Compensation Scheme – Quarterly Medical Law Review

‘In a judgment handed down on 4 February 2022, the Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal for permission to apply for judicial review concerning the lawfulness of the England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS) (the “Scheme”). The Court of Appeal concluded that the Scheme’s exclusion of those infected with hepatitis B was not discriminatory. In any event, the Secretary of State’s justification for who was to be compensated under the ex gratia Scheme was to be given a wide margin of appreciation by the courts.’

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Quarterly Medical Law Review , 24th June 2022

Source: 1corqmlr.com

Long Covid is a disability, tribunal rules in landmark case – Daily Telegraph

‘Long Covid is a disability, a tribunal has ruled in what employment experts say could result in a “significant increase” in the number of claims brought by people suffering with the syndrome.’

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Daily Telegraph, 20th June 2022

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Vulnerable clients struggle in face of “cold, clinical and chaotic” lawyers – Legal Futures

Posted June 21st, 2022 in complaints, disabled persons, legal profession, legal services, news by sally

‘Vulnerable clients are being disadvantaged by the “cold, clinical and chaotic manner” in which they are treated by some lawyers, a report for the Legal Services Board (LSB) has found.’

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Legal Futures, 21st June 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Channel 4 subtitles outage breached licence, Ofcom rules – The Guardian

Posted June 21st, 2022 in disabled persons, licensing, media, news by sally

‘Channel 4 breached the conditions of its broadcast licence by failing to provide enough subtitled programming to some viewers in autumn 2021 after a sonic boom destroyed equipment used to broadcast its programmes, the media watchdog has found.’

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The Guardian, 20th June 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Residents threaten judicial review over Home Office decision to abandon recommended emergency evacuation plans for disabled people – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Home Office is facing a judicial review over its decision to ignore a Grenfell Tower inquiry’s recommendation to implement personal emergency evacuation plans for disabled people.’

Court of Appeal to consider appeal from council over whether cost of holidays and recreation for people with care needs can fall to be met under Care Act 2014 – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 15th, 2022 in appeals, benefits, disabled persons, holidays, local government, news by sally

‘The Court of Appeal will this week (16 June) will this week consider the role of local authorities, under the Care Act 2014, in respect of facilitating holidays and recreation for people with care needs.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th June 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Cat ban’ case could provide Equality Act clarity for service providers – OUT-LAW.com

‘A case brought by an autistic man against a UK supermarket chain for refusing entry to his assistance cat could help to clarify a complex area of equality law, according to one legal expert.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 6th June 2022

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Housing case law update – May 2022 – Local Government Lawyer

‘Steven Wood, Kelly Lloyd and Sumi Begum analyse the latest housing law judgments of interest to housing associations and local authorities.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 6th June 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

The Government’s Social Care Cap ‘Discriminates’ Against Disabled People – Each Other

‘In the UK, social care that is provided by councils is “means-tested”. This means that those whose income or capital is above a particular threshold are charged in part or in full for their care. People who need residential care or long-term support can pay many thousands of pounds for care over their lifetime, with some having to sell their home to pay for this.’

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Each Other, 27th May 2022

Source: eachother.org.uk

Court of Protection judge calls for further evidence in Covid-19 vaccination case – Local Government Lawyer

‘A Court of Protection judge has taken what he called the “rare step” of seeking more evidence before making a ruling over whether a man with severe disabilities should be given the Covid-19 vaccination.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 26th May 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

R (Sheakh) v Lambeth London Borough Council – Equality Law Blog

‘The Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal, based on the PSED, from the order of Kerr LJ refusing the claimant’s application for statutory and judicial review of experimental traffic orders (ETOs) creating Low Traffic Neighbourhoods which had been made by the respondent.’

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Equality Law Blog, 24th May 2022

Source: equalitylawblog.com

Accountant jailed for exploiting a disabled victim for over £300,000 – Crown Prosecution Service

‘A chartered accountant has been jailed for exploiting a vulnerable victim out of money and assets worth £331,858.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 12th May 2022

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

New Acts – legislation.gov.uk

Posted May 6th, 2022 in animals, disabled persons, education, insurance, legislation by tracey

2022 c. 25 – Motor Vehicles (Compulsory Insurance) Act 2022

2022 c. 23 – Subsidy Control Act 2022

2022 c. 21 – Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022

2022 c. 19 – Animals (Penalty Notices) Act 2022

2022 c. 18 – Down Syndrome Act 2022

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Re H [2022]EWFC 10: Guidance in Learning Disability Cases – Transparency Project

‘The Good Practice Guidance for working with parents with a learning disability was first published in 2007 by the Department of Health / Department for Education and Skills. Fifteen years and two revisions later, awareness of it remains patchy. In Re H [2022] EWFC 10 (19 January 2022), where the mother’s learning disability was a central feature of the case, the children’s social worker admitted that she was unfamiliar with the Guidance.’

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Transparency Project, 26th April 2022

Source: transparencyproject.org.uk

Bringing [Dis]Ability to the Bar – Counsel

Posted April 19th, 2022 in barristers, disabled persons, news by sally

‘Mary Prior QC profiles the founders of BDABar, Konstantina Nouka and James Ekin, who are determined to improve accessibility, support and inclusivity at the Bar, and dismantle the barriers that disabled aspiring barristers face.’

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Counsel, April 2022

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk