CQC report: Care of people with learning disabilities ‘inhumane’ – BBC News

‘Too many hospitals for people with learning disabilities or autism are providing poor care which is, at times, undignified and inhumane, the care regulator for England has said.’

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BBC News, 23rd October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tory MP told to apologise after being found guilty of breaching lobbying rules – The Independent

Posted September 17th, 2020 in lobbying, news, parliament, standards by michael

‘A Conservative MP has been told to make an apology in the House of Commons after being found guilty of breaching lobbying rules in relation to a company which gave him £10,000.’

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The Independent, 17th September 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Scale of failure in prison system staggering, say MPs – The Guardian

Posted September 11th, 2020 in budgets, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, standards, statistics by tracey

‘The scale of failure in the prison system in England and Wales is “staggering”, with only 206 out of 10,000 promised new prison spaces delivered by the government, parliament’s spending watchdog has said.’

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The Guardian, 11th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Children ‘should be banned from unregulated care homes’ – BBC News

Posted September 10th, 2020 in care homes, care orders, children, news, standards by sally

‘The government should ban placing under-18s in care in unregulated homes amid concerns over sexual and criminal exploitation, the children’s commissioner for England has said.’

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BBC News, 9th September 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Council loses appeal over £200 confiscation order in housing case when benefit said to be several hundreds of thousands of pounds – Local Government Lawyer

‘The London Borough of Islington has lost “a most unusual” Court of Appeal action in which it argued that a confiscation order in a housing overcrowding case was too lenient.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 27th August 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Watchdog exposes ‘unacceptable’ treatment of children in English court cells – The Guardian

‘Children with Down’s syndrome and autism were among those left for hours in court cells while they waited for legal representation or transport, a custody watchdog has revealed in a damning report.’

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The Guardian, 7th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Model Code of Conduct consultation – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Most councillors work with tireless dedication to provide, promote and lead best-quality and responsive local services in their areas. But for their pains they can often be subject to rude abuse. Even Samuel Pepys, writing on 17 March 1662, recorded his Lord Mayor as “a talking, bragging Bufflehead” (blockhead) and was “confident there is no man almost in the City cares a turd for him”. On the other hand, the dark ghost of “Donnygate” haunts public perceptions of council members’ conduct. On 13 March 2002, the Guardian reported that: “The worst local government corruption case since the Poulson scandal of the 1970s ended yesterday” when former Doncaster planning chairman, Peter Birks, was imprisoned for four years and two former council leaders and two former mayors were among 21 councillors convicted of fraud.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 3rd August 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

“Our goodwill has run dry” – hundreds to refuse out-of-hours hearings – Legal Futures

‘Hundreds of crime lawyers have issued public refusals to attend hearings in evenings or at weekends as new figures show that backlogs in courts and tribunals were growing even before the coronavirus.’

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Legal Futures, 24th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Call for impartial websites on quality of lawyers’ services – Legal Futures

Posted July 20th, 2020 in internet, legal profession, legal services, news, standards by sally

‘Independent websites providing impartial information on the quality of legal services providers are needed to guide people looking for a lawyer, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has argued.’

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Legal Futures, 20th July 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Lack of transparency undermining Westminster standards system, parliament’s sleaze watchdog warns – The Independent

Posted July 16th, 2020 in complaints, inquiries, news, parliament, standards by tracey

‘Parliament’s sleaze watchdog has warned that a lack of openness is undermining the Westminster standards system, as she appealed for a new right to name MPs who are under investigation.’

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The Independent, 15th July 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK accounting firms criticised by watchdog for ‘unacceptable’ work – The Guardian

Posted July 15th, 2020 in accountants, auditors, news, ombudsmen, standards by tracey

‘The accounting watchdog has hit out at the UK’s largest auditors, after its annual inspection uncovered an “unacceptable” number of poorly executed company audits.’

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The Guardian, 14th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Shropshire maternity scandal: Hundreds more cases under review – BBC News

Posted July 13th, 2020 in birth, hospitals, inquiries, news, pregnancy, quality assurance, standards by sally

‘Hundreds more cases are to be reviewed by an independent inquiry into maternity care at an NHS trust, BBC News has learned.’

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BBC News, 10th July 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Hastings Borough Council v Turner [2020] UKUT 184 (LC) – Tanfield Chambers

‘A property which was converted into flats before the Building Regulations 1991 came into force, which otherwise falls within the meaning of an HMO set out in Section 254(1)(e) of the Housing Act 2004, will be an HMO unless those regulations are now complied with. When appealing the issue of an HMO license in the FTT, the burden of proof is on the applicant to establish that the property is now compliant with the Buildings Regulations 1991.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 30th June 2020

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Grenfell Tower inquiry: Fire ‘inextricably linked with race’ – BBC News

‘The Grenfell Tower fire inquiry “must not ignore” the impact of race and poverty on the disaster, a lawyer representing survivors has said.’

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BBC News, 7th July 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Grenfell Tower inquiry resumes but distancing rules anger families – The Guardian

‘Builders behind the disastrous Grenfell Tower refurbishment are finally set to face public questioning over the June 2017 fire that killed 72 people, as the delayed public inquiry resumes on Monday with strict social distancing rules that have angered the bereaved.’

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The Guardian, 6th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Prisons watchdog finds children ‘routinely handcuffed’ – BBC News

‘Detainees, including children, are still being routinely handcuffed in custody in a practice described as “inappropriate and very concerning”.’

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BBC News, 1st July 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Major failures led to accidental release of serial rapist, report finds – The Guardian

‘Significant failings by prison and probation staff, and a policy of not recalling high risk prisoners to alleviate pressure on a growing prison population, saw serial rapist Joseph McCann mistakenly freed from jail to attack 11 women and children, a review has found.’

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The Guardian, 30th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Unfurnished temporary accommodation – is it suitable? – Nearly Legal

Posted June 29th, 2020 in homelessness, housing, judicial review, local government, news, standards by sally

‘A judicial review where the relevant parts played out in the early stages of the pandemic lockdown, and where the central question was whether self contained accommodation provided without a fridge, cooker and bed, was suitable within the meaning of section 206 Housing Act 1996, such that interim relief could be ordered.’

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Nearly Legal, 28th June 2020

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

UK could be breaking international law over cladding, says UN – The Guardian

‘The UN has warned Britain that its failure to strip combustible cladding from high-rise buildings containing tens of thousands homes may be a breach of international law.’

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The Guardian, 28th June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Property owners found guilty over illegal sub-division of building after ten year battle with council – Local Government Lawyer

‘Two joint property owners have been found guilty of illegally sub-dividing a building into seven substandard flats in a prosecution brought by the London Borough of Camden.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 25th June 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk