Category: budgets

Justifying Austerity – Not Solely a Question of Cost – Littleton Chambers

Posted November 19th, 2020 in age discrimination, budgets, news, probation, remuneration by sally

‘On 11 November 2020, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal in Heskett -v- Secretary of State for Justice [2020] EWCA Civ 1487, holding that the “pay freeze” imposed on probation officers as the result of the Government’s austerity measures, which might otherwise have been regarded as indirectly age discriminatory, was capable of being justified as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.’

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Littleton Chambers, 12th November 2020

Source: littletonchambers.com

Covid spending: Watchdog finds MPs’ contacts were given priority – BBC News

Posted November 18th, 2020 in auditors, budgets, conflict of interest, coronavirus, government departments, news, ombudsmen, public procurement by sally

‘Companies recommended by MPs, peers and ministers’ offices were given priority as the government raced to obtain Personal Protective Equipment, the National Audit Office found.’

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BBC News, 18th November 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Court: “No need for City lawyer” in professional executor tussle – Legal Futures

Posted November 4th, 2020 in budgets, costs, executors, fees, news, probate, wills by tracey

‘The High Court has ruled that there was no need for a more expensive City lawyer to be appointed a professional executor in preference to one from the Home Counties in a straightforward probate.’

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Legal Futures, 4th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Legal aid services are on brink of collapse, lawyers tell MPs – The Guardian

Posted October 30th, 2020 in budgets, coronavirus, criminal justice, inquiries, law firms, legal representation, Ministry of Justice, miscarriage of justice, news, select committees, solicitors by sally

‘Legal aid services are on the brink of collapse due to successive cuts and the disruption wreaked by Covid-19, say lawyers.’

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The Guardian, 29th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

New Developments in Cost Budgeting – 4 New Square

Posted October 29th, 2020 in budgets, civil procedure rules, costs, news, practice directions by sally

‘Ben Williams QC, Rob Marven QC and Benjie Fowler consider the changes to cost budgeting introduced in October 2020.’

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4 New Square, 7th October 2020

Source: www.4newsquare.com

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

Posted October 23rd, 2020 in benefits, budgets, children, duty of care, equality, food, government departments, human rights, news, parliament, school children, statutory duty by sally

‘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

Amendments to Costs Budgeting Rules Coming into Force on 1st October 2020 – St John’s Chambers

Posted October 19th, 2020 in budgets, case management, chambers articles, civil procedure rules, costs, news, practice directions by sally

‘As of 1st October 2020 several amendments to the costs budgeting rules and the related Practice Direction came into force.’

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St John's Chambers, 2nd October 2020

Source: www.stjohnschambers.co.uk

Government paying junior barristers less than national minimum wage – The Bar Council

Posted October 5th, 2020 in barristers, budgets, coronavirus, courts, criminal justice, delay, Ministry of Justice, news, remuneration by tracey

‘Some barristers are being paid the equivalent of £6.25 per hour by the government, less than the National Minimum Wage, despite their central role in clearing the 500,000-plus backlog of cases in the criminal courts, says the Bar Council in its Spending Review submission to the Treasury.’

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The Bar Council, 1st October 2020

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

Commercial chambers offers £20k to fund withdrawn pupillage at crime set – Legal Futures

Posted September 16th, 2020 in barristers, budgets, coronavirus, criminal justice, government departments, news, pupillage by michael

‘A London commercial chambers has put up £20,000 to fund a pupillage that a criminal set has had to withdraw because of the impact of Covid-19.’

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Legal Futures, 16th September 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

More deferred sentences in shake-up of criminal justice in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted September 16th, 2020 in budgets, criminal justice, imprisonment, Ministry of Justice, news, rehabilitation, sentencing by michael

‘Ministers are to encourage courts to make more use of deferred sentences – when judges give offenders a chance to turn themselves around before being punished – as part of a £500m shake-up of criminal justice in England and Wales.’

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The Guardian, 16th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Scale of failure in prison system staggering, say MPs – The Guardian

Posted September 11th, 2020 in budgets, Ministry of Justice, news, prisons, standards, statistics by tracey

‘The scale of failure in the prison system in England and Wales is “staggering”, with only 206 out of 10,000 promised new prison spaces delivered by the government, parliament’s spending watchdog has said.’

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The Guardian, 11th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Judge criticises UK government’s ‘inadequate’ efforts to aid Covid-19 backlog – The Guardian

Posted September 9th, 2020 in budgets, coronavirus, criminal justice, Crown Court, custody, delay, judges, Ministry of Justice, news, statistics, time limits by sally

‘A crown court judge has refused to extend the custody time limit for keeping a man in prison awaiting trial and accused the government of under-funding the criminal justice system during the pandemic.’

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The Guardian, 8th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

New limits on compensation fund to save costs – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 29th, 2020 in barristers, budgets, compensation, fees, limitations, news, professional conduct, solicitors, Solicitors Regulation Authority by tracey

‘Maximum payments to clients of dishonest solicitors are to be slashed from £2m to £500,000 as part of measures to reduce the financial burden on the profession, the Solicitors Regulation Authority has announced.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 28th July 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

New Acts – legislation.gov.uk

Posted July 23rd, 2020 in budgets, legislation, stamp duty by tracey

Stamp Duty Land Tax (Temporary Relief) Act 2020

Supply and Appropriation (Main Estimates) Act 2020

Business and Planning Act 2020

Source: www.legislation.gov.uk

Council faces judicial review over SEND cuts – Local Government Lawyer

Posted July 10th, 2020 in budgets, children, disabled persons, education, families, judicial review, learning difficulties, local government, news by sally

‘A group of parents of children with special educational needs or disabilities has been granted permission to take the London Borough of Waltham Forest to judicial review over spending cuts.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 9th July 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Green light given for judicial review challenge of £350 million hospital redevelopment plan – Local Government Lawyer

Posted July 9th, 2020 in budgets, health, hospitals, judicial review, news by sally

‘A judicial review into the allocation of funding for hospital services in Hertfordshire is to take place after campaigners for a new hospital successfully applied for a judicial review of the plan to redevelop the area’s existing hospitals.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 8th July 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

MoJ pumps £5.4m into not-for-profit advice sector – Legal Futures

Posted May 5th, 2020 in budgets, charities, coronavirus, law centres, news by sally

‘The government has announced a £5.4m cash injection for law centres and other legal advice charities to help people with housing, debt, discrimination and employment problems during the Covid-19 crisis.’

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Legal Futures, 5th May 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Law Commission unveils employment tribunal reform package – Litigation Futures

Posted May 1st, 2020 in budgets, contract of employment, employment, employment tribunals, Law Commission, news, time limits by sally

‘Doubling the time limit for launching claims to six months and allowing workers to bring breach of contract claims while still employed are among Law Commission recommendations for employment tribunal (ET) reform.’

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Litigation Futures, 30th April 2020

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Call for employment tribunals to have more power to protect workers – The Guardian

Posted May 1st, 2020 in budgets, contract of employment, coronavirus, emergency powers, employment, employment tribunals, Law Commission, news, time limits by sally

‘Employment tribunals should be given powers to make awards of up to £100,000 for breach of contract and to deal with disputes where staff are still in work, the Law Commission has recommended.’

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The Guardian, 29th April 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Bar Council and BSB cut costs as Scots slash fees for solicitors – Legal Futures

Posted April 30th, 2020 in barristers, budgets, coronavirus, fees, news, solicitors by sally

‘The Bar Council and Bar Standards Board have announced a series of measures – including furloughing – to make savings of more than £200,000 to aid the profession during the Covid-19 crisis.’

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Legal Futures, 30th April 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk