Judge dismisses judicial review over charging policy at Birmingham for providing services to disabled adults unable to work

Birmingham City Council’s disastrous financial situation gives a justification for its policy on charging for care for severely disabled adults who are unable to do paid work, the High Court has found. Read more
SPOTLIGHT

A zero sum game?

The number of SEND tribunal cases is rising and the proportion of appeals ‘lost’ by local authorities is at a record high. Lottie Winson talks to education lawyers to understand the reasons why, and sets out the results of Local Government Lawyer’s exclusive survey.

  NEWS

March 28, 2024

London pedicab licensing bill set to receive Royal Assent

A bill that will hand Transport for London (TfL) new licensing powers over pedicabs operating in the capital has passed its third reading in the House of Commons and is set to receive Royal Assent in the coming weeks.
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  FEATURES AND ANALYSIS

March 28, 2024

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At what point does a site cease to be “available” for the purposes of the sequential test? This was the question considered in a recent case, writes Katie Scuoler.
March 27, 2024

Restructure and redundancy

Christian Grierson provides a refresher on the key principles around restructuring and redundancy.
March 26, 2024

The Family Court and Domestic Abuse – Any change?

Hannah Rought-Brooks looks at recent developments in relation to the Istanbul Convention on preventing violence against women, and sets out the key recommendations from an important report published by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner.
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On demand webinars

To view any of the webinars below, just click on the title. No payment or additional software is required. To see all forthcoming webinars, please click here.

Restructure and redundancy

Christian Grierson provides a refresher on the key principles around restructuring and redundancy.

Webinar: Varying a public contract

In this webinar, DWF's public procurement experts delivered a practical guide on how contracting authorities can vary a public contract in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

Employment law round up and preview

Join Julie Bann, David Leach and Christian Grierson as they review the key cases for employers from 2023 as well as a look ahead to the new laws coming in during 2024 and how these will impact your workforce.

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  MORE FEATURES

March 26, 2024

Lieven J puts the (Cheshire West) cat amongst the pigeons

A High Court judge recently refused a local authority’s application for a deprivation of liberty (DoL) order in respect of a 12-year-old girl with “profound and enduring” disabilities. Alex Ruck Keene KC (Hon) analyses the ruling.
March 26, 2024

Overseas travel for adults lacking capacity

What is in the best interests of a person with learning disabilities and lacking mental capacity when planning foreign travel? Gemma Eason and Emma Bergin analyse a recent Court of Appeal ruling.
March 22, 2024

Shedding light on solar farm capacity

Michele Vas analyses the recent Galloway v Durham County Council case which was principally concerned with the issue of whether the planning permission approved a solar farm with a capacity of 50MW or more.
March 22, 2024

Whitley once again - no discretion to refuse to determine applications

The High Court has considered and, in a judgment handed down last month, rejected a suggestion that a local planning authority has a discretion to refuse to determine an application for the discharge of a condition which it considers after the statutory 3-year deadline for the implementation of the planning permission to which it relates. Brendan Brett explains the ruling.
March 21, 2024

Members behaving badly

Adam Carey considers the issues facing those tasked with investigating councillor conduct.
March 21, 2024

Equal pay: the material factor defence

A fire and rescue service has successfully defended an equal pay claim even though the claimant and comparators were engaged in 'like work' for the period of the claim. Jessica Scott-Dye analyses the case.
March 21, 2024

In praise of public service legal careers

As he swaps the position of Director of Legal and Democratic Services at Buckinghamshire Council for the role of HM Area Coroner for Oxfordshire, Nick Graham reflects on the advantages of a legal career in the public sector.
March 19, 2024

Redactions to disclosure in judicial review litigation - a further update

A High Court judge has ruled that the general principle that a litigant in judicial review proceedings is not entitled, as a matter of course, to redact, on the ground of relevance, the identities of officials in disclosure cannot be contracted out by the parties’ agreement through a consent order. Jonathan Blunden and Christian Grierson analyse the judgment.
March 15, 2024

Condition precedents in light of Lancashire Schools v Lendlease

Condition precedents are common in various commercial agreements. Ewan Anthony and David Owens discuss the court’s general approach to considering contractual condition precedents, and whether, particularly after the recent case of Lancashire Schools SPC Phase 2 Limited v Lendlease Construction (Europe) Limited and Others [2024] EWHC 37 (TCC), the court may be prepared to disregard them.