Disability Discrimination and Housing Allowance: The Importance of Article 14 – Garden Court Chambers Blog

Posted May 16th, 2012 in appeals, benefits, disability discrimination, housing, human rights, news by sally

“Desmond Rutledge explains a landmark Court of Appeal decision upholding the rights of the severely disabled.”

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Garden Court Chambers Blog, 15th May 2012

Source: www.gclaw.wordpress.com

Treasury failed to test fairness of spending cuts, equality watchdog finds – The Guardian

“The Treasury failed to consider how crucial policies would affect women, disabled people and ethnic minorities before the 2010 spending review, according to a report by the equality watchdog.”

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The Guardian, 14th May 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New fines for benefit cheats – The Independent

Posted May 8th, 2012 in benefits, fines, fraud, news by sally

“Benefit cheats will be fined up to £2,000 without being taken to court under new powers from today, which the Government said will save the taxpayer around £42 million over the next three years.”

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The Independent, 8th May 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Legal aid bill puts thousands at risk, says Citizens Advice – The Guardian

Posted April 16th, 2012 in benefits, bills, law centres, legal aid, news by sally

“Removal of specialist support leaves those wrongly assessed vulnerable to poverty and homelessness, campaigners warn.”

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The Guardian, 16th April 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

High court should seize chance to curb government’s workfare programme – The Guardian

Posted March 30th, 2012 in benefits, judicial review, news, unemployment, volunteers by sally

“It may not be slave labour, but forcing people to work for free could breach human rights laws.”

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The Guardian, 30th March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Twice as many judges needed to handle benefits appeals – Daily Telegraph

Posted March 26th, 2012 in appeals, benefits, disabled persons, judiciary, news, remuneration, tribunals by sally

“Twice as many judges are needed to handle the high volume of appeals under the Government’s controversial new welfare regime, at a cost of at least £1million a year.”

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Daily Telegraph, 26th March 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Squatting law reforms ‘could cost taxpayers £790m over five years’ – The Guardian

Posted March 19th, 2012 in benefits, budgets, legal aid, news, squatting, taxation by sally

“The cost of a new law to further criminalise squatting could run to almost 20 times official estimates, wiping out government legal aid budget savings, according to the findings of a newly published report.”

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The Guardian, 16th March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

PJ Proby benefit fraud case dropped – The Guardian

Posted March 19th, 2012 in benefits, evidence, fraud, news, prosecutions by sally

“The US-born pop singer PJ Proby has been cleared of benefit fraud after the prosecution dropped its case following the discovery of new evidence.”

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The Guardian, 16th March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Back-to-work schemes to face court hearing – The Guardian

Posted March 19th, 2012 in benefits, judicial review, news, unemployment by sally

“The government will have to defend two of its back-to-work schemes against accusations they exploit the unemployed as forced labour after a high court judge granted a hearing that could see benefit regulations overturned.”

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The Guardian, 18th March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Man jailed for father death fraud – The Independent

Posted March 14th, 2012 in benefits, burials and cremation, fraud, news, theft by sally

“A man who did not report the death of his father for nearly five months and claimed his benefit payments has been jailed for three years.”

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The Independent, 14th March 2012

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Psychologist faked death after using benefits scam to pay for wife’s breast job – Daily Telegraph

“A benefits cheat, Stephen Kellaway, who faked his own death to avoid prosecution after stealing thousands to pay for his wife’s breast enlargement has been jailed.”

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Daily Telegraph, 9th March 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Legal aid reforms: peers inflict fresh defeats on government – The Guardian

Posted March 8th, 2012 in appeals, benefits, bills, legal aid, news, parliament by sally

“Government plans for saving £350m a year in legal aid expenses suffered fresh defeats in the House of Lords after peers overturned a series of cost-saving proposals.”

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The Guardian, 7th March 2012

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Illegal workers and benefit abusers targeted – Home Office

Posted February 28th, 2012 in benefits, fingerprints, fraud, immigration, press releases by sally

“Immigration Minister Damian Green announced the expansion of the Biometric Residence Permits (BRPs) system to help tackle immigration abuse by proving a person’s right to work or access services in the UK.”

Full press release

Home Office, 27th February 2012

Source: www.homeoffice.gov.uk

Gypsies who pocketed £800,000 in benefits ordered to pay back £17.65 – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 25th, 2012 in assets recovery, benefits, fraud, news, sentencing, travellers by sally

“Two members of a Romany gypsy family who flew in and out of Britain to pocket more than £800,000 in benefits have been ordered to pay back just £17.65.”

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Daily Telegraph, 24th February 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Jail for £96,000 benefit cheat Helen Ryan, who had £184,000 in savings – BBC News

Posted February 20th, 2012 in benefits, fraud, news, sentencing by sally

“A mother-of-six has been jailed for claiming benefits when she had over £180,000 hidden in nine bank accounts.”

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BBC News, 17th February 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Basey and others v Oxford City Council – WLR Daily

Posted February 17th, 2012 in benefits, community care, housing, law reports by sally

Basey and others v Oxford City Council [2012] EWCA Civ 115; [2012] WLR (D) 34

“Since the social security and housing legislation had not defined what ‘sheltered accommodation’ was, it was not legitimate for a housing authority to claim that a sheltered accommodation should have a warden or resident caretaking manager and emergency alarm to qualify as such to impose an obligation on the housing authority to pay the costs of fuel and cleaning of the rooms and windows of the housing benefit tenants living in the accommodation. Therefore, a special needs adult living in a four-bedroom property with three other special needs tenants each occupying a bedroom and sharing a kitchen, bath room, two toilets and two sitting rooms, provided with 24-hour care and support supervision staff to meet the tenants’ needs, was a sheltered accommodation such as to oblige the housing authority to pay the costs of fuel and cleaning expenses as part of the rent out of the housing benefit.”

WLR Daily, 15th February 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Salisbury Independent Living Ltd v Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council – WLR Daily

Posted February 14th, 2012 in appeals, benefits, housing, landlord & tenant, law reports, local government by sally

Salisbury Independent Living Ltd v Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council [2012] EWCA Civ 84; [2012] WLR (D) 31

“A landlord had a right of appeal under paragraph 6(3) of Schedule 7 to the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 as a ‘person affected’ by a housing benefit decision in respect of its tenant only in the distinct cases provided for in subordinate legislation.”

WLR Daily, 9th February 2012

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Changes in law may be recommended to allow data sharing to combat fraud – OUT-LAW.com

Posted February 9th, 2012 in benefits, data protection, fraud, news, taxation by sally

“A Government-appointed taskforce is prepared to recommend changing the law if it finds ‘unnecessary legal barriers’ to the sharing of information under just-announced anti-fraud plans.”

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 8th February 2012

Source: www.out-law.com

Latvian landlady jailed after claiming £33,000 benefits while owning six properties worth £1.1m – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 3rd, 2012 in benefits, fraud, news, sentencing by sally

“A benefits cheat has been jailed after claiming more than £33,000 in state handouts despite owning a £1.1 million property portfolio.”

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Daily Telegraph, 3rd February 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Man jailed for sharing father’s industrial compensation – BBC News

Posted January 19th, 2012 in benefits, compensation, news, proceeds of crime by sally

“John Kennedy followed his father’s wishes when he died, sharing the money from a compensation payout with the rest of the family, but he ended up in prison as a result.”

Full story

BBC News, 19th January 2012

Source: www.bbc.co.uk