Refusing irrationally – NearlyLegal

“When can a Local Authority refuse to accept an application as homeless? This was a judicial review of Birmingham City Council’s refusal to accept a homeless application by the Claimant, Ms May, ostensibly on the basis that there was no change in facts from her previous application(s).”

Full story

NearlyLegal, 7th July 2012

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Local Government Law Update – 11 KBW

Posted June 26th, 2012 in homelessness, local government, news by sally

Local Government Law Update (PDF)

11 KBW, 20th June 2012

Source: www.11kbw.com

El Goure v Kensington and Chelsea Royal London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted May 22nd, 2012 in appeals, homelessness, housing, law reports, local government by sally

El Goure v Kensington and Chelsea Royal London Borough Council [2012] EWCA Civ 670; [2012] WLR (D) 155

“Although the legislation did not lay down the criteria of special circumstances in relation to priority need for housing homeless persons, a separated parent’s reasonable expectation that his children, who were living with their other parent, would move to live with him did not impose an obligation on the local housing authority to consider the parent’s case as special circumstances case for priority needs. Where an applicant for housing was represented by solicitors the failure of the authority expressly to notify the solicitor so that they could make representations in connection with the review did not invalidate the decision of the review officer to uphold the authority’s decision rejecting an application for priority need housing.”

WLR Daily, 18th May 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Maswaku v Westminster City Council – WLR Daily

Posted May 22nd, 2012 in appeals, homelessness, housing, law reports, local government by sally

Maswaku v Westminster City Council [2012] EWCA Civ 669; [2012] WLR (D) 153

“Section 193(5) of the Housing Act 1996 did not impose any statutory obligation on the local housing authority to spell out each and every possible consequence if an eligible homeless applicant refused temporary alternative accommodation offered which the authority considered to be suitable for him.”

WLR Daily, 18th May 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Bubb v Wandsworth London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted November 11th, 2011 in appeals, homelessness, housing, judicial review, law reports, local government by tracey

Bubb v Wandsworth London Borough Council: [2011] EWCA Civ 1285;  [2011] WLR (D)  323

“A county court judge hearing an appeal on a point of law under section 204 of the Housing Act 1996, against a review of whether a local housing authority owed a duty to a homeless person under the 1996 Act, had no jurisdiction to find the relevant primary facts for himself. The judge’s function was to consider whether the reviewing officer’s decision should be quashed on judicial review grounds.”

WLR Daily, 9th November 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Mitu v Camden London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted November 3rd, 2011 in appeals, homelessness, housing, law reports, local government by sally

Mitu v Camden London Borough Council [2011] EWCA Civ 1249; [2011] WLR (D) 310

“Where a local authority, having decided that an applicant was intentionally homeless and not in priority need, decided on review of the application that the applicant’s homelessness was not intentional, it had a duty by section 192(2) of the Housing Act 1996 to provide or arrange for the provision of advice and assistance, and a discretion by section 192(3) of the 1996 Act to provide accommodation. Failure to consider the exercise of that discretionary power, if it affected the fairness of the decision, was a procedural deficiency requiring the local authority to give the applicant notice of its intended decision and allow him to make further representations either orally or in writing.”

WLR Daily, 1st November 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Guardian Focus podcast: squatters’ rights – The Guardian

Posted October 6th, 2011 in homelessness, podcasts, squatting by sally

“Hugh Muir examines whether home owners need more protection from squatters – and what effect criminalisation will have on the homeless.”

Podcast

The Guardian, 6th October 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Plea to ministers on squatting law – The Independent

Posted October 5th, 2011 in homelessness, news, squatting by sally

“The Government has been urged not to criminalise squatting after a report found it would lead to an increase in some of the most vulnerable homeless people sleeping rough.”

Full story

The Independent, 4th October 2011

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Ken Clarke: Prisoners must work in jail – The Independent

Posted October 5th, 2011 in drug abuse, homelessness, news, prisons, recidivists, rehabilitation, squatting by sally

“Prisoners should carry out work while in jail as part of the process of tackling the growing ‘feral underclass’, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke said today.”

Full story

The Independent, 4th October 2011

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Families made homeless by riots will be compensated – The Guardian

Posted August 12th, 2011 in arson, compensation, homelessness, news, violent disorder by sally

“At least 100 families are thought to have been made homeless by arson and looting since Saturday with the government pledging sufficient funds to give financial assistance to others whose homes have been damaged.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th August 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Options for dealing with squatters – Ministry of Justice

Posted July 14th, 2011 in consultations, homelessness, housing, news, squatting by tracey

“Options for dealing with squatters – impact assessment.”

Full text

Ministry of Justice, 13th July 2011

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Criminalising squatters could make more people homeless, says report – The Guardian

Posted July 14th, 2011 in homelessness, housing, illegality, news, squatting by tracey

“The government’s own impact assessment of plans to criminalise squatting has acknowledged that it could boost homelessness and rough sleeping, and target those who are already suffering from mental health and addiction problems.”

Full story

The Guardian, 13th July 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Oxford City Council v Bull – WLR Daily

Posted May 24th, 2011 in appeals, homelessness, law reports, local government by sally

Oxford City Council v Bull [2011] EWCA Civ 609; [2011] WLR (D) 169

“Where the father of children who resided with their mother, from whom he was separated, allowed them to share his one-room accommodation, he became homeless intentionally, within the meaning of section 191(1) of the Housing Act 1996, on being evicted from that accommodation.”

WLR Daily, 18th May 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

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

Sharif v Camden London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted May 6th, 2011 in families, homelessness, housing, law reports, local government by sally

Sharif v Camden London Borough Council [2011] EWCA Civ 463; [2011] WLR (D) 148

“A local housing authority’s duty under section 193(2) of the Housing Act 1996 to secure that accommodation was available for occupation by a homeless applicant was not discharged by providing two self-contained flats with no shared communal living areas, one for occupation by the applicant and her sister and the other for occupation by her father, because such accommodation was not available for occupation by the applicant together with any other persons who normally resided with her as members of her family within the meaning of section 176 of the 1996 Act.”

WLR Daily, 20th April 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

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

Makisi v Birmingham City Council; Yosief v Same; Nagi v Same – WLR Daily

Makisi v Birmingham City Council; Yosief v Same; Nagi v Same [2011] EWCA Civ 355; [2011] WLR (D) 124

“An applicant for housing under the homelessness provisions who, on an review of a decision to refuse accommodation, had a right to make oral representations where there had been a deficiency or irregularity in the original decision, could insist on a face-to-face hearing with the reviewer at which he or his representative could make representations.”

WLR Daily, 31st March 2011

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

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

Young offenders leaving custody for life of homelessness and reoffending – The Guardian

Posted February 28th, 2011 in charities, homelessness, housing, news, recidivists, reports, young offenders by sally

“Children as young as 13 are being released from custody without a safe place to live, forcing them into a cycle of homelessness and reoffending, research has shown.”

Full story

The Guardian, 28th February 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Yemshaw v Hounslow London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted January 28th, 2011 in domestic violence, homelessness, law reports, matrimonial home by sally

Yemshaw v Hounslow London Borough Council [2011] UKSC 3; [2011] WLR (D) 18

 ” ‘Domestic violence’ in section 177(1) of the Housing Act 1996 included physical violence, threatening or intimidating behaviour and any other form of abuse which, directly or indirectly, might give rise to the risk of harm.”

WLR Daily, 26th January 2011

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.

Pieretti v Enfield London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Pieretti v Enfield London Borough Council [2010] EWCA Civ 1104; [2010] WLR (D) 248

“S 49A(1)(d) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 required a local authority, in carrying out its functions under Pt VII of the Housing Act 1996, to take due steps to take account of a disabled persons’ disabilities.”

WLR Daily, 13th 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.

Lekpo-Bozua v Hackney London Borough Council (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government intervening) – WLR Daily

Lekpo-Bozua v Hackney London Borough Council (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government intervening) [2010] EWCA Civ 909; [2010] WLR (D) 208

“An applicant for accommodation could establish a priority need under the Housing Act 1996 because a dependent child was residing with her, where the dependent child was an European Economic Area national from abroad, even though the child did not have a permanent right to reside but was subject to immigration control, but the housing authority’s duty was then the restricted duty provided for under s 193(7AA) of the 1996 Act as amended. Under either the amended or unamended provisions the duty would have been the full duty had the dependent child had a right of permanent residence in the United Kingdom. Moreover, a failure by the host member state to enforce the removal of the dependent child after three months did not graduate by waiver to her acquiring a permanent right to residence.”

WLR Daily, 28th July 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

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

Ali and another v Birmingham City Council (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government intervening) – WLR Daily

Posted March 24th, 2010 in homelessness, housing, law reports, local government, Supreme Court by sally

Ali and another v Birmingham City Council (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government intervening) [2010] UKSC 8; [2010] WLR (D) 86

“A local housing authority’s duty, under section 193 of the Housing Act 1996, to secure that accommodation be made available for an unintentionally homeless person who had a priority need did not give the homeless person a ‘civil right’ within the meaning of art 6(1) of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms because the provision of appropriate accommodation was dependent upon the exercise of evaluative judgments by the local authority as to whether the statutory criteria had been satisfied and how the homeless person’s need ought to be met.”

WLR Daily, 23rd March 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

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