Disabled tenants to challenge bedroom tax in supreme court – The Guardian

‘A legal case to be heard at the supreme court will decide whether the government’s housing benefit regulations – the bedroom tax – discriminates unfairly against disabled adults. The ruling could have consequences for hundreds of thousands of people.’

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The Guardian, 10th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Call for publication of review into man who killed himself after benefits cut – The Guardian

Posted January 12th, 2015 in benefits, disabled persons, disclosure, inquiries, mental health, news, reports, suicide by sally

‘The sister of a partially sighted man who killed himself after his benefits were cut is calling on the UK government to publish details of its review into his case, one of 60 internal investigations of suicides linked to benefit changes it has carried out since 2012.’

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The Guardian, 11th January 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Challenging a Refusal of Permission to Appeal by the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) in a Welfare Benefits Case – A Practice Note – Garden Court Chambers Blog

‘Desmond Rutledge provides a practice note on challenging a refusal of permission to appeal by the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) in a welfare benefits case.’

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Garden Court Chambers Blog, 6th January 2015

Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com

Is the Cart-threshold being set too high? – Garden Court Chambers Blog

‘Desmond Rutledge and Zubier Yazdani consider the hurdles facing welfare benefit claimants seeking to use the Cart test.’

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Garden Court Chambers, Blog, 6th January 2015

Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com

DWP urged to publish inquiries on benefit claimant suicides – The Guardian

‘The Department for Work and Pensions has been urged by mental health and disability charities to publish its secret investigations into suicides that may have some link to benefit changes, following revelations that it has carried out internal reviews into 60 such cases.’

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The Guardian, 14th December 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Deaf couple and their son face jail after conning taxpayers out of £900,000 – Daily Telegraph

Posted December 12th, 2014 in benefits, council tax, disabled persons, fraud, news by sally

‘The couple are said to have funded a luxury lifestyle of holidays and jewellery with ‘scandalous ease’.’

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Daily Telegraph, 11th December 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Independent Living Fund closure ruled lawful – BBC News

‘A government decision to close a fund that helps disabled people to live and work in the community has been ruled lawful by the High Court.’

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BBC News, 8th December 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Too many young adults go from ‘in care’ directly to jail – The Independent

Posted December 8th, 2014 in benefits, care homes, homelessness, news, prisons, young offenders, young persons by sally

‘Young adults leaving care are being let down by the justice system, according to a new academic study. Despite up to a third of the current prison population having experienced the care system, criminal justice professionals are ignorant of ways to help young care leavers stay out of jail, it warns.’

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The Independent, 7th December 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The elephant in the bedroom – NearlyLegal

Posted December 8th, 2014 in appeals, benefits, housing, news by sally

‘Finally, the long awaited Upper Tribunal decision on room size and the bedroom tax has been released.’

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NearlyLegal, 7th December 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Southwark: Not appealing – NearlyLegal

‘It is not unknown for losing parties in a case to not be happy, indeed very upset. There are two basic options. To shut up and put up with it, or appeal. Rather unusually, faced with one of the most coruscating High Court judgments I can recall, in AA V LB Southwark [our report here], the senior officers of Southwark Council have chosen to do neither. Instead, Southwark’s Housing and Communities Strategic Director has chosen to publicly announce that the judgment was ‘unjust’ and ‘clearly wrong’, but that Southwark aren’t going to appeal it.’

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NearlyLegal, 25th November 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Panic room woman challenges bedroom tax – The Guardian

Posted November 19th, 2014 in assault, benefits, domestic violence, harassment, housing, news, rape, stalking by sally

‘A woman whose council home has been fitted with a secure panic room to protect her from a violent ex-partner is going to court on Wednesday to challenge the government’s so-called bedroom tax.’

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The Guardian, 18th November 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Dano v Jobcenter Leipzig – WLR Daily

Posted November 18th, 2014 in benefits, EC law, freedom of movement, law reports, social security by sally

Dano v Jobcenter Leipzig (Case C-333/13) EU:C:2014:2358; [2014] WLR (D) 477

‘Article 24(1) of Parliament and Council Directive 2004/38/EC, in conjunction with article 7(1)(b), and article 4 of Regulation No 883/2004 (as amended by Regulation No 1244/2010) allowed legislation of a member state under which nationals of other member states were excluded from entitlement to certain “special non-contributory cash benefits” within the meaning of article 70(2) of Regulation No 883/2004, although those benefits were granted to nationals of the host member state who were in the same situation, in so far as those nationals of other member states did not have a right of residence under Directive 2004/38 in the host member state.’

WLR Daily, 11th November 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Liverpool family jailed for £200,000 benefit fraud – BBC News

Posted November 17th, 2014 in benefits, fraud, news, sentencing, video recordings by sally

‘A woman who claimed she was too ill to walk, yet was filmed surfing in Australia and swimming with dolphins, has been jailed for benefit fraud.’

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BBC News, 14th November 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Asbestos, recoupment of compensation, and the Pneumoconiosis (Workers’ Compensation) Act 1979 – Zenith PI Blog

Posted November 17th, 2014 in asbestos, benefits, compensation, damages, employment, news by sally

‘Defendants in asbestos-related claims should be careful to ensure that compensation paid under the Pneumoconiosis (Workers Compensation) Act 1979 (“the Act”) is properly deducted from a claimant’s damages, before an order for damages is made against them.’

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Zenith PI Blog, 13th November 2014

Source: www.zenithpi.wordpress.com

EU court moves against ‘benefits tourism’ in landmark ruling – The Independent

Posted November 12th, 2014 in benefits, EC law, immigration, news, taxation by tracey

‘The European Court of Justice has issued a historic ruling against Romanian woman living in Germany that could set a major precedent blocking so-called “benefits tourism” across the continent.’

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The Independent, 11th November 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Removal of subsidy for spare room not unlawful – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted October 31st, 2014 in benefits, children, housing, human rights, judicial review, news, residence orders by sally

‘Whether you call it the “spare room subsidy” or the “bedroom tax”, the removal of this type of housing benefit has been nothing short of controversial. There have been several previous legal challenges to the Regulations, as well as to the benefit cap introduced as part of the same package of welfare changes. The outcome of these cases was not promising for these claimants, in particular the decision of the Court of Appeal in R (MA) v Secretary of State for Work & Pensions [2014] EWCA Civ 13. Another important case is R (SG (previously JS)) v Secretary of State for Work & Pensions [2014] EWCA Civ 156.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 29th October 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Single mother-of-five made homeless by benefits cap turns to Supreme Court over Westminster Council’s attempts at ‘social cleansing’ – The Independent

Posted October 29th, 2014 in appeals, benefits, families, homelessness, housing, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘A single mother-of-five who was made homeless after resisting Westminster Council’s attempt to move the family 50 miles from the capital is applying to the Supreme Court to review her case.’

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The Independent, 29th October 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The Long and Winding Road – NearlyLegal

Posted October 27th, 2014 in appeals, benefits, homelessness, housing, local government, news by sally

‘The facts in Nzolameso v Westminster CC are pretty unremarkable, but the effects of the Court of Appeal’s judgement are likely to reverberate through every new homelessness application, especially in the London area.’

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NearlyLegal, 26th October 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Separated families and bedroom tax – NearlyLegal

Posted October 24th, 2014 in benefits, children, families, housing, human rights, news by sally

‘This was the Liberty backed judicial review of the bedroom tax regulations on the basis that the regulations amounted to an article 8 breach, or an article 14 breach read with article 8, or that the regulations were irrational. At issue was the status of separated families where there was shared care.’

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NearlyLegal, 23rd October 2014

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Cellar slave girl: Salford couple must pay victim £100,000 – BBC News

‘A deaf girl from Pakistan kept as a slave for nine years by a millionaire couple from Salford is to receive £100,000 in compensation.’

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BBC News, 15th October 2014

Source: www.bbc.co.uk