Fourth pillar of the welfare state – Garden Court Chambers Blog
“On April 1 cuts of £350 million from the legal aid budget of £2.1 billion came into effect.”
Garden Court Chambers Blog, 16th April 2013
Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com
Category: benefits
Couple jailed for £900,000 car insurance fraud – Daily Telegraph
“A couple who carried out a fraudulent insurance scheme worth £900,000 used the money to put one of their children through a top public school.”
Daily Telegraph,
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
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Has the government broken the law over disability benefit changes? – The Guardian
“Three disabled people have this week launched a challenge in the high court against the government’s new personal independence payment (PIP) regulations, which replace disability living allowance (DLA). In particular, the three are challenging the government’s last-minute change to the PIP regulations. Up until Monday claimants who could not walk 50 metres were entitled to DLA. The new PIP regulations reduce the distance to only 20 metres.”
The Guardian, 10th April 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Three disabled claimants launch legal action against new mobility tests – The Guardian
“Three disabled claimants have launched a legal action to challenge the government’s more stringent tests for mobility allowances that came into force on Monday.”
The Guardian, 8th April 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Bedroom Tax, Spare Room Subsidy, or Big Headache – any solutions? – Zenith Chambers
“The Regulations applying the Government’s ‘social sector under-occupancy penalty’ (a politically neutral description at least) are in force from 01/04/13. Broadly, social housing tenants of working age will see a deduction of 14% or 25% of the eligible rent component from their housing benefit, if the HB authority finds they have one or two spare bedrooms respectively.”
Full story (PDF)
Zenith Chambers, 28th March 2013
Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk
Family Law Week’s Budget Briefing 2013 – Family Law Week
“Jan Ellis, chartered accountant, of Ellis Foster LLP, a firm which specialises in advising family lawyers on tax-related family law issues, explains the budget changes of most relevance to practitioners.”
Family Law Week, 20th March 2013
Source: www.familylawweek.com
Black belt judo instructor fraudulently claimed £18,000 in disability benefits – Daily Telegraph
“David Roberts, 48, falsely claimed more than £18,000 disability living allowance. He claimed he was in severe discomfort after walking a few steps, needed help getting dressed and getting in and out of bed. But the sensei and black belt judo and martial arts instructor was filmed by Department of Work and Pensions investigators throwing adults over his shoulder and holding opponents in leg and arm locks, in Runcorn, Cheshire.”
Daily Telegraph, 18th March 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
The Cost of Care……The position following the Tower Hamlets decision – Family Law Week
“Jacqui Thomas, barrister of 37 Park Square Chambers, Leeds, considers the implications of the recent Tower Hamlets judgment for the cost of kinship care.”
Family Law Week, 17th March 2013
Source: www.familylawweek.com
Bedroom tax: ministers given 14 days to make case against judicial review – The Guardian
“A high court judge has given the work and pensions secretary 14 days to show why there should not be a judicial review of the government’s ‘spare bedroom tax’, amid concerns that disabled people will be disproportionately affected by the change in benefit rules.”
The Guardian, 5th March 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Children’s rights cited in legal challenge launched against ‘bedroom tax’ – The Guardian
“A legal challenge has been launched on behalf of 10 disabled and vulnerable children against the government’s so-called ‘spare bedroom tax’, which is expected to lead to a reduction in benefits for hundreds of thousands of people because they have at least one unused room.”
The Guardian, 5th March 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
HMRC official jailed for plundering taxpayers’ accounts – Daily Telegraph
“A HMRC official has been jailed for siphoning £12,000 from taxpayers’ accounts in a ‘flagrant breach of trust’.”
Daily Telegraph, 19th February 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Back-to-work scheme breached laws, says Court of Appeal – BBC News
“The government’s back-to-work schemes have suffered a setback after Appeal Court
judges agreed with a university graduate’s claim that unpaid schemes were
legally flawed.”
BBC News, 12th February 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Council tax challenge goes to the Court of Appeal – BBC News
“A single mother is taking her legal battle over a north London council’s plans
to make people on benefits contribute to their council tax bill to the Court of
Appeal.”
BBC News, 12th February 2013
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Room without review: Thoughts on tackling the bedroom tax – NearlyLegal
“With the beginning of the bedroom tax looming up for April and upwards of 700,000 households affected, I’ve been thinking about the position when the inevitable rent arrears possessions start to appear – probably by about October – and also whether the statute itself is open to challenge.”
NearlyLegal, 10th February 2013
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
Farmer who claimed £100,000 in disability benefits caught herding cattle – Daily Telegraph
“David Millward, 55, was secretly filmed by the Department of Work and Pensions carrying bags of animal feed around the field he rented off Stafford Road, Coven, Staffs, despite claiming he could only walk 10 metres unaided.Millward admitted fraudulently claiming £75,532 in income support and £24,692 in disability living allowance earlier this month after making an application for disability benefits in 2003.He was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court today.”
Daily Telegraph, 5th February 2013
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Soldier injured in Iraq grenade attack wins benefit battle – The Guardian
“An injured soldier left suicidal after being falsely accused of benefit fraud has won an appeal against a decision to cut a £70-a-month carers’ allowance for his wife.”
The Guardian, 29th January 2013
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Crimes of the Benefit-Bashers – Garden Court Chambers Blog
“Liz Davies paints a bleak picture of what the government’s spending cuts and benefit caps mean to the least advantaged in society.”
Garden Court Chambers Blog, 18th December 2012
Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com
Housing benefit changes challenged in high court – The Guardian
“The coalition’s decision to break the link between the cost of renting and housing benefit payments is being challenged in the high court.”
The Guardian, 17th December 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Disabled man takes government to court over benefit test – The Guardian
“A disabled man who was incorrectly found fit for work under the government’s disability benefit assessment is launching a legal action against the government and Atos, the private company performing the tests.”
The Guardian, 13th December 2012
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Samin v Westminster City Council – WLR Daily
Samin v Westminster City Council: [2012] EWCA Civ 1468; [2012] WLR (D) 336
“A migrant worker from another EU member state who could not establish that he was temporarily unable to work as a result of illness or accident within regulation 6(2)(a) of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 was not entitled to housing provision from a local authority as a homeless person under Part VII of the Housing Act 1996.”
WLR Daily, 21st November 2012
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
