Tag Archive for 'public funding'

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LSC: goalposts aren’t moved, just very bendy

By NL on 01/09/2010. 7 Comments

Sorry. After a moment when it looked like we might get back to housing law, the LSC has interrupted again. And it is almost as if the LSC reads NL!

Following our post here on the LSC’s statement in version 2 of its FAQ for the verification exercise on ‘not being able to do the number of matter starts bid for’ and which amounted to “Oops, have you overbid? Come here, you silly, give us a hug and we’ll make it alright by dropping your requirements”, the LSC has been fiddling with its FAQs again.

The answer to Question 3.2 in version 6(!) of the FAQ, released today (1 … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: Legal Aid, Legal Services Commission, public funding.

The CLP challenge considered.

By NL on 26/08/2010. 10 Comments

[Edit 27/08/10 An early version of this post said that the JR had been given permission. This was wrong. The hearing was actually adjourned to 8 September without permission having formally been given. Apologies for my error. I've edited the post to correct this.]

[Edit 2. I have been contacted by CLP to ask me to say that CLP will not be commenting while the case is ongoing, as it would not be proper for them to do so. They also ask that people do not contact CLP directly about the case in the meantime.]

So, what actually happened in the hearing of Community Legal Partnership’s application for judicial review? … Read the full post

Posted in Housing law - All and Various (non-housing). Tags: Legal Aid, public funding.

“Irrational” Welfare tender newsflash

By NL on 26/08/2010. 1 Comment

Hot on the heels of the last post comes this news of a Judicial Review permission hearing on an application by friends of the blog, Community Law Partnership, against the LSC.

Choice quotes from Collins J

“I am bound to say this is a dreadful decision and on the face of it the approach [taken by the LSC] is totally irrational”

“How can it be rational to penalise a firm that takes fewer cases to the upper tribunal, when any decent firm will do its best to make sure it doesn’t have to appeal?”

“Those tendering are entitled to take the view that access to justice criteria will be taken … Read the full post

Posted in Housing law - All and Various (non-housing). Tags: Legal Aid, public funding.

Of contracts, shifting goalposts and lawfulness

By NL on 25/08/2010. 8 Comments

[Edit 01/09/2010. There has been a further change to the FAQ discussed in this post. See the new post here]

Bear with me. This is going to be a bumpy ride.

The LSC’s terms of tender for civil contracts stated

Paragraph 15.11: “For a tender to be complete, the Applicant Organisation must, prior to the deadline, submit a tender consisting of (1) a response to the PQQ and (2) a response to an ITT (including the Mandatory Form).”
Paragraph 15.13: “The Applicant Organisation must not amend or alter any document comprising part of the tender after the deadline”
Paragraph 15.37: “The Applicant Organisation agrees to keep any tender valid … Read the full post

Posted in Housing law - All and Various (non-housing). Tags: Legal Aid, Legal Services Commission, public funding.

Contracts and appeals: An Unclarification from the LSC

By NL on 13/08/2010. 2 Comments

The LSC, aware that there is a lot of interest in the appeals process for the contract award decisions (mainly, of course, because there are a lot of organisations appealing), has become concerned about “some inaccurate and confusing press reports”.

The LSC has therefore made a statement to unclarify the situation, dated 12 August.

The statement follows in part – with interpolations in square brackets by me.

“A lot of providers have been contacting us about the family legal aid tender, following some inaccurate and confusing press reports.”

[But given the content that follows, it must also apply to the SWL tender.]

“We are aware of concerns over allocations … Read the full post

Posted in Housing law - All and Various (non-housing). Tags: Legal Aid, public funding.

Sunday Misc.

By NL on 08/08/2010. 0 Comments

Some bits and pieces from the weekend…

New websites 1
The OPSI and Statute Law Database sites have been combined into one new site for statute: www.legislation.gov.uk. However, the databases are the same and the current estimate is that about 50% of the statute is up to date, in the sense of containing all subsequent amendments. While statutes that have subsequent unincorporated amendments are marked as such, as per the SLD, this remains unsatisfactory for anyone who needs current statute – which is anyone in practice – as noted in the whole Timothy Leigh/iLegal kerfuffle. We don’t link to the SLD and now legislation.gov.uk versions of the key … Read the full post