Council and bus operator to pay out £109k in damages and costs to religious organisation over refusal to advertise rally – Local Government Lawyer

‘Blackpool Council and its wholly owned company Blackpool Transport Services have been ordered to pay £109,000 in damages and costs to a religious organisation run by evangelist Franklin Graham after refusing to advertise a rally on buses.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 21st July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Child protection investigations – no further action necessary? – Transparency Project

Posted July 23rd, 2021 in care orders, children, families, local government, news, social services by sally

‘Are hundreds of thousands of families being put through unnecessary investigations by unchecked social workers? That’s the suggestion made by a succession of recent news stories, some prompted by the first report of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. Services are ‘too focused on investigating families’, went the BBC; ‘innocent families have been traumatised by groundless investigations’, said The Times as part of a series on the issue, elsewhere reporting that ‘councils … launch abuse investigations based on a single unexplained mark’, and asserting ‘social workers too quick to wade in’, quoting the Review’s chair, Josh Macalister, as saying that social workers are ‘investigating first when [they] should be helping’.’

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Transparency Project, 23rd July 2021

Source: www.transparencyproject.org.uk

Judge praises council for “brave but proper decision” to end care proceedings – Local Government Lawyer

‘A Family Court judge has praised the London Borough of Bromley for its “brave but proper decision” to end care proceedings in case where a child was suspected to have suffered deliberate injury but was later found not to.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 22nd July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

High Court criticises Magistrates Court for failure to state a case in closure order dispute – Local Government Lawyer

‘Leeds District Magistrates Court erred by deeming an application frivolous and refusing to state a case for the opinion of the High Court, a judge has ruled.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 22nd July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

High Court judge finds for London borough in row with city council over calculation of age of asylum-seeker – Local Government Lawyer

Posted July 23rd, 2021 in asylum, children, immigration, local government, London, news by sally

‘The London Borough of Croydon has won a High Court case brought against it by Birmingham City Council over how an asylum seeker’s age was calculated.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 22nd July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

High Court gives green light for challenge to DWP consultation on development of new strategy for disabled people – Local Government Lawyer

‘The High Court has allowed four disabled individuals to bring a judicial review challenge of how the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Thérèse Coffey, conducted the consultation on a proposed new national strategy for people with disabilities.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 23rd July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Parent succeeds on all six grounds in judicial review challenge over grant of planning permission for site next to school for special educational needs – Local Government Lawyer

‘The parent of a child who attends a Special Educational Needs school has won a judicial review challenge over Thanet Council’s grant of planning permission for an adjacent site.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Retired solicitor sees off harassment claim over ‘puerile’ blog – Law Society’s Gazette

‘A retired solicitor’s “abrasive” and “frequently puerile” blog posts are entitled to the same level of protection as mainstream journalism, a High Court judge has ruled, striking out a harassment claim brought by a local government officer.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 19th July 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Equalities watchdog to hold inquiry into methods of challenging decisions about adult social care – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has launched an inquiry that will consider the effectiveness of existing methods of challenging local authority decisions about individuals’ entitlements to adult social care or support in England and Wales, including – but not limited to – complaints to local authorities and Ombuds, and judicial review.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 19th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Calls for legal review of UK welfare screening system which factors in age – The Guardian

Posted July 19th, 2021 in age discrimination, equality, fraud, local government, news by michael

‘An automated system that screens welfare claimants for signs they might commit fraud or error has based its verdicts in part on applicants’ age, it has emerged, sparking calls for a review of whether the system is legal.’

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The Guardian, 18th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

No need to change on ‘Freedom Day’ how family courts and Court of Protection have been operating, says Family President – Local Government Lawyer

‘The President of the Family Division has ruled out issuing firm guidance on how the family courts and the Court of Protection should approach their work after 19 July – dubbed “Freedom Day” – when coronavirus restrictions are lifted by the Government.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

When procurement law and contracts for interests in land meet – Local Government Lawyer

Posted July 15th, 2021 in contracts, leases, local government, news, public procurement by sally

‘Colin Ricciardiello provides a case law update examining cases that have examined the overlap between a requirement to procure and a contract for the disposal of an interest in land.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 13th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

London borough secures possession order against groups camping on Clapham Common – Local Government Lawyer

Posted July 14th, 2021 in complaints, local government, London, news, repossession by sally

‘The London Borough of Lambeth has secured an order for possession against occupiers camping on Clapham Common.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 13th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Court of Appeal allows appeal by council as judgment in childcare proceedings did not contain required analysis of competing options – Local Government Lawyer

Posted July 14th, 2021 in adoption, appeals, care orders, children, families, judges, local government, news by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal by a council over a judge’s order that effectively rejected the local authority’s care plan for adoption for an 18-month-old child (A).’

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Local Government Lawyer, 13th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Migrant rough sleeper facing eviction from London accommodation – The Guardian

Posted July 13th, 2021 in homelessness, hotels, housing, immigration, local government, news by sally

‘A migrant rough sleeper is facing eviction from emergency hotel accommodation by a London council because he refuses to return to his home country.’

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The Guardian, 12th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Snowdon: Legal challenge warning for mountain visitor charge – BBC News

Posted July 12th, 2021 in local government, news, parks, Wales by sally

‘Any attempt to charge visitors to go up Snowdon mountain could lead to legal challenges, it has been warned.’

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BBC News, 12th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Family Court judge issues ruling to highlight successful use of “Resolutions Model” – Local Government Lawyer

‘A mother and daughter have been reunited under the rarely used ‘Resolutions Model’ by the Family Court.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 8th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Social Worker awarded damages in Strasbourg for unfair accusations of professional misconduct – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The United Kingdom has been ordered by the European Court of Human Rights to pay damages and legal costs to a social worker who was unfairly accused of professional misconduct by a Family Court judge.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 7th July 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Epidemic of violence against women under way in England and Wales – report – The Guardian

‘Women and girls are being subjected to an epidemic of violence that requires a “radical and bold” shift in how authorities in England and Wales tackle crimes that disproportionately affect female victims, a police watchdog has warned.’

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The Guardian, 7th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Volume of laws makes it impossible for local authorities to enforce them, warn private landlords – Local Government Lawyer

‘Private landlords have complained that there will be 168 pieces of legislation governing their relations with tenants once the new Building Safety Bill passes through Parliament.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 8th July 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk