Jul 23, 2021
The Supreme Court is to hand down next week its ruling in a landmark case on the use of the inherent jurisdiction to authorise placements in unregistered secure accommodation in situations where there are insufficient places in registered secure children’s homes.
Jul 23, 2021
The Supreme Court will next week (30 July) hand down its ruling in a dispute over whether a claimant in statutory and judicial review cases who is unsuccessful at the permission stage should be liable for the costs of multiple other parties, including respondents and interested parties.
Jul 23, 2021
Plans to build a new skatepark in Swansea have been delayed after the High Court quashed Swansea Council's (CCSC's) decision to transfer land earmarked for the £360,000 development to Mumbles Community Council.
Jul 23, 2021
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.
Jul 22, 2021
Suez Recycling and Recovery Surrey has won a stay of proceedings in a dispute with Surrey County Council over the provision of waste infrastructure.
Jul 22, 2021
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.
Jul 22, 2021
Hertfordshire County Council was wrong to withhold information on how an academy trust was chosen to provide schools in Bishop's Stortford and the Information Commissioner had been wrong to agree with the council’s arguments.
Jul 22, 2021
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.
Jul 22, 2021
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.
Jul 22, 2021
The Government should pause any further extensions of permitted development rights (PDRs) for change of use to residential and conduct a review of the role of such PDRs in the wider planning system, MPs have said.
Jul 22, 2021
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, has chosen his preferred proposals for local government reorganisation in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset.
Jul 21, 2021
A parish councillor has won a High Court challenge over a decision by a Deputy Monitoring Officer (DMO) to uphold a complaint that he had breached its Code of Conduct for Members (PC Code).
Jul 21, 2021
The Judicial Review and Courts Bill has been introduced to Parliament today (21 July), with the Government claiming it would “equip judges with the tools to give more tailored solutions in judicial review cases”.
Jul 21, 2021
Sarah Salmon, a specialist in local government, housing and property law and chair of the Social Housing Law Association, has joined Cornerstone Barristers.
Jul 21, 2021
Buckinghamshire Council has been repaid £59,000 after its planning enforcement team secured the clear up of unsightly clutter and removal of an illegal extension in the garden of a property in High Wycombe.
Jul 21, 2021
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.
Jul 20, 2021
A prosecution brought by Birmingham City Council has seen Vue Entertainment fined £750,000 for breaching health and safety legislation at its Star City theatre in Nechells which led to a cinema-goer’s death.
Jul 20, 2021
Cafcass has implemented a process to prioritise and manage high workloads in areas covering Birmingham, the Black Country, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Herefordshire family courts due to what it called "unsustainable pressures" on the family justice system in the area.
Jul 20, 2021
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has issued a revised version of the National Planning Policy Framework and a new National Design Code.
Jul 20, 2021
Campaign group Big Brother Watch has hit out at councils’ use of algorithms, claiming that most of those it had uncovered were “secretive, unevidenced, incredibly invasive and likely discriminatory”.
Jul 20, 2021
A boy missed out on suitable schooling and support because his disabilities did not meet West Sussex County Council's criteria for an assessment, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has reported.
Jul 19, 2021
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…
Jul 19, 2021
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.
Jul 19, 2021
A series of “unpleasant, personally critical publications” by a blogger about a senior local government officer did not found a successful claim for harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, a High Court judge has ruled.
Jul 19, 2021
The time is right to consider a more radical review of local government finances, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee has said.
Jul 16, 2021
The Local Government Association has published supporting guidance which is aimed to help understanding and consistency of approach towards the Model Councillor Code of Conduct.
Jul 16, 2021
Mohammed Farooq, Monitoring Officer and Head of the Law and Governance Division at Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, won the Inspirational Leader Award 2021 at the LLG Awards 2021 last night (15 July).
Jul 16, 2021
The government has announced a range of measures aimed at improving high streets including new powers for councils to compulsorily purchase empty properties, changes to licensing laws and a new permitted development right to enable retail premises to be converted into residential housing.
Jul 16, 2021
Not all of the safety measures employed in HMCTS' buildings will go on 19 July when the England moves to step four of the Government’s roadmap and social distancing is no longer required, its acting chief executive has said.
Jul 16, 2021
The chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life has said the watchdog remains concerned that the Government has not formally responded to its local government ethical standards report, some two and a half years after it was published.
Jul 16, 2021
A charity has threatened Coventry City Council with a judicial review challenge over its grant of planning permission for a 2,400-home development at Eastern Green.
Jul 15, 2021
The Prime Minister has signalled that the Government will adopt a more flexible approach devolution in England, saying “we need to re-write the rulebook”, with new deals for the counties.
Jul 15, 2021
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has criticised Lincolnshire County Council after a family was forced to complain for a second time about the way a relative’s care home fees were charged.
Jul 15, 2021
The London Borough of Bexley has agreed to revise its social care charging policy after a man complained to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) about the way the authority increased its costs.
Jul 15, 2021
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.
Jul 14, 2021
Some coronavirus restrictions in England may need to be retained after 19 July to allow courts to run safely and efficiently, the Law Society has warned.
Jul 14, 2021
Fiona Scolding QC and Samantha Broadfoot QC have been named as joint heads of Landmark Chambers’ Public Law Group, succeeding David Lock QC.
Jul 14, 2021
Without urgent action from government, the audit system for local authorities in England may soon reach breaking point, an influential committee of MPs has warned.
Jul 14, 2021
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is engaging on a ‘Pathfinder’ initiative with the Planning Inspectorate to review its current enforcement workload to identify which appeals could be referred to mediation.
Jul 13, 2021
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is to offer boroughs funding to purchase homes previously sold through the Right to Buy.
Jul 13, 2021
The London Borough of Lambeth has secured an order for possession against occupiers camping on Clapham Common.
Jul 13, 2021
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).
Jul 13, 2021
The Good Law Project has launched a judicial review challenge against five local authorities over the placement of children in care outside their local area and against the Education Secretary over the failure to force the councils to comply with their obligations.
Jul 13, 2021
The High Court has thrown out a judicial review challenge over the lawfulness of a decision by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care during the pandemic to award a £102.6m contract to a company for the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), after finding the claim form was not…
Jul 13, 2021
Bedford Borough Council has issued a prior information notice on its plans to procure a barristers framework contract worth up to £3m.
Jul 13, 2021
The Government has launched an operational review of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime with the aim of some projects going through the process in up to half the time than at present.
Jul 12, 2021
Historic England has chosen eight barristers’ chambers to provide planning related advice as part of a legal services contract worth an estimated £650k.
Jul 12, 2021
Mandatory alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is lawful and should be encouraged, a report published today (12 July 2021) by the Civil Justice Council has concluded.
Jul 09, 2021
A High Court judge has – despite expressing "considerable reservations” – extended an order authorising the deprivation of liberty of a child who is being cared for in an unregulated placement considered ill-equipped to meet his behavioural and emotional needs.
Jul 09, 2021
City of Wolverhampton Council has agreed to ensure its adoption recruitment procedure adheres to statutory guidance after an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found a woman was wrongly screened out of the adoption process.
Jul 09, 2021
The London Councils group has backed amendments to the Environment Bill which would give local authorities new powers to control air pollution where World Health Organisation (WHO) limits are exceeded.
Jul 08, 2021
The First Tier Tribunal (FTT) was wrong to ignore a landlord’s claim that she had a reasonable excuse for failing to apply for a licence for a house in multiple occupation (HMO), the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has ruled.
Jul 08, 2021
A mother and daughter have been reunited under the rarely used ‘Resolutions Model’ by the Family Court.
Jul 08, 2021
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.
Jul 08, 2021
A claimant supplier can call on expert witnesses in a procurement dispute with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Mr Justice Fraser has ruled in a case management hearing.
Jul 08, 2021
England is to be divided into integrated care boards and partnerships responsible for bringing together local NHS and local government, such as social care, mental health and public health advice.
Jul 08, 2021
The self-build exemption from the community infrastructure levy (CIL) does not apply where a development lacks planning permission, the High Court has found.
Jul 07, 2021
The Supreme Court has refused permission to appeal a Court of Appeal ruling that meant a housing association could take possession of a property despite the social landlord not undertaking an assessment under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) before issuing the claim for possession, it has…
Jul 07, 2021
Simon Strelitz, a housing and property practitioner with 20 years’ experience in the work undertaken by the Property Division, has joined Five Paper.
Jul 07, 2021
Law firm DAC Beachcroft has announced the promotion of 16 partners and seven legal directors, effective from 1 May 2021.
Jul 07, 2021
Online retailer Ocado has applied to the Court of Appeal for permission to appeal the High Court’s rejection of its judicial review challenge over Islington Council’s decision to revoke a certificate of lawfulness of an existing use or development (CLEUD) for a site on an industrial estate and near…
Jul 07, 2021
The Housing Ombudsman has issued new guidance on the effective involvement of board members and councillors in the promotion of a positive complaints culture within their organisations.
Jul 07, 2021
The Information Commissioner’s Office has launched an investigation into the use of private correspondence channels at the Department of Health and Social Care.
Jul 06, 2021
A case management conference will be held tomorrow for the High Court claims being brought by victims of the Grenfell fire.
Jul 06, 2021
The Welsh Government has confirmed that its next legislative programme will include the introduction of its first consolidation Bill, which is aimed at making the law in Wales more accessible.
Jul 06, 2021
A couple have successfully claimed rectification and damages from a local authority for their personal data being processed unfairly after a safeguarding inquiry.
Jul 05, 2021
Public law children cases where a party has limited access to technology or where parties require an intermediary or a translator are instances where remote hearings may not be the best format, the Law Society has warned.
Jul 05, 2021
A leading social housing provider is to appoint solicitors to an £8m framework supporting its development directorate.
Jul 05, 2021
The Court of Appeal has made no order for costs in a case where it allowed a mother's appeal against an order made in the Court of Protection discharging her as a party to proceedings concerning her highly vulnerable 19-year-old daughter.
Jul 05, 2021
Wokingham Borough Council and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead’s shared legal service, Shared Legal Solutions (SLS), has come to an end after ten years, with the two local authorities establishing their own internal legal departments.
Jul 05, 2021
The Supreme Court will next week (15 July) hear a case over whether, to have capacity to decide to have sexual relations with another person, a person needs to understand that the other person must have the capacity to consent to the sexual activity and must in fact consent before and throughout…
Jul 05, 2021
A procurement organisation for universities and colleges in Scotland has launched the procurement of a legal services framework worth an estimated £3.4m.
Jul 02, 2021
An application for a judicial review has been made against the City of London over the impact on disabled swimmers of its decision to raise ticket prices at the Hampstead Heath swimming ponds.
Jul 02, 2021
Slough Borough Council has issued a Section 114 notice and will be pausing non-essential spending in response to a report by the Director of Finance into the state of the council's finances.
Jul 02, 2021
George Galloway has threatened to take legal action against Kirklees Council after the local authority took down the politician's campaign material in the run-up to the by-election held on Thursday (1st July).
Jul 02, 2021
London Borough of Camden failed to carry out a recommendation to apologise to a man for its poor handling of a complaint until the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman chased it for a response, an investigation by the watchdog has found.
Jul 01, 2021
Law firm Hackett & Dabbs, which specialises in judicial review and human rights law, announced today that Alexander Horne is joining the firm as a consultant. Horne, a senior barrister with 18 years' worth of experience working on legal policy issues at the UK Parliament, will join as counsel.
Jul 01, 2021
Cheshire West & Chester Council is to hold its next full meeting virtually with decisions later ratified under urgency procedures, in defiance of the Government’s policy that councils must revert to physical meetings.
Jul 01, 2021
A group of parents has threatened legal action against Gateshead Council over the closure of a football academy programme at Kingsmeadow Community School.
Jul 01, 2021
Bournemouth Christchurch Poole Council has suspended planning consent for almost 700 homes after a local environmental group said it had acted unlawfully.
Jul 01, 2021
Law firm Winkworth Sherwood has advised Prudential Trustee Company Limited on a £70m Private Placement due in 2043 and 2051 by social housing provider Local Space.
Jul 01, 2021
The former leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council has been suspended for five months for using confidential information to buy shares.
Jul 01, 2021
Business premises could be revalued for rating every three years instead of every five under Government proposals.
Jun 30, 2021
English councils of all kinds will be able to award subsidies to businesses as part of growing local economies, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has said.
Jun 30, 2021
Forest of Dean District Council has successfully prosecuted a man in a contempt of court application at the High Court for failing to demolish a leisure building housing a cinema and bowling alley that he was ordered to take down in 2018.
Jun 30, 2021
A High Court judge has rejected a challenge by a disabled woman who claimed that the London Borough of Lambeth had implemented Low Traffic Neighbourhoods unlawfully.
Jun 30, 2021
Milton Keynes Council is to quash its own grant of planning permission for a project, made under delegated powers, after a legal threat from retailer Tesco.
Jun 30, 2021
The definition in Annex 1 of the Planning Policy for Traveller Sites 2015 of who is a Gypsy or Traveller is not discriminatory, the High Court has found.
Jun 30, 2021
The Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) has thrown out a challenge brought by an asylum seeker over an age assessment by the London Borough of Haringey.
Jun 30, 2021
The Housing Ombudsman has published details of more than 350 individual decisions to its online casebook on complaints made against social landlords since the database's conception in March this year.
