‘The Upper Tribunal has once again taken the First Tier Tribunal firmly by the shoulders and given it a thorough lesson in how to handle Equality Act 2010 claims properly.’
3PB, 12th March 2025
Source: www.3pb.co.uk
‘Natasha Abrahart was a physics student at the University of Bristol. She was suffering from depression and social anxiety disorder, which seriously impacted her ability to partake in oral assessments. Eventually, Natasha sadly took her own life. Her father, Dr Robert Abrahart, as personal representative and estate administrator, sued the University of Bristol for negligence and breach of sections 15, 19 and 20 of the Equality Act 2010, read with section 91(2)(a) and/or (f) of the same Act. Under such provisions, universities have a duty to provide reasonable adjustments and support, in educational provision and assessments, to disabled students, defined by section 6(1) of the Equality Act 2010 as ‘a physical or mental impairment’ which has ‘a substantial and long-term adverse effect’ on the ability to ‘carry out normal day-to-day activities’. However, Schedule 13, para 4(2), to the Equality Act 2010 exempts those assessments which constitute a competency standard, defined as ‘an academic, medical or other standard applied for the purpose of determining whether or not a person has a particular level of competence or ability’.’
Legal Studies, 7th February 2025
Source: www.cambridge.org
‘Eugenie Freeman and Emily Halcrow explain how an employee’s right to their beliefs can be balanced against an employer’s duty to prevent discrimination.’
Kingsley Napley Employment Law Blog, 20th March 2025
Source: www.kingsleynapley.co.uk
‘The High Court has dismissed a judicial review application brought on behalf of a young woman with severe disabilities in relation to the local council’s provision of same-sex personal and intimate care for women service users.’
Local Government Lawyer, 17th March 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Claims for discrimination are largely covered by the Equality Act 2010, the two most common forms of discrimination being direct and indirect. Direct discrimination is defined in the Act as one person treating another less favourably than he would others due to a protected characteristic (those characteristics being defined as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or pregnancy and maternity), whilst indirect discrimination is defined as a person applying a provision, criterion or practice which is discriminatory in relation to a relevant protected characteristic of another. Generally, the primary outcome of discrimination (direct or indirect) is injury to feelings to the person who has been discriminated against.
The question which arises when a claim is made for injury to feelings as a result of discrimination is how damages can be quantified, given its non-tangible nature. How can I make a claim for my feelings being hurt and, if successful, what could I be awarded?’
Becket Chambers, 11th March 2025
Source: becket-chambers.co.uk
‘Owners of McDonald’s franchises in the UK have been told they could face legal action if they fail to take steps to protect workers from sexual abuse.’
The Independent, 14th March 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A long-serving Metropolitan police sergeant has failed in his attempt to sue the force for discrimination because a more senior officer called him a “numpty”.’
The Guardian, 13th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The City’s top two regulators have said they will not bring in new diversity and inclusion rules for financial firms because they want to avoid imposing extra “regulatory burdens” and costs, in the latest sign of a retreat from efforts to help underrepresented groups.’
The Guardian, 12th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A magistrate who “escalated out of all proportion” a minor incident has had her employment tribunal claims of discrimination, harassment and victimisation dismissed.’
Law Society's Gazette, 12th March 2025
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Croydon Council has agreed to make reasonable adjustments for visually impaired people at future elections, after settling a legal challenge.’
Local Government Lawyer, 11th March 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The body advising judges on criminal sentences has hit back at the justice secretary’s call for it to scrap new guidance on sentencing offenders from ethnic monitories.’
BBC News, 10th March 2025
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood is set for a confrontation with the Sentencing Council later this week after they wrote to her warning her against “dictating” to judges over new measures which she fears will create a “two tier” legal system.’
The Independent, 10th March 2025
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Lauren Fullerton and Arran Dowling-Hussey look at one of the most significant special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) cases from 2024.’
4-5 Gray's Inn Square, 7th March 2025
Source: www.4-5.co.uk
‘The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal brought on behalf of a 15-year-old boy, rejecting the submission that the decision to permanently exclude him from school was unlawful because the headteacher “failed to comply with the public sector equality duty (PSED)”.’
Local Government Lawyer, 6th March 2025
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Shabana Mahmood has ordered a review of the powers of the independent body that draws up judges’ sentencing guidelines in England and Wales following claims that new rules discriminate against white men.’
The Guardian, 6th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘When asked if she was surprised that most of the victims of Zhenhao Zou, who could be one of Britain’s worst serial rapists, remained unknown to authorities, Viny Poon, who has spent the past decade supporting east Asian women in the UK, simply said: “No.” Zou, a 28-year-old PhD student, was convicted on Wednesday of drugging and raping 10 women in London and China. After recovering videos of Zou attacking a further 50 women, police have said this could be one of the worst cases of sexual violence in modern Britain. All of Zou’s victims are thought to be of Chinese heritage.’
The Guardian, 6th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Ministers have criticised plans to make the ethnic background of offenders a greater factor in determining whether to jail them, saying they amounted to a “two-tier system” of justice.’
The Guardian, 6th March 2025
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Government has established a new working group to produce a “working definition” of Anti-Muslim Hatred and Islamophobia. It will advise government on how best to understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims.’
Law & Religion UK, 5th March 2025
Source: lawandreligionuk.com
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