Council defeats appeal over ruling that it did not breach public sector equality duty in possession case – Local Government Lawyer

‘A High Court judge has dismissed an appeal over a ruling in a housing case that there had been no breach by Slough Borough Council of the public sector equality duty.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 5th January 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Law Commission issues proposals for reforming offence of misconduct in public office – Local Government Lawyer

‘The “outdated and unclear” common law offence of misconduct in public office should be replaced by two new statutory offences of corruption in public office and breach of duty in public office, the Law Commission has said.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th December 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Extensions to the Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Regime – Family Law Week

‘Matthew Moore, director of Infolegal, advises family lawyers of their obligations under anti-money laundering regulations following changes [to the] wording of what constitutes taxation advice.’

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Family Law Week, 24th November 2020

Source: www.familylawweek.co.uk

When is suitable? – Nearly Legal

Posted November 25th, 2020 in appeals, housing, local government, news, statutory duty, statutory interpretation by sally

‘When assessing the suitability of a (refused) offer of accommodation made under s.193 Housing Act 1996 duty, what is the relevant date, or dates? That was the issue for the Court of Appeal in this second appeal by Bromley from a s.204 appeal which had quashed Bromley’s decision that the accommodation offered was suitable.’

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Nearly Legal, 23rd November 2020

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Trans teen in legal action over gender clinic wait – BBC News

‘A 14-year-old transgender boy is starting legal proceedings against NHS England over delays to gender reassignment treatment.’

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BBC News, 23rd November 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Divisional Court gives guidance on article 2 inquests – UK Human Rights Law Blog

‘R (Peter Skelton and anr) v Senior Coroner for West Sussex [2020] EWHC 2813 (Adminn). Susan Nicholson and Caroline Devlin were killed by the same man during the course of abusive relationships. They died in 2011 and 2006, but the man was not convicted – of murder and manslaughter respectively – until 2017. The inquest into Susan’s death in 2011 resulted in a verdict of accidental death. Following the murder conviction, the Coroner applied to the High Court for this to be quashed, with the intention of holding a short inquest at which a fresh conclusion of “unlawful killing” would be recorded. However, the Claimants in this case – Susan’s parents – sought to expand the scope of the inquest to consider what they thought, understandably, were police failings. They were successful; this blog explains why, and examines the wider implications of the ruling.’

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UK Human Rights Law Blog, 5th November 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Lone child migrants cannot be put in adult hotels, high court rules – The Guardian

Posted November 3rd, 2020 in asylum, children, housing, judicial review, local government, news, statutory duty by tracey

‘The high court has ruled that unaccompanied child migrants cannot be placed in adult hotel accommodation after three young asylum seekers won the right to be placed in the care of social services in the first case of its kind.’

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The Guardian, 2nd November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Free School Meals and Governmental Responsibility — Dr Kirsteen Shields – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Questions around government responsibility for food systems, churning away during the Brexit debates, long ignored, sometimes derided, are meeting stark realities in the coronavirus pandemic. This week we are back to free school meals (FSM).’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 22nd October 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Report raises alarm over police detention of vulnerable suspects in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘Police officers detained and interviewed hundreds of thousands of vulnerable suspects last year in England and Wales in breach of mandatory safeguards, according to the body that sets standards for those who support vulnerable adults in police custody.’

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The Guardian, 28th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Inquests ‘more adversarial than criminal cases’, says Grenfell QC – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted August 27th, 2020 in bereavement, duty of candour, fire, health & safety, inquests, news, statutory duty by sally

‘A QC representing bereaved families in the Grenfell Tower public inquiry has backed calls for a statutory duty of candour, saying she has often found inquests far more adversarial than any criminal case she has done. ‘

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Law Society's Gazette, 26th August 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Council warns of potential breach of statutory duty in relation to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Leader of Kent County Council has warned that the local authority “cannot safely meet our statutory duty” when it comes to its capacity to care for new arrivals of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC).’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th August 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Hindsight bias in health and safety – Six Pump Court

Posted July 28th, 2020 in bias, health & safety, news, statutory duty by sally

‘David Travers QC of 6 Pump Court discusses hindsight bias, its relevance to health and safety cases and how to avoid its impact.’

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Six Pump Court, July 2020

Source: www.6pumpcourt.co.uk

Hindsight bias in health and safety – Six Pump Court

Posted July 21st, 2020 in bias, health & safety, news, statutory duty by sally

‘In this interview with Pietra Asprou for Lexis Nexis, David Travers QC considers the impact of hindsight bias in health and safety cases, and what can be done to avoid it.’

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Six Pump Court, 21st July 2020

Source: www.6pumpcourt.co.uk

Scope of the duties on the state to protect life under Article 2 ECHR (R (Maguire) v HM Senior Coroner) – Dispute Resolution Blog

‘In R (Maguire) v HM Senior Coroner for Blackpool & Fylde & Others [2020] EWCA Civ 738, the Court of Appeal considered whether the enhanced procedural duty to investigate death under Article 2 ECHR applied to the inquest touching upon the death of a vulnerable individual subject to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (“DoLS”) under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 living in a care home. The Court of Appeal’s judgment is an important authority on the scope of the substantive positive duties on the state to protect life under Article 2 ECHR.’

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Dispute Resolution Blog, 30th June 2020

Source: www.lexisnexis.co.uk

County council in legal action against Health Secretary over ‘ordinary residence’ determination – Local Government Lawyer

‘Worcestershire County Council has started legal action against the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, in a dispute over which council should care for someone under the Mental Health Act 1983.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 25th June 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

A reprieve for landlords – Gas safety certificates and section 21 notices Case update: Trecarrell House Ltd v Rouncefield [2020] EWCA Civ 270 – 3PB

Posted June 23rd, 2020 in health & safety, housing, landlord & tenant, news, statutory duty, utilities by sally

‘Residential landlords may well be familiar with, and will quite possibly have fallen foul of, the statutory requirements placed upon them in respect of gas safety certificates. The case of Caridon Property Ltd v Shooltz (02/02/18, unreported but the judgment is available online) providing, until yesterday, unbinding but highly persuasive authority that landlords who fail to serve a copy of the most recent gas safety certificate prior to a tenant entering in to occupation of the relevant property could not rely upon the no-fault eviction process provided by section 21 of the Housing Act 1988 and, as per the County Court appeal judgment of HHJ Luba QC, could never rectify the error. The decision, which was regularly followed by district judges and deputy district judges in the County Court throughout the country, placed landlords in a position where, unless they were able to rely upon any of the grounds set out Schedule 2 of the 1988 Act and therefore serve a section 8 notice, they had no way of evicting tenants, even though they were purportedly assured shorthold tenants.’

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3PB, 19th June 2020

Source: www.3pb.co.uk

Ending it all – duties under section 188 – Nearly Legal

‘Where a local authority has an initial s.188 Housing Act 1996 duty to provide interim accommodation, but then makes a s.184 decision that the applicant is not in priority need, is that sufficient to bring the s.188 duty to an end? In this judicial review, the answer turns out to be no, at least not if the s.189B duty is continuing and notice of no further duty has not been served.’

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Nearly Legal, 16th June 2020

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Charity launches High Court challenge over dilution of children’s social care duties during COVID-19 – Local Government Lawyer

‘A children’s rights charity is to ask the High Court to quash a statutory instrument that introduced significant changes to children’s social care law during the coronavirus pandemic.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 8th June 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Delays and duties and human rights – Nearly Legal

‘Mr I, his wife and child had been given the tenancy of a two bedroom flat on the eight floor of a block of flats in discharge of the council’s homeless duty to them in September 2017. In November 2017 Mr I was suddenly paralysed from the waist down. He could not leave his bedroom and a wheelchair could not be used in the flat. The council carried out Care Act 2014 assessments, which acknowledged that he had a clear need to move to a suitable property, ground floor with 3 bedrooms and in which a wheelchair could be used.’

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Nearly Legal, 3rd June 2020

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

‘I lost my father to Covid-19. Now I’m taking legal action against the UK government’ – The Guardian

‘Dr Minesh Talati wants accountability not just for his father’s death, but the other coronavirus victims who didn’t need to die.’

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The Guardian, 3rd June 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com