Council mulls shutting down wholly-owned company that cannot service debts
Reading Borough Council is poised to close its wholly-owned company, Homes for Reading, over issues around loan repayments.
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Council hit with improvement notice following SEND inspection
The London Borough of Bexley has been issued with an improvement notice by the Department for Education (DfE) following an Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) Area SEND Inspection.
Court of Appeal finds judge fell into errors of principle when making finding of ‘inflicted injuries’
The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal against a judge’s findings that fractures to both the tibias of a 10 month old girl had been inflicted either deliberately or recklessly by either her mother or father.
District fails in challenge to decision of inspector to allow appeal by developer over non-determination of application
Mid Suffolk District Council has lost an attempt to persuade the High Court to overturn a planning inspector’s decision in favour of a developer over the non-determination of its application.
Stronger safeguards for child strip search proposed by Government
The Government has proposed a number of measures to strengthen protections in place for children and vulnerable people subject to a strip search by police, including the requirement for parents and guardians to be informed.
Level of annual changes in holders of post of Director of Children’s Services among “highest on record”
This year has seen one of the highest levels of Director of Children’s Services (DCS) postholder changes at local authorities since the role was established.
Bevan Brittan promotes five lawyers to partner in bumper promotions round
Law firm Bevan Brittan has promoted five lawyers to partner and one to legal director as part of a record promotions round that has seen 38 individuals promoted across its network of offices.
Supreme Court to issue landmark ruling next week on Japanese knotweed and residual diminution of value of property
The Supreme Court will next week (8 May) hand down its ruling on a Welsh council’s appeal in a dispute over whether residual diminution in value of a property in a Japanese knotweed case is pure economic loss and irrecoverable.
Browne Jacobson makes 15 partner and legal director promotions for 2024
Law firm Browne Jacobson has promoted 14 of its lawyers to partner and one to legal director, with effect from today (1 May 2024).
Government sets out new heat network regulations in consultation response
New regulations on consumer protections for homes served by heat networks will provide fairer pricing, clearer billing, and boost compensation where customers lose access to heating, a Government consultation response has promised.
Councils can apply to remove ‘hope value’ in CPOs
Councils using compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) can now apply to remove 'hope value' costs, under reforms that came into force on Tuesday (30 April).
Lady Chief Justice sets up Transparency and Open Justice Board
The Lady Chief Justice, Dame Sue Carr, has created a Transparency and Open Justice Board, which will “lead and coordinate the promotion of transparency and open justice across the courts and tribunals of England & Wales”.
Government sets out terms of reference for review of causes of legal challenges within NSIP regime
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has this week published the terms of reference for the review of the causes of legal challenges brought against the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime.
Planning Inspectorate inquiry into Crooked House demolition delayed
South Staffordshire Council has reported that the Planning Inspectorate has chosen to delay its inquiry relating to an enforcement notice issued over the demolition of the Crooked House pub.
Bevan Brittan hires Bowles to head information law team
Bevan Brittan has hired Vicki Bowles as partner to lead the firm's Information Law and Privacy team.
Major social landlord to procure replacement legal services framework
Affordable housing provider The Riverside Group (TRGL), which manages more than 75,000 homes across 175 local authorities in England and Scoltand, is to procure a replacement legal services framework worth up to £11m.
DfE launches Market Interventions Advisory Group on children’s social care ‘profiteering’
The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a new advisory group on the profiteering of private companies from children’s social care, amid concerns about the rising cost of procuring residential accommodation from private providers.
Guidance on explaining family court decisions to children published by Welsh Government
The Welsh Government and Cafcass Cymru have published guidance to help support parents and other carers when they are explaining decisions made in the Family Court to children.
Committee calls for further investigation into Teesworks finances
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has rebuffed a parliamentary committee’s call to instruct the National Audit Office to investigate the Teesside Freeport, Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) and the South Tees Development Corporation.
Social worker awarded damages of £58k from council and professional regulatory body Social Work England
A social worker has been awarded over £58,000 in damages from Westminster City Council and Social Work England (SWE) for discrimination relating to her “gender critical beliefs”, the first time a Regulator has been ordered to pay exemplary damages because of the manner in which it has carried out…
Renters Reform Bill passes third reading in Commons despite delay to abolition of no fault evictions
The Renters Reform bill has passed its third reading in the House of Commons, despite it including an indefinite delay to the end of Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions.
Court of Appeal puts end to challenge concerning deregistration of village green
An appeal challenging a High Court decision over the deregistration of part of a village green by housebuilder Laing Homes has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal.
Father had “no right” to expect council to place particular weight on religiously-motivated choice of school when providing accommodation, Court of Appeal rules
The Court of Appeal has dismissed a father’s appeal regarding the suitability of accommodation offered by the London Borough of Waltham Forest, which was distant from his child’s private faith school.
Calls made for civility at upcoming elections, amid rise in abuse aimed at councillors
The Local Government Association (LGA), the Electoral Commission and the Jo Cox Foundation have made a joint call for no abuse towards candidates during the upcoming local elections.
Council secures strike-preventing injunction over flawed ballot
East Riding of Yorkshire Council Legal has secured an injunction preventing school staff from striking after arguing the strike ballot failed to comply with the Trade Union & Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
High Court sets limit on local authority’s power to order clean up of watercourse
A local authority can only require an actual blockage to a watercourse to be removed, and cannot order the removal of related material from a wider area, the High Court has said.
Council criticised for failing to ensure that notices and penalty demand were received by landlord
Manchester City Council should have made greater efforts to ensure that an improvement notice ands subsequent penalty demand reached a landlord, the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has said, upholding an appeal against a decision of the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
Council secures court victory over unpaid business rates
Middlesbrough Council has won a magistrates’ court case over unpaid business rates totalling almost £300,000.
Council mulls legal options for evicting Israeli arms manufacturer
Somerset Council has agreed to explore its legal options for evicting an Israeli-owned weapons manufacturer from an office building the local authority owns after receiving legal advice from a KC on behalf of a pro-Palestinian pressure group.
Council to pay over £8k after failing to educate girl for 18 months
Suffolk County Council failed to provide a young girl with alternative education provision for 18 months after she could no longer attend school, an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
City college loses JR over Ofsted 'good' rather than 'outstanding' rating
The High Court has rejected a judicial review claim brought by a City Technology College, which challenged a decision by Ofsted to rate the leadership and management at the school as 'good', rather than 'outstanding'.
Civic group claims officers mislead councillors in planning legal challenge
Bristol City Council's decision to grant permission for a 28-storey development was the result of "misleading" advice from officers, a pre-action protocol letter has claimed.
High Court issues ruling on ‘suitability’ of B&B accommodation for homeless family
His Honour Judge Tindal has heard a High Court case concerning homelessness on which be could find no direct authority.
Landlord wins Upper Tribunal appeal over penalty imposed for failure to comply with improvement notice relating to her tenanted property
Manchester City Council should have made greater efforts to ensure that an improvement notice and subsequent penalty demand reached a landlord, the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has said, upholding an appeal against a decision of the First-Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber).
Independent review ordered by Housing Ombudsman makes 15 recommendations to social landlord to tackle damp and mould failings
An independent review ordered by Housing Ombudsman into how Orbit Group has handled damp and mould has made 15 recommendations to the landlord.
Welsh Government to revise guidance on exemptions to 20 mph speed limit
The Welsh Government has signalled a partial climb down from its controversial imposition of a 20mph traffic speed limit.
Unregistered placements for vulnerable young people “highly unsatisfactory”, senior judge tells MPs
There is “legitimate public concern” as to the accommodation where vulnerable young people are being placed, the President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has warned MPs.
Council to ask DEFRA for permission to seek legal action in landfill odour dispute
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is set to ask permission from the Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to take legal action against a landfill operator over odours emanating from the site.
Court of Protection orders mother for present time to leave home owned by disabled son
A Court of Protection judge has ordered a mother to leave the home owned by her disabled adult son, finding it was not in his best interests for her to live in the same house “at the present time”.
Auditors call for improved member-officer relations at council for second year running
External auditors have told Teignbridge District Council for the second year running that it needs to improve relationships between its members and officers.
High Court to hear legal challenge brought by school over ‘inadequate’ rating that followed second Ofsted inspection
The High Court is this week (24-25 April) hearing a school’s legal challenge over an inspection report issued by Ofsted following two separate inspections.
Welsh watchdog eyes return to pre-pandemic timescales for audit work
Audit Wales has unveiled plans to improve the timeliness of its performance audit work at NHS and local government bodies and to restore the auditing of accounts of the 800 public bodies across Wales to pre-pandemic timescales over the next few years.
Judge makes best interest decision on end of life treatment for young child without relying on parental consent
A High Court judge has allowed a local authority’s application for leave to invoke the inherent jurisdiction in relation to the withdrawal of medical treatment and the provision of end of life care for a young child.
Council hires barrister to conduct review of assessment process for Education, Health and Care plans
Hertfordshire County Council has instructed a barrister to carry out an independent review on the effectiveness of its Education Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment process.
Judge remits FOI case after finding First-Tier Tribunal was wrong to strike out proceedings, amid doubts over reliability of previous evidence from council
A decision by the First Tier Tribunal (FTT) in 2022 to strike out proceedings concerning a freedom of information (FOI) request submitted to Northumberland County Council involved an error in a point of law and should be remitted for a rehearing, an Upper Tribunal judge has decided.
Public want to know more about council decision making, survey suggests
More than a quarter of the public (26%) wish to have more of a say in how decisions are taken in their local areas, a survey from the LGiU has suggested.
Households have approached councils more than 80,000 times for homelessness support due to Section 21 ‘no fault’ eviction notices since Government vowed to bring in ban: research
Section 21 ‘no fault’ evictions have led to households being forced to approach their local authority for homelessness support after receiving a notice more than 80,000 times since the Government announced it would ban the practice, research by Homeless Link has suggested.
Cabinet Office confirms planned ‘go-live’ date of 28 October 2024 for new procurement regime
The Cabinet Office has confirmed that it is working towards a ‘go-live’ date for the new procurement regime of Monday 28 October 2024.
Government issues updated statutory guidance on overview and scrutiny
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has issued updated statutory guidance on overview and scrutiny, to “take account of deeper devolution and the creation of combined county authorities through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023”.
Judge allows urgent application by council for judicial review after it published incorrect versions of neighbourhood plans ahead of referendum
A borough council was forced to apply to the High Court for judicial review after discovering that the versions of two proposed neighbourhood plans it published ahead of referendums were materially incorrect, it has emerged.
Landlady hit by second confiscation order over sub-division of property and failure to comply with enforcement notices
Barking and Dagenham Council has obtained a second confiscation order against a landlady who illegally converted her property into two separate flats and continued to ignore enforcement notices.
Government reveals guidelines for new council ‘productivity plans’
The guidelines for productivity plans, which the Government asked councils to produce when it announced the Local Government Finance Settlement, have been revealed.
Welsh community councils rapped over non-compliant registers of interests
An investigation by Newport City Council has found that all 14 of its town and community councils are failing to publish a compliant Register of Interests (RoI) on their websites.
Councils to have 10-year window for bringing planning enforcement action from this week
A single 10-year time limit for bringing enforcement action over planning breaches is set to come into force this week (25 April) as part of enforcement reforms set out in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.
Capsticks makes record number of promotions across firm
Capsticks has announced a record number of promotions at the firm, after promoting 47 people across its legal and business service teams.
County council to pay more than £13k for EHC plan failures
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has found Cambridgeshire County Council at fault for its delays in reviewing a boy’s EHC Plan, its failure to consider provision for adulthood and its failure to provide educational support.
Council did not appear to conduct competitive procurement exercises for £500k social media payments, director of legal says
An investigation into £500,000 worth of payments made by Essex County Council for social media campaigns has been unable to find what the selection process was like for awarding the work or whether there was a competitive process involved.
ADSO welcomes draft Code of Practice on Good Governance for Statutory Officers, calls for Monitoring Officer role to be renamed
The Association of Democratic Services Officers (ADSO) has voiced support for LLG, CIPFA and SOLACE's proposed Code of Practice on Good Governance for Statutory Officers and has called for the monitoring officer role to be renamed in legislation 'Chief Governance Officer'.
High Court orders demolition of woodland buildings constructed in Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
A man has been ordered to demolish two woodland buildings he constructed on a Site of Special Scientific Interest, following a High Court injunction secured by Wiltshire Council.
Residents who lost their homes due to fire launch High Court claim against developer and housing association
Fifty victims of a fire in south-west London in 2019 have this month issued a High Court claim against Metropolitan Thames Valley (MTVH) housing association and house builder St James.
“Disproportionately” high rates of children in care in the North, report finds
Children in the North are at greater risk of entering care compared to their southern counterparts, a new study has revealed.
Muneer vows to put LLG “front and centre” in local government legal and governance sphere
Aneeka Muneer has vowed to place LLG “front and centre in the local government legal and governance sphere”, after being appointed President of the organisation at its annual general meeting this week.
Appellant wins High Court dispute over right to buy council flat
A rabbi who mostly lived away from his council flat was still entitled to buy it from the London Borough of Hackney since the council could not establish that his main place of residence was elsewhere.
Councils express concern at unintended impact of Economic Activity of Public Bodies Bill on LGPS
The Economic Activity of Public Bodies Bill gives “significant concerns about the effects the current drafting will have on the operation of the Local Government Pensions Scheme (LGPS)”, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.
Asylum seeker obtains court order against council for interim accommodation
Barristers chambers Garden Court has gained a High Court order requiring an unnamed council to secure suitable interim accommodation under section 188(1) of the Housing Act 1996 for an asylum seeker.
Council wins Court of Protection appeal over ruling on capacity of 20-year-old man
The Court of Protection has allowed an unnamed local authority’s appeal against a court decision that a 20-year-old man, ZZ, has capacity to make decisions about residence, engage in sexual relations and marriage.
Ghuman named Director of Law and Governance – Monitoring Officer at Slough
Slough Borough Council has appointed Sukhdave Ghuman as Director of Law and Governance – Monitoring Officer.
DHSC issues call for evidence as part of review of statutory duty of candour for health and social care providers in England
The Department of Health and Social Care has issued a call for evidence on the operation of the statutory duty of candour for health and social care providers in England, following concerns raised in the Government’s response to the Hillsborough disaster report in December 2023.
Three in five social landlords make changes following Ombudsman report on noise complaints
The Housing Ombudsman has hailed the response of many social landlords to its October 2022 Spotlight report on noise complaints, saying that 60% of landlords who responded had self-assessed against its recommendations and were implementing an action plan.
High Court upholds prohibition by school on prayer rituals
The High Court has dismissed a secondary school pupil’s challenge over the lawfulness of a policy at her London school to prohibit prayer rituals for all of its pupils.
Levelling Up Committee chair questions Gove over two-year-long wait for response to Ombudsman review
The Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, Clive Betts MP, has written to the Government about its lack of response to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's Triennial Review, which was published more than two years ago.
Judge expresses regret at ending of pilot and disbanding of team behind only Family Drug and Alcohol Court in Wales
A circuit judge sitting in the Family Court has expressed his “obvious regret” that funding could not be secured for the Cardiff and Vale Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) Pilot to be extended, noting the “clear implications” for families and professionals involved in cases still before the…
Top public law silk stood down from independent review at Welsh ombudsman over Labour links
James Goudie KC will no longer conduct an independent review into social media posts made by an officer at the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales after concerns were voiced about the barrister's ties to the Labour party.
Oflog remit should be extended to local government audit, CIPFA CEO suggests
The chief executive of CIPFA, Rob Whiteman, has said Government plans for Oflog will leave the new body with a "limited scope" and has suggested the regulator would be better placed as system leader for local government audit.
Council proposals to cut respite services put on hold following threat of legal action
The parents of a disabled child have successfully halted Derbyshire County Council’s proposals to cut respite services in the local area, after threatening to launch legal action.
Information watchdog publishes guidance on transparency in health and social care
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published new guidance to “improve transparency” in health and social care.
Judges allow appeal over flawed reasoning in fact-finding judgment
The Court of Appeal have allowed a challenge by the parents of a young girl to a finding made in care proceedings that, when she was a small baby, she suffered an abusive head injury inflicted by one or other of the parents.
Supreme Court hears appeals over reporting restriction orders in withdrawal of treatment cases
The Supreme Court is this week hearing an appeal over the discharge of reporting restriction orders (RROs) protecting the identity of medical professionals involved in the care of patients in respect of whom an application to withdraw treatment had been made.
Councils placed 706 children in unregulated homes in 2022-23, report finds
Hundreds of vulnerable children in England are being sent to homes not registered with Ofsted every year because of a “chronic shortage” of places in secure local authority units, an investigation by The Observer has revealed.
High Court gives green light to challenge to "overreaching” local energy efficiency standards guidance
The High Court has agreed to hear a judicial review claim challenging guidance from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities that puts limitations on how councils should set local energy efficiency standards for housing that go beyond national regulations.
Concerns over violence and threatening behaviour sees robing pilot introduced for judges in Central Family Court
Judges sitting at the Central Family Court will wear robes during proceedings from this week (15 April 2024), in a pilot intended to explore the impact of increased formality in family courts.
Council loses appeal over FOI request for names of those who submitted consultation responses as part of their public-facing roles
Cambridgeshire County Council must release the names of individuals in a public-facing role, including councillors and officials, who submitted consultation responses on behalf of stakeholder groups, despite a promise in the consultation document that said the local authority would not publish any…
Councils call for permitted development rights to be urgently revoked
There is "no place in the current or future planning system for permitted development (PD) rights", in particular those which permit the creation of new homes, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.
Devonshires bolsters housing development team with double partner hire
Law firm Devonshires has strengthened its Real Estate and Projects team with two new partner hires.
Council chief executive named as third commissioner sent into Nottingham
The Chief Executive of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Sharon Kemp, has been selected as the third commissioner to be appointed to Nottingham City Council.
Information watchdog seeks views on accuracy of generative AI models in third call for evidence
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has today (12 April) launched the latest instalment in its consultation series examining how data protection law applies to the development and use of generative AI.
Landlord who harassed local government legal staff member found in contempt of court
A large-scale landlord in Kent, Fergus Wilson, has been found in contempt of court after breaching a final injunction order that sought to stop him from harassing staff at Ashford Borough Council.
City council must reveal names of councillors summonsed to court over council tax arrears, information watchdog finds
Liverpool City Council must reveal the identities of two councillors who have received a court summons over council tax arrears, a decision notice from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has concluded.
Council possession claim rejected after it dismissed long-term homosexual partner of tenant as friend in succession case
Islington Council has been ordered to pay costs after the dismissal of possession proceedings it brought against a tenant that the council did not consider was in a homosexual relationship with the former tenant, who had passed away.
Judge urges police to “carefully consider” position and role of Family Court when determining bail conditions
The High Court has ruled that a family court judge was in a “much better position” than the Police to determine whether unsupervised contact with a child could be appropriately managed.
Council readies itself for legal action over long-running quarry odour dispute
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is preparing legal action against the operators of a quarry site for alleged breaches of an abatement notice, which was aimed at reducing gasses emanating from the site.
Judge rejects challenge to decision by Assistant Coroner not to hold Article 2 inquest into death of woman in fire at home
The High Court has rejected a judicial review challenge to an assistant coroner's decision not to hold an Article 2 inquest examining whether two public bodies had any responsibility for a woman’s death.
High Court dismisses procurement challenge over rejection of bid for non-compliance
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) did not act improperly when it exclude a non-compliant bid from a tender process, the Technology and Construction Court has found.
Judge rejects claim planning inspector dealt with application in procedurally unfair way
The Planning Inspectorate acted properly in rejecting an application for a solar park because of concerns that archaeology below the site had not been adequately assessed, the High Court has ruled.
Regulator fines auditors over local authority pension fund failures
Audit firm Grant Thornton must pay a £40,000 penalty after the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) found failures in its audit of an unnamed local authority’s pension fund.
Minister intervenes to halt permit approvals for waste incinerators
A rarely used Whitehall intervention has seen all permit approvals for new waste incinerators halted until at least 24 May, including one that is the subject of a threatened judicial review by a council.
BDB Pitmans hires public law and commercial litigation specialist
Public law and commercial litigation lawyer Oliver Wright has joined BDB Pitmans as a partner.
Government consults on new Locally-led Urban Development Corporation model
The Government has launched a consultation on the Locally-led Urban Development Corporation (LUDC) model.
Leading social housing junior joins Cornerstone Barristers
Victoria Osler, a specialist in property, housing and public law, has joined Cornerstone Barristers.
Chartered Institute of Housing and councils back plans for Competence and Conduct Standard for social housing but question timing, resourcing
The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) and the Local Government Association (LGA) have welcomed the Government’s proposed standard for the competence and conduct of social housing staff, but called for changes to the timetable for its implementation.
Disabled claimant loses judicial review challenge over alleged inaction by council in addressing noise and smells
A woman with a heightened sensitivity or hypersensitivity to noise and to smell has lost a judicial review in the High Court after Mr Justice Murray decided there was nothing more the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) could reasonably have done to relieve the situation.
Council chief executive sent unlawful email to union members, tribunal concludes
An email sent by Wiltshire Council's chief executive to union members ahead of a vote on industrial action was unlawful as it sought to deter members from voting in favour of a strike, an Employment Tribunal has found.
Lack of funding for local authorities to enforce regulations may ‘embolden’ unscrupulous pet breeders to flout rules, says select committee
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee has called for a list of licensed pet breeders to be made public, noting that more than half of the puppies entering the market come from unlicensed breeders.
Council prosecution secures £90,000 fine and costs in go-kart death case
A Barking and Dagenham Council prosecution has seen a go kart company ordered to pay almost £120,000 over an accident that saw a driver strangled by her own clothing.
Sharratts bolsters Development Team with hire of affordable housing specialist as partner
Law firm Sharratts has bolstered its Development Team with the hire of Kevin Edwards as a partner.
Social housing and planning lawyers promoted to partner in latest promotions round at Winckworth Sherwood
Law firm Winckworth Sherwood has promoted Liam Hale in its Social Housing team and Matt Steinbrecher in its Planning Law team to partner.
Homes England should have stronger relationships with councils, review says
Homes England should have "even stronger relationships" with local government in order to boost housing delivery, a Government review of the non-departmental body has found.
Ombudsman names eight landlords in new approach to highlighting and sharing learning from severe maladministration
The Housing Ombudsman has published its first ‘learning from severe maladministration’ report, featuring cases on discrimination, staff conduct and a lack of adjustments due to vulnerabilities.
Consultation launched to establish how to reform law of apologies in civil proceedings
The Government has this week (8 April) launched a consultation on clarifying the law to encourage organisations to apologise to those who have been wronged.
Seven in eight teachers and support staff say SEND resources “insufficient”: NEU
The Government has done little to help schools and local authorities in meeting the challenge of increased SEND need, the National Education Union (NEU) has claimed.
Dame Christine Gilbert to lead independent review into Ofsted response to death of headteacher
Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver, has announced the appointment of Dame Christine Gilbert to lead an independent learning review into Ofsted’s response to the death of headteacher Ruth Perry.
Few legal associates plan to leave private practice for in-house, LexisNexis finds
Only 12% of legal associates have plans to leave private practice for alternative careers such as in-house, Alternative Legal Service Providers (ALSPs), or academic career opportunities, according to research by LexisNexis.
High Court finds Westminster housing policy indirectly discriminatory towards women needing to move to escape violence
A claimant has won a judicial review challenge in the High Court over Westminster City Council’s decision to refuse to agree to her request for a "reciprocal transfer" into accommodation in its area.
City council wins appeal over offer of accommodation with one bedroom to father of four
The Court of Appeal has allowed an appeal by Cambridge City Council over whether it was justified in offering the claimant/respondent accommodation with one bedroom despite him wanting a home large enough for his children to stay overnight when visiting.
Council agrees to independent investigation into novel £72m pension deal
The terms of an independent investigation into a £72m pension deal struck by Plymouth City Council that was "not in line with normal accounting practice" have been revealed.
Family Justice Council seeks two public law solicitors including one local authority lawyer
The Family Justice Council (FJC) is looking to appoint two practising solicitors specialising in public law family work – one local authority lawyer and one private practice lawyer.
Face to face hearings suspended in Mental Health Hospitals and Trusts not compliant with minimum safety standards
His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has suspended face to face hearings at some Mental Health Hospitals and Trusts, citing “national security concerns”.
Special Development Order puts end to council enforcement action against asylum seeker airbase
West Lindsey District Council has withdrawn its enforcement notice at RAF Scampton in light of a Special Development Order (SDO) that has put an end to planning enforcement action relating to the site.
Ofsted publishes updated policies for complaints about inspections and when it will pause inspections
Pausing an inspection in exceptional circumstances now applies to all types of providers, in accordance with Ofsted’s updated complaints and pausing policy.
Major social landlord seeks engagement with legal services providers
Housing association Midland Heart, which has 34,000 homes across the UK, serving 55 local authorities, has called for expressions of interest in the supply of legal services.
Children’s Homes Association says organisations must be ultimately owned in UK to be member
The Children’s Homes Association (CHA) has announced changes to its membership criteria from 6 April 2024, including a new requirement for organisations to be ultimately owned in the UK.
Day-to-day adoption practice by regional adoption agencies “strong”, but challenges remain: Ofsted
Demand for adoption support often exceeds the resources available to regional adoption agencies (RAAs), meaning some individuals and families do not receive the support they need, when they need it.
Police launch investigation over “verbal threats” at planning committee
Police are investigating an incident involving "verbal threats" made at an Arun District Council planning committee meeting last month.