Criminal justice system ‘broken’, says thinktank – The Guardian

Posted July 20th, 2009 in criminal justice, inquiries, local government, news by sally

“The criminal justice system is ‘broken’ and ‘failing’ because decision-making is excessively centralised, according to a thinktank report published today.”

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The Guardian, 20th July 2009

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Brent London Borough Council v Risk Management Partners Ltd – WLR daily

Posted June 12th, 2009 in company law, law reports, local government by sally

Brent London Borough Council v Risk Management Partners Ltd [2009] EWCA Civ 490; [2009] WLR (D) 179

“A local authority had no power, by virtue of s 2 of the Local Government Act 2000 or s 111 of the Local Government Act 1972, to enter into an arrangement with a company to carry on a mutual insurance business.”

WLR Daily, 11th June 2009

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.

Court of Appeal clarifies procurement rules and ends local authorities’ insurance venture – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 10th, 2009 in company law, local government, news by sally

“Local authorities have been barred from joining together to form an insurance company. The Court of Appeal has blocked London authorities from forming the mutual firm, ruling that councils acted beyond their powers and broke procurement rules.”

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OUT-LAW.com, 10th June 2009

Source: www.out-law.com

Council uses terror law to spy on shirker in shower – The Times

Posted May 26th, 2009 in investigatory powers, local government, news by sally

“A local council has used surveillance powers designed to catch terrorists and prevent serious crime to check how long a member of staff spent in the shower.”

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The Times, 24th May 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Ministers to review councils’ use of anti-terrorism surveillance powers – The Guardian

Posted April 17th, 2009 in investigatory powers, local government, news by sally

“The government tried yesterday to quell rising concern over the abuse of powers designed to fight terrorism and serious crime, which some councils were using to target people who put their bins out on the wrong day.”

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The Guardian, 17th April 2009

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Extent of council spying revealed – BBC News

Posted March 26th, 2009 in investigatory powers, local government, news by sally

“Councils in England and Wales have used controversial spying laws 10,000 times in the past five years, figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats show.”

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BBC News, 26th March 2009

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Islamophobe’ head Erica Connor wins Surrey County Council payout – The Times

Posted March 20th, 2009 in education, local government, negligence, news, psychiatric damage by sally

“A campaign by two Muslim governors to give Islam a greater presence in a state school played a key part in forcing a successful head from her job, the High Court found yesterday.”

Full story 

The Times, 20th March 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk Continue reading…

Liverpool City Council v Doran (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government intervening) – WLR Daily

Posted March 9th, 2009 in human rights, law reports, local government, travellers by sally

Liverpool City Council v Doran (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government intervening) [2009] EWCA Civ 146; [2009] WLR (D) 83

“There was no conflict between the propositions (1) that there was no formula setting out the factors which could be relied upon by a licensee in support of an argument that the decision of a local authority, operating a site under the provision of the Caravan Sites Act 1968, to serve a notice to quit was one which no reasonable council would have taken, and (2) that the question whether the council’s decision was one which no reasonable person would have made was to be decided by applying public law principles as they would have been developed at common law, and not through the lens of the European Convention on Human Rights.”

WLR Daily, 6th March 2009

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.

Mitchell and Another v Glasgow City Council – Times Law Reports

Posted February 26th, 2009 in assault, duty of care, law reports, local government, negligence by sally

Mitchell and Another v Glasgow City Council

House of Lords

“Local housing authority landlords were under no duty to warn a neighbour who had received death threats from an abusive tenant that a meeting had been arranged at which he was warned that he would be evicted unless his behaviour improved, after which the abusive tenant inflicted fatal injuries on his neighbour.”

The Times, 26th February 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 from the date of publication.

Mitchell v Glasgow City Council – WLR Daily

Posted February 23rd, 2009 in assault, duty of care, law reports, local government, negligence by sally

Mitchell v Glasgow City Council [2009] UKHL 11; [2009] WLR (D) 65

Where a local housing authority summoned one of its tenants, who had been abusing and threatening one of his neighbours, to a meeting at which he was told that he could face eviction if his behaviour did not improve and the tenant left the meeting and within an hour had inflicted fatal injuries on the neighbour, it was not fair, just or reasonable that the local housing authority should be held to have been under a common law duty to warn the neighbour that the meeting had been arranged.”

WLR Daily, 20th February 2009

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.

Ugiagbe v Southwark London Borough Council – Times Law Reports

Posted February 18th, 2009 in homelessness, housing, law reports, local government by sally

Ugiagbe v Southwark London Borough Council

Court of Appeal

“Failure to follow informal advice to go to a local housing authority’s homeless persons unit when threatened with eviction, did not make an applicant intentionally homeless.”

The Times, 18th February 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

Regina (Liverpool City Council) v Hillingdon London Borough Council and Another – Times Law Reports

Posted February 13th, 2009 in asylum, children, law reports, local government, social services by sally

Regina (Liverpool City Council) v Hillingdon London Borough Council and Another

Court of Appeal

“A local authority had failed to carry out its duty under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 when dealing with an asylum-seeker who claimed to be a child because it did not carry out an assessment of his welfare needs, or of the kind of accommodation that would be required to meet them.”

The Times, 13th February 2009

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.

Ugiagbe v Southwark London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted February 12th, 2009 in homelessness, housing, law reports, local government by sally

Ugiagbe v Southwark London Borough Council [2009] EWCA Civ 31; [2009] WLR (D) 47

“A person’s failure to go to the Homeless Persons Unit for advice before leaving accommodation which she occupied did not amount to a lack of ‘good faith’ for the purposes of s 191(2) of the Housing Act 1996 rendering her intentionally homeless.”

WLR Daily, 11th February 2009

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.

R (Liverpool City Council) v Hillingdon London Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted February 12th, 2009 in asylum, children, law reports, local government, social services by sally

R (Liverpool City Council) v Hillingdon London Borough Council [2009] EWCA Civ 43; [2009] WLR (D) 45

“The responsibility for looking after a child in need fell on the local authority where the child was living and could not be fulfilled merely by sending the child on to another local authority, even if the child himself wanted to live in the area of that other authority. S 20 of the Children Act 1989 imposed a duty on the local authority to carry out a proper assessment of the child’s welfare needs and the type and location of accommodation that would meet those needs.”

WLR Daily, 11th February 2009

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.

Legal threat to councils over rape victims – The Guardian

Posted January 30th, 2009 in local government, news, rape, victims by sally

“More than 100 councils will today be threatened with legal action over their failure to provide rape crisis centres and domestic violence support services, with a strongly worded warning issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.”

Full story

The Guardian, 30th January 2009

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Harassed family gets £10k payout – BBC News

Posted January 26th, 2009 in compensation, harassment, local government, maladministration, news by sally

“A council has been ordered to pay £10,000 to a family after it failed in its handling of their complaints against neighbours who harassed them.”

Full story

BBC News, 26th January 2009

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

East Devon District Council v Boundary Committee of the Electoral Commission – WLR Daily

Posted January 12th, 2009 in boundaries, judicial review, law reports, local government by sally

East Devon District Council v Boundary Committee of the Electoral Commission [2009] EWHC 4 (Admin); WLR(D) 5

“The power under s 5(3)(c) of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 for the Boundary Committee of the Electoral Commission to make ‘an alternative proposal’ enabled the Committee to make two or more proposals.”

WLR Daily, 9th January 2009

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.

Finch and another v Richardson – WLR Daily

Posted December 17th, 2008 in elections, expenses, law reports, local government by sally

Finch and another v Richardson [2008] EWHC 3067 (QB); [2008] WLR (D) 389

For the purposes of provisions in the Representation of the People Act 1983 in relation to illegal practices and to errors or false statements in declarations, ignorance of the law could constitute ‘inadvertence’ so as to provide an excuse for such errors and statements.”

WLR Daily, 16th December 2008

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.



Town halls banned from using spy laws for petty offences – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 16th, 2008 in investigatory powers, local government, news by sally

“Town halls are to be banned from using anti-terror laws to spy on the public for petty offences, the Home Secretary is due to announce.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 16th December 2008

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Pensioner to sue after walking frame snaps – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 2nd, 2008 in elderly, local government, negligence, news, personal injuries by sally

“A pensioner is suing his local council for up to £50,000 after he was injured when an allegedly ‘inadequate’ walking frame it gave him snapped and cause him to fall and injure himself.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 2nd December 2008

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk