No preference is a reasonable preference – R (Mallon Montero) v London Borough of Lewisham – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 18th, 2021 in housing, local government, news, statutory duty by sally

‘A High Court judge has upheld the disqualification of housing applicants owed the reasonable preference duty on the basis of lack of local residence. Matt Hutchings QC analyses the ruling.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th June 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Investigation of organisations using live facial recognition technology in public spaces found none compliant with data protection law: ICO – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 18th, 2021 in data protection, facial mapping, local government, news, ombudsmen, privacy by sally

‘An investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published today (17 June) found that out of a group of organisations using live facial recognition (LFR) technology in public spaces, none were fully compliant with data protection law requirements.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th June 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Drill music as bad character evidence – 6KBW College Hill

‘The past decade has seen the emergence of ‘drill music’ content increasingly used by the prosecution in criminal trials involving young, black, male defendants accused of gang-related offences.’

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6KBW College Hill, 13th June 2021

Source: blog.6kbw.com

Medical agency admin fee “not recoverable” as part of fixed costs – Litigation Futures

‘Defendant solicitors have welcomed a ruling that medical agency costs are irrecoverable under the fixed-costs regime.’

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Litigation Futures, 17th June 2021

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Gambling Operating Licences – 11KBW

Posted June 18th, 2021 in appeals, chambers articles, gambling, licensing, news, tribunals by sally

‘In a wide-ranging decision, the First Tier Tribunal has brought clarity to several aspects of regulatory practice associated with gambling operating licences.’

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11KBW, 8th June 2021

Source: www.11kbw.com

Binding arbitration to settle Covid commercial rent disputes – Litigation Futures

‘The government is to introduce mandatory, binding arbitration to settle disputes between landlords and businesses struggling to pay their rent because of the pandemic.’

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Litigation Futures, 17th June 2021

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

New Assault on Emergency Workers Guidelines – Broadway House Chambers

Posted June 18th, 2021 in assault, chambers articles, emergency services, news, sentencing by sally

‘Last week, the Sentencing Council published revised sentencing guidelines for assault offences and new guidance for assaults on Emergency Workers. The updated guidelines come into effect from 1st July 2021 and apply to all adult offenders.’

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Broadway House Chambers, 2nd June 2021

Source: broadwayhouse.co.uk

Family Arbitration: the outlook after Haley – Family Law

‘The recent decision of the Court of Appeal in Haley v Haley [2020] EWCA Civ 1369 (case report at [2021] Fam Law 37) settled an important issue for family arbitration. It established that contested awards in the area of financial remedy could be reviewed by the Family Court by a process akin to an appeal against decisions made in court proceedings, and on the same basis as such an appeal: that the decision is “wrong”. This article assesses the significance of the decision by looking at its background and context. It sets out our understanding of the procedural implications. Finally, it identifies remaining areas of uncertainty and offers some views as to how they might be resolved.’

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Family Law, 17th June 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

Pension sharing orders: Finch v Baker – Family Law

Posted June 18th, 2021 in appeals, divorce, families, financial dispute resolution, news, pensions by sally

‘The Court of Appeal judgment in Finch v Baker [2021] EWCA Civ 72 was released on 28 January 2021. The judgment provides some useful guidance on not being able to get what are essentially conduct arguments contrary to s25(g) through the back door by making “negative contribution” arguments, and it also highlights the importance of ensuring that you adduce and apply for the most appropriate and necessary evidence in advance of a hearing. Simply arguing that an updated pension report is needed, following an appeal hearing, on the basis that the pension sharing order made would not reflect the judge’s intentions as the CE figures would be significantly out of date, is insufficient and misconceived.’

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Family Law, 17th June 2021

Source: www.familylaw.co.uk

New minimum standards for rape and sexual assault victim support – Crown Prosecution Service

‘We know that when victims have good emotional and practical support from our excellent ISVA partners, and close liaison with police and prosecutors, the criminal justice process becomes more manageable for them and justice outcomes improve. Currently there is a gap on setting out what best practice looks like – this framework aims to close that gap. New minimum standards for the support of rape and sexual violence victims have today (Friday 18 June) been published by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 17th June 2021

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Parental Alienation: Where Are We All Going Wrong? – Family Law Week

Posted June 18th, 2021 in appeals, children, families, mental health, news by sally

‘Ian McArdle, barrister of Atlantic Chambers, Liverpool, calls for a fact-finding approach to cases involving alleged parental alienation.’

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Family Law Week, 14th June 2021

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

Ministers remove children from private youth jail after American contractor fails to fix ‘serious’ flaws – The Independent

Posted June 18th, 2021 in children, detention, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, young offenders by sally

‘The UK government is removing all children from a troubled jail for youths run by an American company after some were locked in their rooms for more than 23 hours a day.’

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The Independent, 17th June 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Giving staff legal right to work from home will ‘cause corporate chaos’, businesses warn – The Independent

‘Businesses have warned Boris Johnson’s government that any attempt to give employees the legal right to work from home would cause “chaos” in offices across the country.’

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The Independent, 17th June 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Manchester Arena bomber should have been identified as threat, inquiry finds – The Guardian

Posted June 18th, 2021 in inquiries, murder, news, security companies, terrorism by sally

‘The Manchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi should have been identified as a security threat on the night of the attack, a public inquiry has found.’

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The Guardian, 17th June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Man convicted of murders of two women in Yorkshire, 21 years apart – The Guardian

Posted June 18th, 2021 in bereavement, families, murder, news, victims, women by sally

‘Relatives have paid tribute to two women killed by the same man, after he was convicted of the two murders more than 20 years apart. Gary Allen murdered both Samantha Class and Alena Grlakova, a jury decided. Class was killed in Hull in 1997, and Grlakova in Rotherham in 2018.’

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The Guardian, 18th June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland ‘sorry’ for failing rape victims – BBC News

‘Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has apologised to rape victims for low conviction rates in England and Wales and promised to “do a lot better”.’

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BBC News 18th June 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Replace GDPR, says prime minister’s regulatory hit-squad – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted June 17th, 2021 in brexit, data protection, EC law, news, reports by sally

‘EU-era data protection laws would be replaced by common-law based UK legislation under a list of proposals for a “bold new” post-Brexit framework proposed by a working party set up by the prime minister today.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 16th June 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

High Court rejects ‘failure to remove’ abuse claim – UK Human Rights Blog

‘In a significant adverse judgment for child abuse claimants, DFX v Coventry City Council [2021] EWHC 1382 (QB), Mrs Justice Lambert rejected a claim brought by a number of claimants who alleged that the defendant council’s social services negligently delayed in instigating care proceedings and that had they been removed from the family home earlier they would have avoided serial abuse at the hands of their parents.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 14th June 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Research Briefing: General debate: Misuse of Drugs Act – House of Commons Library

Posted June 17th, 2021 in drug abuse, drug offences, medicines, news, parliament, statistics by sally

‘This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the main piece of legislation through which illicit drugs are controlled across the UK.’

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House of Commons Library, 16th June 2021

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Employment Tribunals: Interim Relief and the Equality Act 2010: Court of Appeal Declines to Extend the Relief – Littleton Chambers

‘For a few months, a radical change to employment law practice appeared to be in prospect.’

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Littleton Chambers, 16th June 2021

Source: littletonchambers.com