Prisons need ‘profound culture change’, charities say – BBC News
‘Prisons in England and Wales need a “profound culture change” which focuses on inmate safety, a new report says.’
BBC News, 13th February 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: charities
UK foreign aid fraud investigations ‘quadruple in last five years’ – The Guardian
‘Fraud investigations involving foreign aid have quadrupled over five years as more public money is given to “fragile” countries, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has found.’
The Guardian, 9th February 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
RSPCA will keep powers to prosecute animal abusers, Government rules – Daily Telegraph
‘The RSPCA will be allowed to continue animal cruelty prosecutions, a report published today has revealed, as MPs’ calls for the charity to be stripped of its powers have been ignored by the Government.’
Daily Telegraph, 7th February 2017
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Jehovah’s Witnesses charity drops attempts to block abuse inquiry – The Guardian
‘he UK’s main Jehovah’s Witnesses charity has dropped efforts to block an investigation into how it handled allegations of sexual abuse, including of children, after a legal fight lasting more than two years.’
The Guardian, 2r3d January 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Chief druid wins right to take English Heritage to court over Stonehenge parking charges – Daily Telegraph
‘A senior druid has won the right to take a charity to court over “pay-to-pray” parking charges for the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge, claiming it should be free.’
Daily Telegraph, 10th January 2017
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Almshouses, tenancies and Article 14 – Nearly Legal
‘This post is my Christmas gift to land law students everywhere in the UK. It is a discussion of the very important Court of Appeal decision in Watts v Stewart [2016] EWCA Civ 1247, which concerned whether charitable providers of accommodation (in this case, almshouses, but, in principle, the issue in the case is broader) are exceptions to the Street v Mountford mantra that exclusive possession for a fixed term at a rent = tenancy.’
Nearly Legal, 29th December 2016
Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk
Jedi order fails in attempt to register as religious group – The Guardian
‘A Star Wars-inspired organisation has failed to use the force of its arguments to convince the charity watchdog that it should be considered a religious organisation.’
The Guardian, 19th December 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Richard Clayton QC: New Directions for Article 10: Strasbourg Reverses the Supreme Court in Kennedy – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v Charity Commission was striking from many points of view. Mr Kennedy was a journalist frustrated by the way the Commission handled his allegations concerning George Galloway MP’s controversial Iraq charity, the Miriam Appeal. He applied for disclosure of documents under the Freedom of Information Act, arguing that a prohibition from disclosure under s 32 should be interpreted compatibly with Article 10, as required by s 3 of the HRA. However, the Supreme Court declined to follow the recent ECtHR case law, holding that Article 10 did not encompass a right of access to information, deprecating the parties’ failure to rely upon the common law right to information and disagreeing over the question of whether proportionality should replace Wednesbury unreasonableness: see my previous post on this here.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 13th December 2016
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
Charity bequests shouldn’t have special status, Supreme Court hears – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Charities should be treated no differently from any other beneficiary of a will when resolving disputes, seven Supreme Court judges heard today in a long running legal battle over a £468,000 bequest to animal charities. In Ilott v The Blue Cross and Others, the court is considing an appeal by three animal charities case against a Court of Appeal ruling setting aside a will on the grounds that it did not make reasonable provision for the testator’s daughter.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 12th December 2016
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Supreme Court to hear ‘unfair wills’ test case – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The Supreme Court will today hear a case that should clarify the law on challenging wills on the grounds that they do not make reasonable provision. Animal charities are appealing a Court of Appeal decision in July last year in favour of Heather Ilott, who had been excluded from her mother Melita Jackson’s will.’
Law Society’s Gazette, 12th December 2016
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Charities fined over ‘wealth screening’ data breaches – BBC News
‘Two charities have been fined over data protection breaches after secretly screening donors so they could be targeted for more money.’
BBC News, 6th December 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Ilott v Mitson: A storm in a Teacup? – Zenith Chambers
‘With Ilott due to be heard in the Supreme Court on 12th December 2016[1], Nicola Phillipson considers the impact the case has had upon claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (“the Act”) and wonders whether the importance of the various decisions has in fact been overblown?’
Zenith Chambers, 31st October 2016
Source: www.zenithchambers.co.uk
NSPCC rejects plan for ‘mandatory reporting’ of suspected child abuse – The Guardian
‘Plans to compel professionals to report their concerns that children are being abused have been rejected by the UK’s leading child protection charity, provoking fury from a victim support group.’
The Guardian, 5th November 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
13,000 British paedophiles request help to stop looking at child sex abuse images in one year – The Independent
‘More than 13,000 people have sought help to stop them from viewing indecent images of children in the past year, according to a leading charity.’
The Independent, 13th October 2016
Source: www.independent.co.uk
What does the Sunday Mirror allege Keith Vaz did – and is it illegal? – The Guardian
‘Is it against the law to buy sex or to offer to pay for cocaine? And are poppers legal?’
The Guardian, 5th September 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Slavery reports rise fivefold, Salvation Army says – BBC News
‘The Salvation Army says it has seen nearly a fivefold rise in the number of slavery victims it has helped in England and Wales since 2012.’
BBC News, 22nd August 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
