Court case delays left assault victim waiting over a year – BBC News
‘The government has announced emergency funding to help tackle huge delays in court trials.’
BBC News, 23rd April 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: coronavirus
Kent council fined after mother and son left to live in tent in pandemic – The Guardian
‘A council has been fined after it removed a homeless teenager and his mother from temporary housing during the pandemic, leaving them to sofa surf and live in a tent for two months.’
The Guardian, 23rd April 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Report condemns Home Office failures at barracks used to house asylum seekers – The Guardian
‘The full scale of Home Office failures in managing former military sites as makeshift accommodation for asylum seekers is laid bare in a raft of damning documents seen by the Guardian.’
The Guardian, 23rd April 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Parliament’s power needs to be restored after its ‘shocking’ marginalisation by government – UCL Constitution Unit
‘The Constitution Unit has jointly written a briefing to all MPs – summarised in a letter in the Times published on 21 April 2021 – with the Hansard Society, Public Law Project and Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law warning that parliamentary accountability and control over decisions have diminished to a degree that would have been unthinkable before COVID-19. Individual MPs have also been shut out of participation, and the vast majority of Commons votes are now held by party whips.’
UCL Constitution Unit, 21st April 2021
Source: www.ucl.ac.uk
Police ‘decided not to investigate’ more crimes during coronavirus pandemic, watchdog says – The Independent
‘Police in some areas of Britain have “increased the number of crimes they decided not to investigate” during the coronavirus pandemic, a watchdog has revealed.’
The Independent, 20th April 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘No meaningful parliamentary debate or scrutiny’ of Covid laws, says former government legal chief – The Independent
‘The British government’s former top lawyer has called for urgent changes to the way coronavirus laws are made after a year without any “meaningful parliamentary debate or scrutiny”.’
The Independent, 20th April 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Covid: Police watchdog says officers confused by unclear pandemic laws – BBC News
‘A review of policing says officers sometimes struggled to enforce coronavirus restrictions because of a lack of clarity from ministers.’
BBC News, 19th April 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Mandatory vaccinations for care home workers – a slippery slope? – UK Human Rights Blog
‘Or, as Andrew Neil put it on the Spectator TV News Channel this week, “A Dripping Roast For Lawyers”. To be fair, Neil was referring to the patchwork of mandatory vaccines across the United States. But with the publication yesterday of the Government’s consultation paper on vaccine requirements for all staff deployed in a care home supporting at least one older adult over the age of 65, the debate raging about “vaccine passports” has a real target in its sights. Not only because the government has found some primary legislation that gives it the power to introduce mandatory vaccinations, but also because the proposals are not limited to employees.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 16th April 2021
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
Senior City lawyers want to continue working flexibly – or will leave – Legal Futures
‘The major City law firms are on notice that their big hitters want a permanent post-Covid change in work patterns or some will look to leave, new research has found.’
Legal Futures, 16th April 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Solicitor unfairly dismissed for refusing Covid variation to contract – Legal Futures
‘A solicitor fired after refusing a demand to vary her contract so her firm could furlough her or reduce her wages to help it cope with the impact of Covid has won a claim for unfair dismissal.’
Legal Futures, 15th April 2021
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Street Space and Taxis During the COVID-19 Pandemic – City Law Forum
‘The taxi or black cab has from time immemorial been part of the London transport scene. They are permitted to use all available road space, including bus lanes. The current pandemic has motivated the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) to create a policy resulting in traffic plan and traffic orders limiting the amount of road space available for vehicles. The result of these orders has been to restrict taxis from using road space (including bus lanes) in two areas of central London that were previously available to them.’
City Law Forum, 14th April 2021
Source: blogs.city.ac.uk
About 700,000 renters served with ‘no-fault’ eviction notices since start of pandemic – The Guardian
‘About 700,000 renters are estimated to have been served with “no-fault” eviction notices since the start of the pandemic, despite a government promise to scrap the practice.’
The Guardian, 15th April 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
Care home residents ‘barred’ from voting in local elections because of Covid rules – Daily Telegraph
‘Care home residents are “effectively barred” from voting in person in the elections by guidance that requires them to self-isolate for 14 days after leaving the home, a care group has said.’
Daily Telegraph, 14th April 2021
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Older drinkers risk discrimination says charity, after pub refuses to serve man without smartphone – Daily Telegraph
‘Older drinkers are at risk of discrimination in pubs because they do not have smartphones to order food and drinks on an app, a charity has warned.’
Daily Telegraph, 13th April 2021
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Covid-19 related absence dismissal was not automatically unfair – St Philips Barristers
‘The Leeds Employment Tribunal has recently determined one of the first dismissals arising out of the coronavirus pandemic in Rogers v Leeds Laser Cuttings Ltd [2021] No. 1803829/2020, writes Jonathan Gidney.’
St Philips Chambers, 25th March 2021
Source: st-philips.com
Legal implications of ‘no jab, no job’ – Six Pump Court
‘Gordon Menzies considers the legal implications of ‘no jab, no job’ initiatives by employers and offers a guide to some of the relevant factors that should be taken into consideration when such measures are considered.’
Six Pump Court, 6th April 2021
Source: www.6pumpcourt.co.uk
Covid-19 and the courts – The House of Lords Constitution Committee’s report – Transparency Project
‘In a report published at the end of last month the House of Lords Constitution Committee made a number of criticisms of the way the courts have responded to the coronavirus pandemic and the suspension of live hearings necessitated by the lockdown, and made various recommendations as to the need for more resources to reduce the backlog of cases and create a better justice system for the future.’
Transparency Project, 11th April 2021
Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk
‘Direct discrimination’: extremely vulnerable fans barred from Carabao Cup final – The Guardian
‘The decision to bar clinically extremely vulnerable supporters from the Carabao Cup final is “direct discrimination”, according to a group of disabled Tottenham fans.’
The Guardian, 13th April 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
NHS Covid-19 app update blocked for breaking Apple and Google’s rules – BBC News
‘An update to England and Wales’s contact tracing app has been blocked for breaking the terms of an agreement made with Apple and Google.’
BBC News, 12th April 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Police cannot tackle all Covid breaches as crime returns to pre-pandemic levels, senior officer warns – The Independent
‘Police will not be able to respond to all breaches of coronavirus restrictions as crime rises towards pre-pandemic levels, a senior officer has warned.’
The Independent, 12th April 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
