Pylon compensation is a joke, say residents – BBC News

‘People living on land which could be chosen for a major new power line have hit back at compensation plans. The government would give those living within 500m of new pylons £250 a year off their energy bills for a decade.’

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BBC News, 20th March 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Raising the standard – or a missed opportunity? – Local Government Lawyer

‘Matt Lewin reflects on the Government’s consultation on reforms to the standards and conduct framework.’

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Local Government Lawyer , 14th March 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Probation Service problems in England and Wales leaving public at risk, watchdog finds – The Guardian

‘The Probation Service in England and Wales “has too few staff” with “too little experience and training” and leaves members of the public at risk, an official watchdog has found.’

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The Guardian, 18th March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Prisons set to run out of spaces again within a year despite early release scheme, MPs warn – The Independent

‘Overcrowded prisons will face “total gridlock in a matter of months” and run out of space in 2026 despite emergency measures to release prisoners early, MPs have warned.’

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The Independent, 14th March 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

What could Apple’s high court challenge mean for data protection? – The Guardian

‘Apple will challenge a UK government demand to access encrypted customer data at a high court hearing in London on Friday. The appeal will be considered by the investigatory powers tribunal, which investigates claims the domestic intelligence services have acted unlawfully.’

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The Guardian, 14th March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Secret hearing on Friday in Apple and UK government data row – BBC News

‘Apple’s appeal against a UK government demand to be able to access its customers’ most highly encrypted data is set to be considered at a secret hearing at the High Court on Friday, the BBC understands.’

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BBC News, 12th March 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ioannis Kouvakas: You Can’t Have Your Apple and Eat It Too: Decryption Orders and the Perilous Future of U.K. Data Adequacy – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Earlier last month, The Washington Post reported that Apple, a technology company known for emphasizing privacy as one of its key selling points, had been ordered by the U.K. government to create a back door that would enable the retrieval of all content uploaded by any Apple user worldwide to iCloud. iCloud is a cloud storage service that is encrypted by default, and its users may also opt in to the use of end-to-end encryption, an additional layer of security ensuring that only the user (and not even Apple) can access the stored data.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 13th March 2025

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Decision not to classify Southport killer as a terrorist was right, says UK watchdog – The Guardian

‘The decision not to classify Axel Rudakubana as a terrorist following the Southport murders was right because it would be unhelpful to stretch the definition of terrorism to cover all extreme violence, the UK’s terror watchdog has concluded.’

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The Guardian, 13th March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Peers to probe state of rule of law – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The state of the rule of law in the UK is to come under scrutiny by a high-powered committee of peers with members including a former lord chief justice. The House of Lords Constitution Committee today invited written contributions into an inquiry “seeking to understand the rule of law as a constitutional principle and what the state of the rule of law is in the UK.”‘

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Law Society's Gazette, 11th March 2025

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Government commits to public inquiry recommendations transparency – OUT-LAW.com

Posted March 11th, 2025 in accidents, disclosure, fire, government departments, inquiries, news by tracey

‘The UK government has set out plans to increase transparency over the recommendations made by UK public inquiries, in a move one expert said will improve the effectiveness of those inquiries in future.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 10th March 2025

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Commonhold reform: ‘a step forward but caution required in wave of property law reforms’ – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK government has outlined plans to ban the sale of new leasehold flats in England and Wales in a move designed to embed a new commonhold model into the property market.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 6th March 2025

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Research Briefing: Crime and Policing Bill 2024-25 – House of Commons Library

‘The Crime and Policing Bill 2024-25 was published on 27 February 2025. The bill is listed for second reading on 10 March 2025.’

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House of Commons Library, 6th March 2025

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Migrants and refugee families in the UK denied childcare funding, report finds – The Guardian

‘Tens of thousands of children in migrant and refugee families in the UK are being denied access to government-funded childcare because of benefit restrictions linked to their parents’ immigration status, a report says.’

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The Guardian, 7th March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Employment Rights Bill amendments signify additional considerations for employers – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK government has introduced a large number of amendments to the already lengthy Employment Rights Bill (ERB).’

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OUT-LAW.com, 5th March 2025

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Terence Daintith: Attacking the Attorney General: Some constitutional and administrative context – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted March 6th, 2025 in attorney general, constitutional law, government departments, news by sally

‘Identifying the rules and practices that should properly be regarded as part of our flexible and uncodified constitution is nowhere more difficult than in relation to the internal workings of the executive. At one time this difficulty was normally attributed to a culture of secrecy within government that kept information about its internal organisation out of the public domain. But as Alan Page and I document in our forthcoming Executive Self-Government and the Constitution (OUP, expected April 2025), which shows how constitutionally significant rules and practices within the executive have evolved over the course of this century, a far greater volume of material about such rules and practices is now published – a response, one might surmise, not so much to the formal requirements of the Freedom of Information Act as to the informal pressures and expectations fuelled by the internet, social media and the 24-hour news cycle.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 6th March 2025

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Ministers criticise ‘two-tier’ sentencing changes in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘Ministers have criticised plans to make the ethnic background of offenders a greater factor in determining whether to jail them, saying they amounted to a “two-tier system” of justice.’

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The Guardian, 6th March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

The UK Government and defining “Islamophobia” – Law & Religion UK

‘The Government has established a new working group to produce a “working definition” of Anti-Muslim Hatred and Islamophobia. It will advise government on how best to understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims.’

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Law & Religion UK, 5th March 2025

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

Government publishes commonhold White Paper – Law Commission

Posted March 4th, 2025 in government departments, housing, Law Commission, leases, news by tracey

‘The Government has today taken forward recommendations by the Law Commission in its Commonhold White Paper.’

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Law Commission, 3rd March 2025

Source: lawcom.gov.uk

Centuries-old leasehold system to be abolished in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted March 3rd, 2025 in bills, government departments, housing, leases, news, service charges by sally

‘The housing minister has promised to abolish the centuries-old leasehold system in England and Wales before the end of this parliament, as the government takes the next steps towards an outright ban on new leasehold developments.’

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The Guardian, 3rd March 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ban pornography depicting strangulation, review urges UK ministers – The Guardian

‘Pornography depicting strangulation should be made illegal along with other kinds of “legal but harmful” sexual material, according to an independent government review.’

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The Guardian, 27th February 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com