Extension of Time – Local Government Law

‘Whether Kerr J was wrong when he exercised his discretion to extend time for a challenge to be brought by a claim for judicial review against a planning permission granted more than five and a half years before the claim was issued was the question at the heart of the appeal in R (Thornton Hall Hotel Ltd) v Wirral MBC (2019) EWCA Civ 737. The appeal raised two main issues: first, in view of the delay of more than five and a half years, whether the Judge erred in extending time for the claim to be brought, under CPR r.3.1(2)(a); and second, having regard to the substance of the claim, whether he was wrong not to exercise his discretion to refuse relief under Section 31(6) of the Senior Courts Act 1981. The appeal was dismissed on both issues.’

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Local Government Law, 2nd May

Source: local-government-law.11kbw.com

This week’s round up – Williamson fired over Huawei and the courts return after Easter – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Despite the return of the courts on Monday, it was another relatively light week in terms of decisions in the fields of public law and human rights. However, the High Court decided a number of interesting clinical negligence cases, whilst the Court of Appeal gave judgement in the case of TM (Kenya), R (On the Application Of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2019] EWCA Civ 784.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 7th May 2019

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Exclusive: Pressured young solicitors “need courage to walk away” – Legal Futures

‘Young solicitors who find themselves in toxic work environments cannot “leave their professional ethical compass at home” and ultimately have to walk away, the president of the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) has said.’

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Legal Futures, 7th May 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court throws out convicted client’s negligence claim against solicitors – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A convicted client has failed in a bid to make his former solicitors stump up the bill for his £450,000 fine imposed in the Crown court. In Day v Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP Her Honour Judge Deborah Taylor, sitting in the High Court, struck out the negligence claim by landowner Philip Day.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 7th May 2019

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales ‘too low’ says watchdog – The Independent

‘The low age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is putting children at risk during crucial years of their development, the human rights watchdog has warned. In an unprecedented move, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has called on lawmakers to raise the age at which a child can be deemed responsible for committing a crime – currently at 10.’

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The Independent, 6th May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Mediator brought in to resolve Birmingham LGBT teaching dispute – The Guardian

‘A former leading prosecutor has been drafted in to mediate in a controversial dispute over the teaching of LGBT education in Birmingham schools. Nazir Afzal, the Crown Prosecution Service’s former lead on child sexual abuse, confirmed he had been asked by parents and Birmingham city council to help reach a resolution in the longstanding dispute.’

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The Guardian, 6th May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Police ‘overwhelmed’ by child sex abuse image cases call for new approach as thousands of paedophiles seek help – The Independent

‘Police leaders have called for a new approach to the rising number of people who view child sex abuse images online, as thousands of paedophiles seek help to stop their behaviour.’

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The Independent, 6th May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Fraudsters ‘stole £7m’ from holidaymakers in 2018 – BBC News

Posted May 7th, 2019 in airlines, fraud, holidays, news by sally

‘More than 5,000 people were the victims of holiday booking fraud last year, with their total losses amounting to £7m, research suggests.’

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BBC News. 7th May 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Grenfell Tower inquiry ‘failing to deliver’ as survivors and bereaved families ‘lose faith’, lawyers warn – The Independent

‘The Grenfell Tower inquiry is “failing to deliver” on promises it made to traumatised survivors and the families of victims, who have “lost faith” in the process, lawyers have warned.’

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The Independent, 6th May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Facial recognition wrongly identifies public as potential criminals 96% of time, figures reveal – The Independent

‘Facial recognition technology has misidentified members of the public as potential criminals in 96 per cent of scans so far in London, new figures reveal.’

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The Independent, 7th May 2019

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Police driver who knocked suspect off moped may face misconduct case – The Guardian

‘A police driver who deliberately knocked a fleeing teenage suspect off a stolen moped may face a misconduct hearing, the Guardian has learned.’

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The Guardian, 7th May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Hither Green stabbed burglar Henry Vincent lawfully killed – BBC News

Posted May 3rd, 2019 in burglary, inquests, news, self-defence, unlawful killing by sally

‘A 79-year-old man who killed an armed burglar with a kitchen knife acted lawfully, an inquest has decided.’

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BBC News, 2nd May 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Coventry fake doctor jailed for duping elderly people – BBC News

Posted May 3rd, 2019 in doctors, elderly, fraud, medicines, news, sentencing by sally

‘A “fantasist” who posed as a doctor to dupe elderly people out of money and prescribed them potentially dangerous medicine, has been jailed.’

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BBC News, 2nd May 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Law firms “willing to draw up NDAs” that breach SRA guidance – Legal Futures

‘Law firms are willing to draw up non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that clearly breach Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) guidance, according to the woman whose own NDA threw the spotlight on the issue.’

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Legla Futures, 2nd May 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Grayling probation changes ‘took unacceptable risks’ with public money – The Guardian

‘Chris Grayling’s widely derided changes to the supervision of a quarter of a million offenders in the community were rushed through at breakneck speed, taking “unacceptable risks” with taxpayers’ money, a spending watchdog has said.’

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The Guardian, 3rd May 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judge stops transgender Twitter row – BBC News

Posted May 3rd, 2019 in gender, injunctions, internet, judges, news, transgender persons by sally

‘A judge has told a transgender lawyer and a Catholic journalist involved in an “out of control” Twitter row not to mention each other online.’

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BBC News, 2nd May 2019

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Re-baselining construction projects: drawing a line in the sand – Practical Law: Construction Blog

Posted May 2nd, 2019 in construction industry, contracts, damages, delay, drafting, fees, news by sally

‘As construction disputes lawyers, we see our fair share of settlement agreements. And not just the traditional full and final settlements, but also one page final account settlements, and “line in the sand” agreements in which the parties seek to renegotiate elements of the contract while it is in progress. These “line in the sand” agreements seem to feature disproportionately in court judgments, and in this blog I will look at the reasons why this might be the case.’

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Practical Law: Construction Blog, 1st May 2019

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Councils fail in legal challenge over Heathrow Airport expansion – Local Government Lawyer

‘A Divisional Court has dismissed a legal challenge brought by five councils, the Mayor of London and a number of other claimants over the Secretary of State for Transport’s decision to designate the Airports National Policy Statement (“ANPS”), which sets out that the Government’s preferred location for additional airport capacity in the South East of England is a new runway at Heathrow.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 1st May 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Appellant ordered to pay £5k costs after acting unreasonably in SEN appeal – Local Government Lawyer

‘A mother has been ordered to pay Hertfordshire County Council costs of £5,245 after being held to have acted unreasonably over an appeal on her daughter’s schooling, a judgment published this week on Bailii has revealed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 1st May 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

CMC censured over ‘all birth injuries caused by negligence’ claim – Litigation Futures

‘The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against a claims management company whose advertising implied that birth injuries were only caused by medical negligence.’

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Litigation Futures, 1st May 2019

Source: www.litigationfutures.com