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

Government to bring in single construction regulator, new legal duty of candour for public bodies after accepting Grenfell inquiry report recommendations in full – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Government has accepted all 58 recommendations in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report, and will introduce a new single construction regulator “to ensure those responsible for building safety are held to account”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 26th February 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Army only paid me £5k for my combat hearing loss’ – BBC News

‘A veteran has accused the Army of not doing enough to help with the hearing loss he said developed during his service.’

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BBC News, 25th February 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Barristers win 25% increase in rates for government work – Legal Futures

Posted February 24th, 2025 in barristers, fees, government departments, news, remuneration by sally

‘Barristers doing government work will see a 25% increase in rates from 1 April, in some cases the first rise since the panels were first introduced in 1997.’

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Legal Futures, 24th February 2025

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

UK government may have breached young soldier’s right to life, coroner concludes – The Guardian

‘The UK government may have breached a young soldier’s right to life by failing to protect her from a sexual assault by a more senior colleague and from sustained unwelcome sexual attention from her line manager, a coroner has concluded.’

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The Guardian, 20th February 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Disabled people in immigration bail: the duties of the Home Office and local authorities – Local Government Lawyer

‘The High Court has ruled that the Home Office has been systemically failing to provide safe and suitable accommodation to disabled applicants, and has given guidance on the interaction between Schedule 10 accommodation and the Care Act 2014. Stephanie Harrison KC, Nadia O’Mara and Isaac Ricca-Richardson analyse its findings.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th February 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Homelessness and health – Local Government Lawyer

‘Julia Jones and Julie Bennett look at government guidance which suggests that the discharging from hospital of people at risk of or experiencing homelessness is a window of opportunity to address an individual’s complex needs.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 20th February 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Planned change in British citizenship rules faces first legal challenge – The Guardian

‘Plans to prevent refugees who arrive in the UK on a small boat, lorry or via other “irregular” means from becoming a British citizen are facing their first legal challenge.”

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The Guardian, 19th February 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Kabul evacuation whistleblower wins case against UK government – The Guardian

‘A civil servant who blew the whistle about the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and Boris Johnson’s involvement in a decision to evacuate a pet charity from Kabul has won her case for unfair dismissal against the government in a legal first.’

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The Guardian, 18th February 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Devon man jailed for sending ‘utterly deplorable’ email to Jess Phillips MP – The Guardian

‘A 39-year-old man has been jailed for sending an “utterly deplorable” email to safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, one day after she was criticised by X owner Elon Musk.’

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The Guardian, 18th February 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Starmer in public row with most senior judge over Gaza immigration decision – The Independent

Posted February 19th, 2025 in appeals, government departments, immigration, Israel, judges, judiciary, news, parliament by sally

‘Sir Keir Starmer has found himself in a row with the most senior judge in England and Wales after criticising an immigration decision at last week’s Prime Minister’s Questions.’

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The Independent, 19th February 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

In depth: AI regulation falters as UK snubs international accord – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Legal controls over development and use of artificial intelligence hit an obstacle this week, as the US and UK refused to back a statement in support of AI regulation signed by 60 other countries.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 18th February 2025

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

MoD in legal battle over evacuation of Afghan special forces commandos to UK – The Independent

Posted February 18th, 2025 in Afghanistan, armed forces, government departments, housing, immigration, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is embroiled in a legal battle over the evacuation of former Afghan special forces commandos to the UK.’

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The Independent, 18th February 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Supreme court judges reject Reeves’ motor finance intervention – The Guardian

‘Rachel Reeves was dealt a fresh blow on Monday when her attempt to intervene in a high-profile supreme court case and curb a potential £44bn bill for lenders caught up in the car loan commissions scandal was rejected. Judges at the supreme court rejected the chancellor’s application, lodged last month, in which she urged them to avoid handing “windfall” compensation to borrowers harmed by allegedly secret commission payouts to car dealers that arranged the loans.’

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The Guardian, 17th February 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

Subsidy control law and new statutory guidance – Local Government Lawyer

‘What do the changes to the statutory guidance on subsidy control mean for public authorities? Alexander Rose and Jonathan Branton explain.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th February 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Special Forces blocked 2,000 credible asylum claims from Afghan commandos, MoD confirms – BBC News

‘UK Special Forces command rejected resettlement applications from more than 2,000 Afghan commandos who had shown credible evidence of service in units that fought alongside the SAS and SBS, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed for the first time.’

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BBC News, 17th February 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

DWP confirms 57,000 benefit claimants will get compensation after court ruling – The Independent

‘The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that tens of thousands of benefit claimants can expect to receive significant compensation after several major court battles.’

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The Independent, 14th February 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Most academy leaders in England say new bill will not affect school management – The Guardian

Posted February 14th, 2025 in bills, education, government departments, news, teachers by sally

‘The majority of academy leaders in England say the government’s new schools bill will not affect how they manage their schools, according to a new survey of multi-academy trust chief executives.’

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The Guardian, 14th February 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

MI5 gave courts false evidence about ‘abusive’ neo-Nazi agent, judge rules – The Guardian

‘A high court judge has found that MI5 gave false evidence to three courts as it faced scrutiny over its handling of a neo-Nazi agent alleged to have attacked his partner.’

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The Guardian, 12th February 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com