Panorama on BBC1 this evening (link to iPlayer, good for the next few days) was about notably bad examples of private landlords providing 'housing' for benefit claimants. Tame Estates in the North West and some others, who frankly all looked like a mass...
Social Welfare contracts – not over yet
While Family and Family and Housing roll on under the old contracts, SWL new contracts are due to start on 15 November. However, there is another judicial review claim by an unsuccessful firm, Davies Gore Lomax of Leeds. The hearing is listed for 27 October....
Asked, but not necessarily answered
After the excitements of Kay v UK, the LSC Judicial Review and the coming into force of (bits) of the Equalities Act - on which we will have a post shortly - there is a bit of a lull before the floods of new housing case law start up again. So, time for...
Law Soc JR: Some details
I have some details of the Law Society v Legal Services Commission judicial review judgment. Can't reveal my source but they were close to the action. [edited 01/10/2010 - some corrections] The JR was won on the issue of the significance given to panel...
Law Society v LSC newsflash
Result out this afternoon. The Law Society won their JR of the Family tender process. No details yet - more as and when. But things are going to be very interesting. Who bets on current contracts extended till April 2011 while Ken readies his axe?
25 years of ‘Recent Developments in Housing Law’
I really couldn't let this one pass by without adding my congratulations. Jan Luba QC and HHJ Nic Madge have been producing the 'Recent Developments in Housing Law' in Legal Action for 25 years as of this month, quarterly from 1985 to 1988, then in the...
On the CLP judicial review…
People may recall that the Community Law Partnership's judicial review of the LSC was listed for an adjourned hearing on 8 September. We have had the following statement from CLP which is given as is. We've been asked to note that CLP will not be making any...
LSC: goalposts aren’t moved, just very bendy
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...
The CLP challenge considered.
[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...
“Irrational” Welfare tender newsflash
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...
Of contracts, shifting goalposts and lawfulness
[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,...
On the Naughty Step – drop the dead donkey redux
There is very hot competition among the cast of this sorry episode for being placed on the step. This is also a story which has already been commented on by Tessa Shepperson of Landlord Law, who indeed played a small - and entirely virtuous - part. But Tessa...