The Supreme Court has ruled that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has no power to recoup Social Fund loans or overpayments by deductions from existing awards of benefits where the claimant is subject to a debt relief order and that the same pr
Employment News UK tops long hours league New figures from UK National Statistics suggests that the average working week for UK office workers is 43 hours per week, the second highest in Europe, including an average of 1.2 hours of unpaid work per day. For more, click here. Unilever in pensions dispute Unilever, the company […]
The Latest Housing Law News Homelessness in England: on 8 December 2011 the latest official data on homelessness applications to local housing authorities in England was published. It shows that 12,510 applicants were accepted as owed a main housing duty during July to September 2011, 6% higher than during the same quarter of 2010. On […]
News It is understood that a panel of judges of the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR has refused the UK government’s request to refer the Chamber judgment in Sufi & Elmi v UK [2011] ECHR 1045 for re-examination by the Grand Chamber. Accordingly the Chamber judgment has become final under ECHR, Art 44(2)(c). For chamber […]
Stephen Knafler QC and David Renton represented activists on Wednesday in their application to set aside a possession order granted in favour of Sun Street Property Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the UBS Bank.
The Latest Housing Law News Housing Facts & Figures: on 30 November 2011 the UK Government released the latest statistics on council housing in England. They indicate that 87% of councils now use choice-based letting schemes and that 1.84m people are on housing waiting lists. Last year, councils evicted 6000 tenants and made 146,400 lettings. […]
Cases MA & Ors, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011] EWCA Civ 14461st December 2011The Court of Appeal made a reference to the European Court of Justice concerning the question of which Member State was responsible for determining an application for asylum under Regulation 343/2003 art.6, where […]
Stephen Knafler QC, Kathryn Cronin and Bryony Poynor have succeeded in obtaining a reference to the CJEU, from the Court of Appeal, on the question of whether unaccompanied minor asylum seekers can ever be removed under Dublin II to the Dublin State where
Employment News Government plans to transform Tribunal system revealed More than seven months after the consultation on "Resolving Working Disputes" closed, the government has published its response to the consultation, at the same time widening the range of measures which it proposed to introduce. It is a total package of changes, which, if successfully implemented, […]
Cases Boktor and Wanis (late application for permission) Egypt [2011] UKUT 442 (IAC) (22 November 2011)The Upper Tribunal noted that where permission to appeal to the Upper Tribunal has been granted, without the decision maker noticing that the application is out of time, and any explanation for lateness is not considered by the judge granting […]
The Latest Housing Law News The new national housing strategy for England: on 21 November 2011 the UK Government published its new National Housing Strategy for England: Laying the Foundations. The strategy deals with social housing allocation and tenure in Chapter 3 and with the private rented sector in Chapter 4. For the Government’s press […]
Michael Paget has been instructed to represent Occupy London demonstrators who have been camped outside the London Stock Exchange since October and are fighting eviction
Stephen Knafler QC appeared for Ms Cassandra Bubb in the case of Bubb v Wandsworth LBC [2011] EWCA Civ 1285.
On 16th November 2011 a planning inspector granted 3 families permanent planning permission for the use of land known as Woodside Caravan Park in Hatch, Bedfordshire as a small Gypsy site. In doing so he brought to finality to a planning saga that has las
News The migration advisory committee publishes report on family migration route. Click here to read more . UKBA changes to the shortage occupation list comes into effect. Click here to read more. Cases San Michael College Limited v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2011] EWCA CIV 1336 (18/11/2011)The Court of Appeal found that […]
The Latest Housing Law News New social housing law: the Localism Act 2011 received Royal Assent on 15 November 2011. Part 7 contains significant amendments to the law relating to housing in respect of allocations, homelessness, security of tenure, tenancy deposits, succession rights and much more. The provisions are not yet in force but are […]
Garden Court is proud to announce that Nadine Finch has received the Children's Champion Award 2011 from the children's charity ECPAT UK
Employment news Agency workers under attack again? A leading business group has called on the Government to review its decision to give extra employment rights to temporary workers after claiming it was having a "significant" effect on recruitment prospects. Click here to read the news story. Have a break, take a strike? The Cabinet Office […]
Garden Court Chambers was pleased to host the official launch of Adrian Eissa's Confiscation Law Handbook last Friday.
News The UKBA has issued new policy guidance following the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case of Quila and Bibi v SSHD [2011] UKSC 45 (see LB # 48). The guidance primarily affects applicants whose applications for entry clearance or leave as a fiancé(e), proposed civil partner, spouse, civil partner, unmarried partner or […]
