Government urged to fix ‘disastrous state’ of rape prosecutions – The Guardian

‘An alliance of women’s organisations is calling for radical reforms to address the “disastrous state” of rape investigations and prosecutions, including a ministerial lead, a commission on juries and a ban on the use of sexual history evidence.’

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The Guardian, 30th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Criminalise public sexual harassment in UK, charities say – The Guardian

Posted November 23rd, 2020 in charities, children, criminal justice, harassment, news, sexual offences, statistics, women by sally

‘Girls’ rights groups are calling for public sexual harassment to be criminalised in the UK after research suggested more than half of young women and girls were harassed on the street during the summer.’

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The Guardian, 22nd November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Facebook’s Instagram ‘failed self-harm responsibilities’ – BBC News

‘Children’s charity the NSPCC has said a drop in Facebook’s removal of harmful content was a “significant failure in corporate responsibility”.’

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BBC News, 19th November 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Shock new figures fuel fears of more lockdown domestic abuse killings in UK – The Guardian

‘Calls to the UK’s largest domestic abuse helpline are rising “week on week” as new figures reveal that almost 50 suspected killings may have occurred during the first lockdown.’

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The Guardian, 15th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Covid-19 prompts UK call for statutory paid bereavement leave – The Guardian

Posted November 9th, 2020 in bereavement, bills, charities, coronavirus, employment, families, news by sally

‘People who lose a close relative or partner should be entitled to two weeks’ statutory paid bereavement leave, the Sue Ryder charity has said.’

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The Guardian, 9th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Supreme Court rejects appeal over allocation of housing to members of religious group – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Supreme Court has unanimously dismissed an appeal over the lawfulness and proportionality of a housing charity’s policy of allocating social housing primarily to members of the Orthodox Jewish community in Hackney and in particular the Haredi community.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 16th October 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

New Judgment: R (on the application of Z and Anor) (AP) v Hackney London Borough Council and Anor [2020] UKSC 40 – UKSC Blog

‘The Supreme Court unanimously dismissed this appeal about the application of anti-discrimination law to charities, where they are established to provide benefits (in this case, social housing) for particular groups which are the subject of their charitable objectives. The relevant anti-discrimination laws are contained in the Equality Act 2010 and Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 (the “Race Directive”).’

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UKSC Blog, 16th October 2020

Source: ukscblog.com

UK supreme court backs housing charity’s ‘Jewish only’ rule – The Guardian

‘A woman seeking housing in east London who alleged racial discrimination when a housing charity reserved its properties for Orthodox Jewish people has lost her case at the supreme court.’

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The Guardian, 16th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

SRA seeks charitable status in Law Society split – Legal Futures

‘The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is applying for charitable status as part of becoming a distinct legal entity within the Law Society Group, it has emerged.’

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Legal Futures, 16th October 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Report raises alarm over police detention of vulnerable suspects in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘Police officers detained and interviewed hundreds of thousands of vulnerable suspects last year in England and Wales in breach of mandatory safeguards, according to the body that sets standards for those who support vulnerable adults in police custody.’

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The Guardian, 28th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Male domestic abuse victims ‘sleeping in cars and tents’ – BBC News

Posted September 24th, 2020 in charities, coronavirus, domestic violence, news, victims by sally

‘Charities dealing with men who suffer domestic abuse have seen pleas for help jump by up to 60% during the lockdown.’

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BBC News, 24th September 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Coronavirus: Charity seeks judicial review on care home visit guidance – BBC News

Posted September 3rd, 2020 in care homes, charities, coronavirus, judicial review, news by sally

‘A dementia charity is seeking a judicial review of the government guidance on care home visits.’

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BBC News, 3rd September 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Coronavirus: Bailiffs return to chase pre-lockdown unpaid debts – BBC News

Posted August 24th, 2020 in bailiffs, charities, coronavirus, council tax, debts, fines, news by sally

‘Bailiffs are resuming operations in England and Wales chasing unpaid council tax after a five-month suspension owing to coronavirus.’

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BBC News, 24th August 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

RSPCA calls for more regulation in pet industry – BBC News

Posted August 18th, 2020 in animal cruelty, animals, charities, dogs, news by sally

‘Not all local authorities require dog walkers, trainers and groomers to have qualifications and licences to operate, say the RSPCA, and this can lead to some animals being put at risk.’

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BBC News, 18th August 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Disclosure of information to GP: not “data” under GDPR – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted August 13th, 2020 in charities, confidentiality, consent, disclosure, medical records, news, vetting by sally

‘The High Court has struck out a claim that the disclosure of certain personal information made by a charity to the claimant’s GP was unlawful. Although only summary, this judgment goes to the heart of what we believe data protection to be about. As you will tell from my somewhat trenchant comments at the end of this post, I find it difficult to accept the main conclusion in this ruling.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, August 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Landlords in England ignoring ‘no DSS’ ban, claim private renters – The Guardian

Posted August 3rd, 2020 in benefits, charities, housing, landlord & tenant, news by sally

‘Hundreds of private renters in England in receipt of benefits are still struggling to secure accommodation despite a landmark ruling saying that landlords are not allowed to discriminate against this group.’

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The Guardian, 2nd August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

British trafficking victim sues Priti Patel alleging abuse of personal data – The Guardian

‘A British victim of trafficking is bringing a case against the home secretary, Priti Patel, arguing that her department unlawfully accessed personal information including details of her intimate thoughts.’

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The Guardian, 30th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

New Judgment: Lehtimaki & Ors v Cooper [2020] UKSC 33 – UKSC Blog

Posted July 30th, 2020 in charities, company law, fiduciary duty, jurisdiction, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation is a charitable company with more than $4bn in assets helping children in developing countries. It was founded by Sir Christopher Hohn and Ms Jamie Cooper in 2002, but it became difficult to manage when their marriage broke down. These proceedings stem from the steps they took to resolve those difficulties. Specifically, they agreed that in exchange for a grant of $360 million to Big Win Philanthropy, a charity founded by Ms Cooper, she would resign as a member and trustee of CIFF.’

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UKSC Blog, 29th July 2020

Source: ukscblog.com

Ofgem takes action on ‘unscrupulous’ UK energy brokers – The Guardian

Posted July 29th, 2020 in care homes, charities, consumer protection, energy, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘Regulators’ plans aim to stop energy brokers overcharging small businesses and local bodies including care homes.’

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The Guardian, 29th July 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Discrimination and ‘No DSS’ – Nearly Legal

‘As we have seen before, Shelter have been supporting discrimination claims under the Equality Act 2010 against letting agents who operate a ‘No DSS’ policy (meaning a refusal to even consider people claiming housing related benefits – who are often employed – as applicants for tenancies. The DSS ceased to exist in 2001, which suggests how longstanding this issue is). These claims all settled out of court. Now a claim has gone to judgment.’

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Nearly Legal, 14th July 2020

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk