Boxing beard ban is discrimination, says Sikh amateur fighter – BBC News
‘A ruling that amateur fighters in Wales must be clean shaven is discriminatory, a Sikh boxer has said.’
BBC News, 2nd July 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: equality
Court of Appeal rejects challenge to lawfulness of discriminatory allocation of housing on ground of religion – Local Government Lawyer
‘The Court of Appeal has rejected an appeal against a Divisional Court ruling that a charitable housing association’s arrangements for allocating housing, which amount to direct discrimination on the ground of religion, were lawful.’
Local Government Lawyer, 27th June 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘Councils Cannot Blame Funding For Special Educational Needs Failures’, High Court Told – Rights Info
‘A lack of funding gives councils “no excuse” for failing to meet their legal duty to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a court has heard.’
Rights Info, 27th June 2019
Source: rightsinfo.org
JusticeWatch: Growing ‘justice gap’ in discrimination cases – Legal Voice
‘Victims of discrimination were being denied access to justice and offenders going unchallenged as a result of a ‘failing’ legal aid system, as reported in the Justice Gap.’
Legal Voice, 21st June 2019
Source: legalvoice.org.uk
Legal profession launches pledge to achieve gender equality – Legal Futures
‘Solicitors, barristers and chartered legal executives have launched a pledge to “achieve gender equality in senior ranks of the profession”.’
Legal Futures, 20th June 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Women lawyers face uphill struggle on fees and salaries – Legal Futures
‘Some clients expect discounts on fees for using a female lawyer while women who push for higher salaries are likely to be labelled “aggressive”, a global survey by the Law Society has found. The report concluded that quotas could help to tackle inequality as there was “no real equality or meritocracy in the legal profession”.’
Legal Futures, 19th June 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Victims of discrimination ‘denied justice’ as legal aid cuts create ‘David vs Goliath’ scenario, report finds – The Independent
‘Victims of discrimination in England and Wales are being denied justice due to soaring legal aid cuts, the equalities watchdog has warned. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said people who had been discriminated against for reasons such as their race, gender or disability were being left to represent themselves in court, creating a “David vs Goliath” scenario or letting perpetrators to go entirely unchallenged.’
The Independent, 19th June 2019
Source: www.independent.co.uk
LGBT relationships and the school curriculum: a human rights analysis – UK Human Rights Blog
‘What is the scope of a school’s duty to accommodate the religion of a parent whose children attend its schools? From September 2020, it will become mandatory for “relationship education” which includes lessons about LGBT relationships to be taught in English primary schools under the Children and Social Work Act 2017. According to a petition by Muslim parents in Birmingham, however, such teaching contradicts the Islamic faith, thereby violating their freedom of religion.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 4th June 2019
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
Panel urges regulation of algorithms used in criminal justice system – Legal Futures
‘A year-long study of the use of computer algorithms in the criminal justice system has recommended creating a national register to bring openness, expose built-in biases, and ensure public trust.’
Legal Futures, 5th June 2019
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Possession and the PSED (again) – Nearly Legal
‘London and Quadrant HR v Patrick [2019] EWHC 1263 (QB) follows hard on the footsteps of Powell v Dacorum BC [2019] EWCA Civ 29 and Forward v Aldwyck Housing Group Ltd [2019] EWHC 24 (QB) (our note here), with Turner J making some fairly caustic observations about the use of the public sector equality duty in possession cases. He ended his substantive judgment with the observation that, “I note that the decision in Forward is under appeal to the Court of Appeal. It is to be hoped that, whatever the outcome, such guidance as may be given will significantly reduce the risk that, in future, possession applications are subject to protracted delays and uncertainty which are highly prejudicial to all of those affected”.’
Nearly Legal, 28th May 2019
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
Not discrimination to pay male officers less for shared parental leave than female officers on maternity leave – UK Police Law Blog
‘The Court of Appeal in (1) Capita Customer Management Ltd v Ali & (2) Chief Constable of Leicestershire v Hextall [2019] EWCA Civ 900, has overturned the Employment Appeal Tribunal and held that employees do not unlawfully discriminate against men when when paying them less for shared parental leave than they pay women when taking enhanced maternity pay as part of maternity leave. Such claims are not sex discrimination claims but equal terms claims, to be brought under the Equal Pay Act 1970, which are bound to fail because they relate to terms of work affording special treatment to woman in connection with pregnancy of childbirth. An appeal to the Supreme Court is possible.’
UK Police Law Blog, 29th May 2019
Source: ukpolicelawblog.com
Equality body launches investigation of Labour antisemitism claims – The Guardian
‘Labour has been placed under formal investigation by the equalities watchdog over whether the party has unlawfully discriminated against, harassed or victimised people because they are Jewish. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said it was launching an official inquiry under section 20 of the Equality Act 2006 after carrying out preliminary investigations since March.’
The Guardian, 28th May 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Trans women given formal access to Hampstead Heath pond – The Guardian
‘Transgender women have had their right to use Hampstead Heath ponds formalised in a new policy. The City of London Corporation (CoLC), which manages Hampstead Heath and its ponds, announced that it had adopted a new gender identity policy to make sure services in the area “are fully compliant with the Equality Act 2010, and do not discriminate against trans people”.’
The Guardian, 23rd May 2019
Source: www.theguardian.com
Oxbridge can force old professors to retire in order to boost diversity, tribunal ruling suggests – Daily Telegraph
‘Oxford and Cambridge universities can force old professors to retire in order to boost diversity, a tribunal ruling suggests.’
Daily Telegraph, 22nd May 2019
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Maternity rights bill could make things worse, campaigner says – BBC News
‘A bill which aims to protect women’s jobs when they return to work after giving birth will have little impact, a pregnancy rights campaigner says.’
BBC News, 22nd May 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Court of Appeal to hear case on public sector equality duty and possession orders over false representations – Local Government Lawyer
‘A case concerning the interrelationship between the public sector equality duty and the court’s discretion to make a possession order because of false representations is to go to the Court of Appeal, it has been reported.’
Local Government Lawyer, 16th May 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
New Judgment: R (DA & Ors) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions; R (DS & Ors) v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions [2019] UKSC 21 – UKSC Blog
‘This appeal considered whether the application of the revised benefit cap, introduced by the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016, s 8, to lone parents with children under two years old (i) unlawfully discriminates against parents and/or the children, contrary to ECHR, art 14 with art 8, and/or art 2 of the First Protocol and in breach of the UK’s international obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, art 3, and/or (ii) is irrelevant.’
UKSC Blog, 15th May 2019
Source: ukscblog.com
The socio-economic duty: A powerful idea hidden in plain sight in the Equality Act – Oxford Human Rights Hub
‘Section 1 of the Equality Act 2010 asks public authorities to actively consider the way in which their policies and their most strategic decisions can increase or decrease inequalities. I am talking about the socio-economic duty. However, successive governments since 2010 have failed to commence it, to bring it to life in technical terms, which means that public authorities are not technically bound by Section 1.’
Oxford Human Rights Hub, 15th May 2019
Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk
