Rogue surgeon report does not pretend there are easy answers – The Guardian

‘Report makes some sensible recommendations but critics say it could have gone further.’

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The Guardian, 4th February 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

People who worked on Grenfell Tower ‘could face life sentences’ – The Guardian

‘People who worked on the Grenfell Tower refurbishment could face the threat of being jailed for life, their lawyers have said, with witnesses interviewed by police believing they could be charged with manslaughter.’

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The Guardian, 30th January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

London Borough of Southwark v Royce & Nicoue [2019] UKUT 331 (LC) – Tanfield Chambers

‘The First Tier Tribunal had been entitled to reach the conclusions it had as to the degree of separation between two heating systems on adjoining estates. On that basis, the interpretation they had reached of the service charge provisions in the relevant leases was correct, as costs incurred replacing pipes on one estate were not costs “incidental” to the provision of services on the other.’

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Tanfield Chambers, 21st January 2020

Source: www.tanfieldchambers.co.uk

Yousef Makki: Boy B loses bid to keep identity secret – BBC News

‘A teenager cleared of lying to police over the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Yousef Makki has lost a High Court bid to protect his identity.’

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BBC News, 28th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Government to set up new regulator for oversight of high-risk buildings – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Government has unveiled plans for a new regulator to oversee the design, construction and occupation of high-risk buildings.’

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Local Government Lawyer, January 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Grenfell Tower fire: Second phase of inquiry to begin – BBC News

‘The second phase of the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry is to begin later, days after one of its panellists resigned.’

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BBC News, 27th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court of Appeal interprets liability cap in a new home warranty – Practical Law Construction Blog

‘On 5 December 2019, the Court of Appeal handed down its judgment in Manchikalapati and others v Zurich Insurance plc and East West Insurance Company Ltd. The underlying case concerned a large block of flats in Manchester that were seriously defective.’

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Practical Law Construction Blog, 22nd January 2020

Source: constructionblog.practicallaw.com

Unregulated accommodation – Family Law Week

‘Chris MacDonald, Children’s Guardian at CAFCASS, considers the issues arising when a young person is placed in semi-independent accommodation.’

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Family Law Week, 24th January 2020

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

East Kent hospitals: Care watchdog inspects trust after baby death apology – BBC News

‘England’s care watchdog has carried out a no-notice inspection of an NHS trust at the centre of concerns over the possible preventable deaths of babies.’

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BBC News, 24th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Tamworth Five mystery: Dog sitter at centre of vanishing pets row is fined more than £3,000 – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 24th, 2020 in animals, fines, mental health, news, standards by tracey

‘The pet sitter at the centre of the “Tamworth Five” vanishing dogs mystery was under intense stress at the time as her marriage was breaking down, a court heard, as she was fined more than £3,000 for animal welfare offences.’

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Daily Telegraph, 23rd January 2020

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Wellbeing and cost of practice worrying barristers – Legal Futures

Posted January 22nd, 2020 in barristers, mental health, news, rates, rent, standards, statistics by sally

‘Experienced barristers are largely confident for their own futures but face challenges around wellbeing, the rising cost of doing business and the late payment of fees, a major survey has found.’

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Legal Futures, 20th January 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

High number of prison deaths are preventable, says damning new report – The Guardian

Posted January 22nd, 2020 in inquests, mental health, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, standards, statistics, suicide by sally

‘The persistently high death toll in prisons is a “national scandal”, with too many deaths avoidable, according to a new report published on Wednesday.’

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The Guardian, 22nd January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

London council’s special needs inquiry caused by ‘systemic failures’ – BBC News

‘At least 5,000 children seeking special educational needs support (Send) are to have their cases reviewed after a London council landed a stinging rebuke from the local government ombudsman. Concerns about “systemic failures” in Richmond’s Send department prompted the watchdog to take the highly unusual step of ordering the full-scale audit.’

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BBC News, 17th January 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Scores of tower blocks with Grenfell-style cladding have no plan in place to remove it, figures show – The Independent

‘Two and a half years on from fatal Kensington blaze, more than 21,000 households still living in flats wrapped in flammable cladding that allowed fire to rapidly spread’

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The Independent, 16th January 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Probation officer supervising Conner Marshall killer was ‘overwhelmed’ – The Guardian

Posted January 8th, 2020 in inquests, murder, news, probation, recidivists, rehabilitation, standards by sally

‘A probation services officer broke down in tears during an inquest as she described being “overwhelmed” by her workload in the months before a serial offender she was supervising murdered a teenager in an unprovoked attack.’

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The Guardian, 7th January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Campaigners call for laws to back up farming standards assurances – The Guardian

Posted January 8th, 2020 in agriculture, animals, brexit, EC law, news, standards by sally

‘The government will move to reassure the public that Britain’s current high standards on animal welfare and farming will be maintained after Brexit with a pledge to ensure future trade deals live up to the values of farmers and consumers.’

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The Guardian, 8th January 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

BSB and SRA in firing line over shortcomings – Legal Futures

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has been told that it needs to act more quickly on how it plans to educate the public about barristers after its widely criticised decision to stop funding consumer-facing website Legal Choices.’

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Legal Futures, 19th December 2019

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Disabled woman called ‘lying bitch’ by welfare official awarded £5,000 – The Guardian

‘A disabled woman has been awarded £5,000 in an out-of-court settlement after being called a “lying bitch” by a welfare official in formal legal papers after challenging a decision to cut her disability benefits.’

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The Guardian, 12th December 2019

Source: www.theguardian.com

Council fined £500k after first prosecution by CQC over failure to provide safe care – Local Government Lawyer

‘Derbyshire County Council has been fined £500,000 following the first prosecution that the Care Quality Commission has brought against a local authority since the watchdog was given powers to prosecute health and social care providers for failing to provide safe care and treatment in 2015.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 10th December 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

School launches legal proceedings after receiving ‘inadequate’ rating from Ofsted – Local Government Lawyer

Posted December 6th, 2019 in appeals, education, news, standards by sally

‘A school in Trafford has issued a legal challenge to regulator Ofsted in a bid to overturn being rated as ‘inadequate’.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th December 2019

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk