Council defeats Court of Appeal challenge over rule in constitution on councillor voting and deferred planning applications – Local Government Lawyer

Posted August 3rd, 2023 in local government, London, news, planning, ultra vires by sally

‘The London Borough of Tower Hamlets was entitled to make a rule that only councillors who had been present when a planning application had previously been considered could vote on deferred applications, the Court of Appeal has found.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 3rd August 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

New Judgment: R (on the application of VIP Communications Ltd (In Liquidation)) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2020] UKSC 10 – UKSC Blog

‘This appeal raised an issue of statutory construction. It arises in the context of a type of equipment known as commercial multi-user GSM (Global Systems for Mobile Communications) gateway apparatus (“COMUGs”). GSM gateways are telecommunications equipment containing one or more SIM cards, as used in mobile phones. They enable phone calls and text messages from landlines to be routed directly on to mobile networks. When a call is routed through a GSM gateway, the only data transmitted over the network is the number and location of the SIM card in the GSM gateway. It does not transmit information such as the identity of the calling party and (in the case of a mobile phone) the user’s location, as would ordinarily be the case without a GSM gateway.’

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UKSC Blog, 8th March 2023

Source: ukscblog.com

Kacper Majewski: Re Allister: The End of ‘Constitutional Statutes’? – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘On 8 February, the Supreme Court handed down its unanimous judgment in Re Allister [2023] UKSC 5. What follows is an attempt to clarify the judgment’s significance for the doctrine of constitutional statutes, as first canvassed by Laws LJ in Thoburn v Sunderland City Council [2002] EWHC 195 (Admin).’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 21st February 2023

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

New Judgment: James Hugh Allister and others and Clifford Peeples v the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and others [2023] UKSC 5 – UKSC Blog

‘These proceedings challenge the lawfulness of the Northern Ireland Protocol (“the Protocol”), which formed part of the agreement between the United Kingdom (“the UK”) and the European Union (“the EU”) regarding the UK’s exit from the EU. The Protocol was given legal effect by section 7A (“section 7A”) of the European (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (“the 2018 Act”).’

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UKSC Blog, 8th February 2023

Source: ukscblog.com

Simon Lee: Wednesbury’s 75th Anniversary – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted November 11th, 2022 in constitutional law, judges, legal history, licensing, local government, news, ultra vires by tracey

‘Judgment was given in the famous Wednesbury case 75 years ago today, on 10th November 1947. Readers of this blog know full well the facts of the case, the judgment of Lord Greene (reported [1948] 1 KB 223), the mythical status of “Wednesbury unreasonableness” and critiques thereof, such as Lord (previously Sir Robin) Cooke’s dislike of what he saw as Lord Greene’s circumlocution, a “retrogressive” decision and the unnecessary use of “the geographical epithet” of Wednesbury.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 10th November 2022

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

New Judgment: R (on the application of Coughlan) v Minister for the Cabinet Office [2022] UKSC 11 – UKSC Blog

Posted April 28th, 2022 in elections, identification, local government, news, pilot schemes, ultra vires by sally

‘This appeal concerns a challenge brought by the Appellant to orders made by the Respondent in respect of Braintree District Council and nine other local authorities (“the Pilot Orders”). These Pilot Orders authorised schemes to temporarily change the rules set out in secondary legislation governing local elections. These schemes, which were implemented in ten local authority areas in respect of the local government elections in May 2019, each introduced a new requirement for some form of voter identification for those local elections.’

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UKSC Blog, 27th April 2022

Source: ukscblog.com

Supreme Court to issue ruling next week on lawfulness of voter ID pilot schemes – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Supreme Court will next week (27 April) issue its ruling on whether the voter identification (“ID”) pilot schemes that were implemented in the May 2019 local government elections were lawful.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 21st April 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

High Court can still authorise deprivation of liberty of child in unregistered home in “imperative conditions of necessity”: Court of Appeal – Local Government Lawyer

‘The statutory scheme established by Section 22C of the Children Act 1989 does not allow unregistered placements, but does not expressly prohibit them, and in cases where conditions of imperative necessity require a child to be placed in such a setting, common law steps in and allows the High Court to exercise its inherent jurisdiction to authorise a deprivation of liberty, the Court of Appeal has ruled.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 13th December 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Council defeats Court of Appeal challenge over Elephant and Castle redevelopment – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 3rd, 2021 in appeals, housing, local government, news, planning, ultra vires by sally

‘A local activist group has lost a challenge at the Court of Appeal to the London Borough of Southwark’s grant of planning permission for a major redevelopment of the Elephant and Castle area.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 2nd June 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Alastair Richardson: The Legality of Home Office Fees – UK Constitutional Law Association

“Project for the Registration of Children as British Citizens v Secretary of State for the Home Department (PRCBC) concerned a challenge to the lawfulness of fees charged to children applying to be registered as British citizens. The fees have a serious adverse impact on the ability of many children to apply for registration.”

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 26th May 2021

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Covid-19 and False Imprisonment – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘The Cambridge Private Law Centre last week hosted its annual Freshfields lecture. Lord Sumption addressed us on “Government by decree—Covid-19 and the Constitution”. This lecture has received considerable media attention and already been mentioned on this blog.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 3rd November 2020

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Lockdown challenge — permission refused – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Mr Justice Lewis has refused permission to bring a judicial review in what is arguably the most comprehensive and wide-reaching challenge brought to date to the legality of the lockdown Regulations and the decision to stop providing education on school premises (save for the children of key workers) in R (Dolan and Ors) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Secretary of State for Education [2020] EWHC 1786 (Admin).’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 7th July 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Challenge to Lawfulness of “Lockdown” Regulations: Permission Refused – Coronavirus: Guidance for Lawyers and Businesses

Posted July 7th, 2020 in coronavirus, human rights, judicial review, news, regulations, ultra vires by sally

‘In the judgment today in Dolan & Ors v Secretary of State for Health And Social Care & Anor[2020] EWHC 1786 (Admin) Mr Justice Lewis refused permission to seek a judicial review of the Regulations made as a result of coronavirus. One specific issue has been deferred for later consideration.’

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Coronavirus: Guidance for Lawyers and Businesses, 6th July 2020

Source: lawinthetimeofcorona.wordpress.com

South Shields Football Club 1888 Limited v The Football Association Limited – Blackstone Chambers

‘A legal challenge to The FA’s decision to end the 2019/20 football season in Steps 3-7 of the English football National League System without promotion or relegation on account of the COVID-19 pandemic has been dismissed. The arbitral panel, chaired by Lord Dyson with Charles Flint QC and Andrew Green QC, rejected the challenge brought by South Shields FC, a club sitting in an automatic promotion position at the point of cessation of the season.’

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Blackstone Chambers, 11th June 2020

Source: www.blackstonechambers.com

Detention, Damages and Draft Remedial Orders: a look at the Strasbourg case law behind the proposal to amend the Human Rights Act – UK Human Rights Act

Posted June 12th, 2020 in chambers articles, damages, detention, human rights, news, ultra vires by sally

‘When a provision of legislation is held to be incompatible with a Convention right, a Minister of the Crown “may by order make such amendments to the primary legislation as he considers necessary”. This power to take remedial action, contained within section 10 of the Human Rights Act (HRA), applies when a domestic court finds an incompatibility with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and also when the Minister considers a provision of legislation incompatible with the Convention “having regard to a finding of the European Court of Human Rights” (ECtHR). A recent draft remedial order laid before Parliament aims to remedy an incompatibility of the latter kind, following the ECtHR’s judgment in Hammerton v United Kingdom no. 6287/10 ECHR 2016. The draft remedial order is of particular interest because it purports to amend the Human Rights Act itself.’

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UK Human Rights Act, 11th June 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Latest on the Lockdown Challenge in the UK courts – UK Human Rights Blog

‘On 26 May, judicial review proceedings were launched in the High Court which not only challenged the lawfulness of the Lockdown Regulations as having been made “ultra vires” under the 1984 Public Health Act, but also claimed that they are disproportionate to the threat posed by Covid-19. Philip Havers QC of 1 Crown Office Row is acting for the claimant.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 9th June 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Government faces legal action over refusal to publish Sage minutes – The Guardian

‘A millionaire businessman is launching legal action against the government after it refused to disclose minutes of the Sage meetings that informed its decision to impose the coronavirus lockdown.’

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The Guardian, 16th May 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK government faces legal challenge to lockdown from businessman – The Guardian

‘The government is facing a challenge to the legality of the coronavirus lockdown by a wealthy businessman who fears it will kill more people than it saves.’

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The Guardian, 1st May 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Appeal judges to rule on legality of Covid-19 practice direction – Litigation Futures

‘The Court of Appeal is to rule on Thursday on the power of the Master of the Rolls (MR) to make an emergency practice direction in response to Covid-19.’

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Litigation Futures, 29th April 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

“Pardonable in the Heat of Crisis – building a solid foundation for action” – UK Human Rights Blog

‘In a paper published today Lord Sandhurst QC and Benet Brandret QC follow up on the previous paper co-authored by Lord Sandhurst QC by making concrete proposals for addressing the issues identified previously (see the previous paper here and our post on it here). It sets out a more concluded position on the doubts as to the vires for SI 2020/350 by explaining why the Statutory Instrument is, indeed, ultra vires, and the need for new legislation. It also sets out routes to put legislation and Guidance on a sound footing.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 16th April 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com