Why there’s no such thing as gay adultery in UK law – BBC News
‘A woman who was unable to divorce her husband on the grounds of adultery because he had affairs with men wants the law changed.’
BBC News, 1st August 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: equality
Maternity leave discrimination means 54,000 women lose their jobs each year – The Guardian
‘Women returning from maternity leave are more likely to face discrimination in the workplace than they were a decade ago, according to a report published today by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.’
The Guardian, 24th July 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Where is the diversity in law recruitment? – The Guardian
‘Despite recent initiatives, the legal profession remains a bastion of white, middle-class, privately educated males. So what can be done to make it more inclusive? Harriet Swain reports on a roundtable debate.’
The Guardian, 14th July 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Sainsbury’s faces equal pay battle with female shop floor workers – The Guardian
‘Sainsbury’s is facing legal action from four female shopfloor workers who claim they are paid less than men to do equally valuable jobs at the supermarket chain.
The case, which will be the subject of a preliminary hearing at a Birmingham employment tribunal on Friday, comes as a similar legal action involving 6,000 female Asda employees remains to be settled.’
The Guardian, 9th July 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Essop and others v Home Office (UK Border Agency) – WLR Daily
Essop and others v Home Office (UK Border Agency) [2015] EWCA Civ 609; [2015] WLR (D) 269
‘In order to succeed in claims of indirect discrimination under section 19 of the Equality Act 2010 based upon the protected characteristics of race and/or age the claimants had to prove the nature of the group disadvantage for the purposes of surmounting the section 19(2)(b) hurdle and each claimant had also to prove that he had suffered the same disadvantage for the purposes of surmounting the section 19(2)(c) hurdle.’
WLR Daily, 22nd June 2015
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Gay couple in fight for equal pension rights – BBC News
‘A gay man has launched a legal bid for his husband to have the same pension rights a wife would have if he was in a heterosexual relationship.’
BBC News, 29th June 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Centre cancels ‘illegal’ women-only screening of film by Jewish director – The Guardian
‘A Jewish community centre in north west London has cancelled plans to show the controversial Israeli drama Gift of Fire after admitting proposals to ban men from a screening were most likely illegal under UK equality laws.’
The Guardian, 15th June 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Mapped: Where is same sex marriage legal in the world? – Daily Telegraph
‘As Ireland prepares to vote on the same sex marriage referendum, we map where it is already legal using data from the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.’
Daily Telegraph, 21st May 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Vulnerability – a fresh start – Nearly Legal
‘The thing about the Supreme Court is that all those years of accrued, encrusted High Court and Court of Appeal case law just don’t matter. If the Supreme Court thinks otherwise, they are so much chaff. And so, to some extent, it proved to be in these joined appeals, where the issue was the meaning of vulnerability in s.189(1)(c) Housing Act 1996.’
Nearly Legal, 13th May 2015
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
Rents and Equality. Barnet, again – Nearly Legal
‘It appears that Barnet Council (via the Mayor’s casting vote) are determined to carry on with their plan to raise rents for council tenants, new and existing, to 80% of market rent or top of LHA rates, whichever is lowest.’
Nearly Legal, 15th April 2015
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
School transport judgment arrives – Education Law Blog
‘The claim was brought by a 15-year-old school girl with a range of medical problems and a statement of special educational needs which named an independent school 27 miles from her home. The local authority accepted that she was an eligible child entitled to free school transport under section 508B of the Education Act 1996, which duty it discharged by providing a taxi service shared with other pupils. That service took her to and from school at the beginning and end of the normal school day. She asked for this arrangement to be varied in two respects: (1) to take her from home to school later than usual when she arrived back there from the frequent medical appointments she required, and (2) to take her from school to home later than usual on certain days to enable her to attend after-school clubs.’
Education Law Blog, 9th April 2015
Source: www.education11kbw.com
Judiciary launches its own initiative to improve diversity of High Court judges – Litigation Futures
‘The Judicial Office has launched a pilot programme to improve the diversity of the High Court bench and encourage more applications from senior lawyers and legal academics.’
Litigation Futures, 9th April 2015
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
Regina (Coll) v Secretary of State for Justice – WLR Daily
Regina (Coll) v Secretary of State for Justice [2015] EWCA Civ 328; [2015] WLR (D) 157
‘In providing approved premises for women released from prison on licence, the Secretary of State for Justice had not discriminated directly under section 13 of the Equality Act 2010 or indirectly under section 19.’
WLR Daily, 31st March 2015
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
High Court finds council policy on disability living allowance and DHPs “unlawful” – Local Government Lawyer
‘ local authority’s policy of taking into account the care component of disability living allowance when assessing the amount of a discretionary house payment (DHPs) was unlawful, a High Court judge has ruled.’
Local Government Lawyer, 31st March 2015
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Disability discrimination goes to full trial – Nearly Legal
‘When the Court of Appeal held that a disability discrimination defence to possession under Equality Act 2010 had to face the same ‘seriously arguable’ summary test as an Article 8 defence, we were surprised, and very unimpressed. It seems the Supreme Court felt similarly (and unanimously), although sadly it did not help the tenant in this case.’
Nearly Legal, 29th March 2015
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
Convicted murderers become first gay couple to marry in prison – The Guardian
‘Two convicted murderers detained in one of Britain’s toughest prisons have become the first gay couple to marry behind bars.’
The Guardian, 28th March 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Aster Communities Ltd (formerly Flourish Homes Ltd) v Akerman-Livingstone (Equality and Human Rights Commission intervening) – WLR Daily
‘The approach to be taken to a defence to a claim for possession of residential premises which alleged unlawful discrimination against a disabled person, contrary to the Equality Act 2010, was different from that which applied to a defence which alleged a breach of an individual’s rights under article 8 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. In particular, summary judgment would not normally be an appropriate procedure for dealing with a possession claim where a disability discrimination defence was raised.’
WLR Daily, 11th March 2015
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
UK rights watchdog attacks Tory policy to quit European human rights court – The Guardian
‘The government’s human rights watchdog has attacked Conservative party proposals to repeal the Human Rights Act and withdraw from the European court of human rights in Strasbourg.’
The Guardian, 20th March 2015
Soure: www.guardian.co.uk
Managing Cuts: Lawful decision-making, PSED and consultation – Thirty Nine Essex Street
‘In recent years there have been an increased number of challenges to local authority decisions made under the pressure of increasingly tight and potentially unmanageable
financial constraints. Many of these legal challenges have centred on alleged failures to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) together with alleged deficiencies in the consultation process. As financial pressures continue, and further cuts are required, this paper discusses the lessons to be learned from the cases so far, and offers practical tips for lawful decision-making in these difficult times.’
Full story (PDF)
Thirty Nine Essex Street, February 2015
Source: www.39essex.com
