Legal News Articles
20-year disqualification for directors who manipulated bank data (29 July 2016)
The directors of a digital and mobile healthcare software company have been disqualified for a total of 20 years, after being found to have falsified accounts and manipulated bank data. Read more...
Haringey Council takes action over nuisance neighbour (29 July 2016)
Haringey Council in north London has taken legal action against a nuisance neighbour who kept a farmyard cockerel in their back garden, which kept residents awake at night when it crowed. Read more...
£3,000 penalty for provided unregulated immigration advice (29 July 2016)
A community television presenter who offered unregulated immigration advice has been ordered to pay a fine of £1,200 and compensation of £1,125, plus costs. Read more...
Justice Committee launches Inquiry into proposals for government prison reforms (28 July 2016)
The Justice Committee has launched an inquiry into the government’s programme of prison reforms. Read more...
£4,200 penalty for operating illegal waste site in Northumberland (28 July 2016)
The Environment Agency has prosecuted a Northumberland man for operating a waste site without a permit. Read more...
Report criticises lack of clarity on immigration policies post-Brexit (28 July 2016)
The Home Affairs Committee publishes its first quarterly report of 2016, scrutinising the work of the Home Office Immigration Directorates. Read more...
Conditional discharge for Birmingham man who offered unregulated immigration services (28 July 2016)
A Birmingham man has pleaded guilty to six charges of offering unregulated immigration advice and services between April 2012 and October 2015. Read more...
Tata Steel hit with £1.98m fine for safety failings, after workers suffer amputation injuries (28 July 2016)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted manufacturing giant Tata Steel, after a 26-year-old employee lost two-thirds of his left hand and his middle and ring fingers while trying to clear a blockage on a steel tube manufacturing line with unsuitable guarding. Read more...
Parole Board Chair ready to address issue of remaining IPP prisoners (27 July 2016)
Chair of the Parole Board, Professor Nick Hardwick, has issued a statement on the need to deal with around 4,000 prisoners serving Indeterminate Sentences of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP Prisoners), who remain in prison despite the sentence being abolished in 2012. Read more...
Government announces more funding to help victims of child sexual abuse (27 July 2016)
The government has announced more funding to enable victims of sexual abuse to receive additional support. Read more...
More people owning their own home – and private rental tenants are increasingly satisfied with accommodation (27 July 2016)
The latest English Housing survey released in July shows that more people than ever own their own home since 2003 – with a total of 14 million owner- occupiers across the country in 2015. Read more...
Stockport Trading Standards and GMP seize more than 1,000 bottles of illicit wine from one premises (27 July 2016)
Stockport Trading Standards and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have seized more than 1,000 bottles of alcohol from a licensed premise in Stockport, Greater Manchester. Read more...
Tougher penalties under M4 Variable Speed Limit Enforcement in Wales (26 July 2016)
The Welsh Assembly Economy and Infrastructure Secretary, Ken Skates has announced that motorists who breach the Variable Speed Limit restrictions on the M4 motorway near Newport in South Wales will face tougher penalties. Read more...
Jail sentence for company director convicted of money laundering (26 July 2016)
Company director Gary Booker has been jailed for three-and-a-half years, after Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards – working with Thames Valley Police – found that a firm of cowboy roofers had most likely also posed as Trading Standards officers and fleeced victims of more money. Read more...
NHS Wales meets cancer treatment waiting targets (26 July 2016)
NHS Wales has announced that cancer treatment targets are continuing to improve, with 98.3% of patients – 794 out of 808 people – referred via the non-urgent route where cancer was not initially suspected starting treatment within 31 days of the decision to treat them. Read more...
Restorative justice prevents young adults entering criminal justice system in Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset (26 July 2016)
Bournemouth Council has announced that fewer young people in Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset are entering the Youth Justice System as a result of the work of the Dorset Combined Youth Offending Service. Read more...
Jail for unqualified immigration adviser (26 July 2016)
Southwark Crown Court has sentenced a woman found guilty of offering unregulated immigration advice to three jail terms, to be served concurrently. Read more...
Judicial Review in the Upper Tribunal (25 July 2016)
A significant practical problem is the lack of direction on how to actually make an application at the Upper Tribunal. At a time of increasing numbers of distressed applicants all looking to have their accounts heard, this causes considerable distress not just to the applicant’s but also to those representing them. Read more...
Sheffield City Council prosecutes three council tenants for noise nuisance (25 July 2016)
Sheffield City Council’s Environmental Protection Service has prosecuted three council tenants who caused a noise nuisance to their neighbours. Read more...
Reading Council consultation into how mental health services are delivered (25 July 2016)
Reading Council has launched a consultation to help inform how Reading^s Mental Health Day Services are delivered. Read more...
Brighton and Hove praised for SEND services (25 July 2016)
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have praised services delivered by Brighton & Hove City Council and the local NHS for their “unwavering focus” on the overall needs of children and young people who have a special educational need or disability (SEND). Read more...
Trafford Council supports national report child abuse campaign (25 July 2016)
Trafford Council is supporting a national anti-child abuse campaign, in conjunction with the Trafford Safeguarding Children Board. Read more...
Herefordshire Council completes first CPO of derelict property (25 July 2016)
Herefordshire Council has completed its first compulsory purchase of a property left in a derelict state for nearly 20 years. Read more...
Legal Aid cuts threatening access to justice, says Welsh Government Counsel General (25 July 2016)
The Welsh Assembly’s law officer and chief legal adviser, the Counsel General, has said that the UK Government’s decision to close law courts across Wales and restrict the availability of legal aid is threatening people’s fundamental social and human rights to access the justice system. Read more...
£10,300 fine after worker suffers fractures to leg and foot (25 July 2016)
Bradford Magistrates’ Court has fined a steel galvanising company £9,000, after an employee sustained fractures to his leg and foot in a workplace accident. Read more...
Gateshead Council starts work on £1m affordable housing development (25 July 2016)
Gateshead Council has commenced work on a new £1 million development of affordable homes, comprising ten new homes. Read more...
Teesside man prosecuted for failing to remove 250 tonnes of waste from site (25 July 2016)
The Environment Agency has taken legal action against a Teesside man, after he failed to comply with an enforcement notice to remove 250 tonnes of waste from a site. Read more...
15-year disqualification for company director who falsified VAT claims and defrauded currency dealers (25 July 2016)
A London-based company director who made false VAT claims to Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has been disqualified for the maximum time period allowed. Read more...
High Court winds up companies selling “dubious” oil investment products (25 July 2016)
The High Court has wound up two companies which sold “dubious” oil investment products to the UK public. Read more...
£1,413 penalty for breach of Fish Buyers and Sellers regulations (25 July 2016)
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has prosecuted a Jersey-based company director for breaches of registration of the Fish Buyers and Sellers and Designation of Fish Auction Sites Regulations 2005 (RBS regulation) and the Fisheries Act 1981. Read more...
St Helen’s Public Health team warns young adults about dangers of newer Ecstasy tablets (25 July 2016)
St Helen’s Council is warning young adults about the dangers of taking Ecstasy (MDMA), after a change in the production of tablets. Read more...
Environment Agency crack down on illegal boats on lower Thames (22 July 2016)
The Environment Agency has prosecuted two men for boating without a valid licence. Read more...
£55,000 penalty for Hull company, after employee sustains life changing injuries (22 July 2016)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted an engineering firm based in Hull, after an employee suffered life changing injuries when a marine hatch and frame weighting more than 500 kilograms fell forward and struck him. Read more...
Disqualification for director of waste company, as company is fined £20,000 (21 July 2016)
The Environment Agency has prosecuted the director of a company supplying skips, after waste offences across two sites in Gloucestershire. Read more...
£500 penalty for fishing without a rod licence (21 July 2016)
The Environment Agency has prosecuted a Northamptonshire angler for fishing without a rod licence. Read more...
£24,000 penalty after worker suffers serious arm and hand injuries on lathe (21 July 2016)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a Leeds-based company, after a worker suffered injury when his hand came into contact with a lathe. Read more...
Community sponsorship scheme launched for refugees in UK (20 July 2016)
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has announced a community sponsorship scheme for refugees in the UK – the Home Secretary launched the scheme with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Communities Secretary Sajid Javid. Read more...
£2,657 penalty after licensed firework seller shifts stock on market stall (20 July 2016)
Warwickshire County Council has prosecuted an experienced firework retailer, who chose to sell his fireworks on a street corner stall, placing himself, his customers and other shoppers in danger. Read more...
Changes to driving test “will improve road safety and reduce fatal road accidents” (20 July 2016)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has said that planned changes to the driving test will support the government’s commitment to reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on the UK’s roads. Read more...
Warning for drivers to be aware of road workers to prevent injury (20 July 2016)
Highways England is warning motorists not to put the safety of road workers at risk, after a car struck a contractor working on road works along the A56 in Lancashire on 5 July. Read more...
Home Office cannot lawfully require foreign nationals to state to officials from their home country that they are willing to return (19 July 2016)
The recent Duncan Lewis judicial review case of JM (Zimbabwe), R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2016] EWHC 1773 (Admin) saw Duncan Lewis Public Law & Immigration Solicitors James Packer and Kate Newman represent a Zimbabwean national claimant who was subject to deportation from the UK and placed in immigration detention immediately on the expiry of his sentence in May 2013. Read more...
Suspended sentence for unlicensed pet shop owner (19 July 2016)
Birmingham City Council has prosecuted the owner of an unlicensed pet shop, after she admitted selling animals from her home in Erdington, Birmingham. Read more...
Centre for Mental Health says awareness of children’s mental health needs is “poor” (19 July 2016)
An evidence review published by the Centre for Mental Health – Missed Opportunities by Lorraine Khan – finds that mental health problems are very common among young people, but awareness is poor and most attempts by parents to get help for their children are unsuccessful. Read more...
£25,000 penalty for waste offence by Birmingham meat wholesaler (19 July 2016)
Birmingham City Council has prosecuted a meat wholesaler found guilty of failing to prevent controlled waste escaping from its premises. Read more...
DoH announces reforms to infected blood payments scheme (19 July 2016)
The Department of Health (DoH) has announced that those who receive payments under the infected blood compensation scheme will now receive annual payments, including an extra £500 winter fuel payment without the need to apply for it. Read more...
Research shows link between TBI, poor mental health and risk of re-offending (18 July 2016)
Research published by Centre for Mental Health suggests that traumatic brain injury (TBI) costs the UK a total of £15 billion every year, including the costs of lost work, of health and social care and of premature mortality – and puts young people at higher risk of poor mental health and offending. Read more...
Report shows some educators are struggling to implement Prevent strategy against student radicalisation (18 July 2016)
Ofsted has said that a new report shows that some education providers are struggling to implement a Prevent strategy to protect learners from the risk of extremism in education institutions. Read more...
Car dealer and director ordered to pay £7,500 for misrepresentation (18 July 2016)
Birmingham Magistrates’ Court has fined a Birmingham car trader and its director £7,500 for misrepresentation, after a car was not described accurately and turned out to be unroadworthy. Read more...
North Yorkshire Citizens Advice warns consumers to be aware of scams and fraud (18 July 2016)
Citizens Advice in the North Yorkshire districts of Hambleton, Richmondshire, and Selby are running a campaign to warn consumers of tricks scammers and fraudsters use, as part of Scams Awareness Month in July. Read more...
Hartlepool Council unites against hate crime (18 July 2016)
Hartlepool Council has condemned racism and prejudice, after neo-fascist stickers appeared in parts of the town – the whole town is now being urged to make a stand against hate and intolerance. Read more...
Jail for doorstep trader who overcharged vulnerable pensioner for gardening work (18 July 2016)
Dorset County Council has prosecuted a rogue gardener who charged a 78- year-old victim £760 for an hour’s work pruning a tree. Read more...
Birmingham City Council launches CSE campaign to highlight risks for boys and young men (18 July 2016)
Birmingham City Council has launched a campaign to tackle the grooming and sexual exploitation of boys and young men. Read more...
Hounslow Council hosts event to raise awareness of risks of FGM in summer months (18 July 2016)
Hounslow Council in Greater London and leading anti-FGM charity FORWARD have joined forces at a special free event in the fight against FGM, which was held on Saturday (16/07/16). Read more...
Welsh Government helps support Wales’ first Passivhaus “eco-home” manufacturing facility (18 July 2016)
The Welsh Assembly has announced that Wales’ first eco-home manufacturing facility is underway at Welshpool. Read more...
MoD announces improved lifelong assistance for injured veterans (18 July 2016)
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced a new system to give seriously injured veterans better lifelong assistance. Read more...
Stockport launches scheme to steer youngsters away from crime and anti-social behaviour (18 July 2016)
Stockport Council has announced that Safer Stockport Partnership (SSP) has launched a three-month campaign to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour across Stockport. Read more...
Social housing tenant guilty of housing fraud (18 July 2016)
West Oxfordshire Council has prosecuted a social housing tenant for fraudulently obtaining a social housing property. Read more...
St Helens rolls out domestic violence programme to help children recover (18 July 2016)
St Helens Council on Merseyside has said that a new ten-week programme to help children recover from the effects of domestic violence is being rolled out across St Helens. Read more...
Portsmouth City Council to build on success of scheme to help care leavers prepare for independent living (18 July 2016)
Portsmouth City Council says it will build on the success of a new scheme to help to raise the expectations and aspirations of and outcomes for young people leaving care. Read more...
Hounslow Council demolishes illegal extension, after property owners fail to act following enforcement notice (18 July 2016)
Hounslow Council in Greater London has taken action against a property owner for an illegal extension and front canopy at a property in Feltham. Read more...
Successful claim arising out of an Islamic marriage (18 July 2016)
A client came to us having been told by several solicitors that she had no case. She had unknowingly entered into an unregistered Islamic marriage in the UK and did not realise that under English law, she was classed as a cohabitee and had no matrimonial rights. Read more...
Police and Trading Standards seize haul of counterfeit DVDs at Lincolnshire market (15 July 2016)
Lincolnshire Trading Standards has announced that it has seized thousands of counterfeit DVDs from a trader at Eastgate Market in Ingoldmells. Read more...
Hartlepool hosts project on how immigration has shaped the community (15 July 2016)
Hartlepool Council is staging a new project for young people to explore how immigration has shaped the town’s character and fortunes. Read more...
Wirral sees extra 200 foster carers coming forward in response to campaign (15 July 2016)
Wirral Borough Council has announced that its “Walks Of Life” campaign has resulted in more than 200 queries from potential foster carers looking to care for vulnerable children and young people in the borough. Read more...
After Brexit Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – What does it all mean? (14 July 2016)
When David Cameron signalled his intention to resign on the morning of the 24th June, he said that he would leave the task of triggering Article 50 to his successor. The decision about when to trigger Article 50 and start the formal process of leaving the EU will be for the new Prime Minister, Mrs Theresa May. The UK remains a member of the EU throughout this process, and until Article 50 negotiations have concluded. Mrs May has previously confirmed that she will not trigger Article 50 before the end of this year. Read more...
£12m funding to increase mental health services to those arrested (14 July 2016)
The Department of Health (DoH) has announced that an additional £12 million is to be spent over the next two years to expand services making mental health assessments available to individuals arrested. Read more...
Welsh Assembly Communities Secretary calls on housing sector to tackle anti-social behaviour (14 July 2016)
Welsh Assembly Communities and Children’s Secretary Carl Sargeant has called on social landlords, housing associations and local authorities to help tackle the causes of anti-social behaviour. Read more...
£47,000 penalty after construction worker suffers serious crush injury to foot (14 July 2016)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a construction company, after a worker suffered crush injuries when he was hit and then run over by an excavator. Read more...
FCO clarifies rights and status of EU nationals following EU referendum result (13 July 2016)
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued a statement saying there has been no change to the rights and status of EU nationals in the UK – or UK nationals in the EU – as a result of the EU referendum. Read more...
Landlords in Wales reminded to register for Rent Smart Wales (13 July 2016)
The Welsh Assembly Communities and Children’s Secretary Carl Sargeant has reminded landlords in Wales of the need to register for Rent Smart Wales. Read more...
£446,000 penalty for engineering company guilty of serious safety failings (13 July 2016)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a Worcestershire-based engineering company for safety failings, after a potentially dangerous ignition when an employee of Roxel (Rocket Motor) Limited inspected a rocket motor for damages received during the manufacturing process. Read more...
Suspended sentence for care worker whose actions led to death of woman (13 July 2016)
Leeds Crown Court has sentenced a senior support worker, after a severely disabled woman choked on a sweet and later died while in her care. Read more...
Wigan set to take lead in new regional adoption agency (12 July 2016)
Wigan Borough Council is set to take the lead in a new regional adoption agency, with a report on the plans due to go before Cabinet on Thursday (14/07/16). Read more...
200 communities approve Neighbourhood Plans for house building and infrastructure projects (12 July 2016)
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has announced that 200 communities have now approved Neighbourhood Plans – many of which are becoming “more ambitious in nature” with planning for housing beyond and in advance of the local planning authority’s local plan for an area. Read more...
Leader of Manchester City Council says hate crime will not be tolerated (12 July 2016)
The leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese, has responded to data showing an increase in the reporting of hate crime in Manchester. Read more...
£54,000 penalty after marine scrapyard worker dies (12 July 2016)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a shipbuilding and repair company, following the death of a worker who was hit by a mooring rope. Read more...
Immigration Detention in order to bring a prosecution for non-cooperation with removal is unlawful (11 July 2016)
The recent Duncan Lewis judicial review case of Ibrahim, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2016] EWHC 1347 (Admin) saw Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitor Shahnaz Roshan representing a Sudanese national claimant who was subject to immigration detention following completion of his sentence for a serious offence. This case concerned an action for unlawful detention. Read more...
Chinese Visitors Spending Spree Lifts UK High Streets (11 July 2016)
The British population having decided to leave the European Union by voting in favour of Brexit. The immediate aftermath of the UK referendum has created a global wave of uncertainty to our economy, social and political landscape. Read more...
HSE figures show increase in fatal work accidents (11 July 2016)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published provisional annual data for work-related fatal accidents in workplaces across the UK. Read more...
£9,500 fine for Manchester takeaway in breach of food hygiene regulations (11 July 2016)
Manchester City Council has prosecuted a local takeaway for a series of food safety breaches, including evidence of mice and rats on the premises. Read more...
DfE announces further paediatric first aid training (11 July 2016)
The Department for Education (DfE) has announced a new initiative to help improve paediatric first aid training in early years settings, in memory of a nine-month-old baby who died in 2012. Read more...
Merseyside police seize drugs, cash and off-road bikes in morning raid (11 July 2016)
Merseyside Police have staged a morning raid in Birkenhead and recovered off-road bikes, drugs and cash. Read more...
Bromley Council prosecutes for Blue Badge fraud involving deceased permit holders (11 July 2016)
Bromley Council has prosecuted two motorists for misusing Blue Badge parking permits belonging to deceased permit holders. Read more...
Greater Manchester launches plan to help all under-fives become “school ready” (11 July 2016)
The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Strategic Partnership has launched a plan to provide every child in Greater Manchester with the best start in life to enable them to fulfil their potential. Read more...
Welsh Assembly reassures EU students that they are still welcome following Brexit vote (11 July 2016)
Welsh Assembly (WA) Education Secretary Kirsty Williams has set out how those from across the EU studying at universities in Wales are still “valued and wanted” members of the education community, following the outcome of the EU Referendum. Read more...
Barnet Council launches additional licensing for HMOs (11 July 2016)
Barnet Council has introduced Additional Licensing requirements for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) from July 5, as part of the council’s drive to improve standards in the private rented sector and clamp down on rogue landlords. Read more...
Hartlepool Council launches own letting agency for the private sector (11 July 2016)
Hartlepool Council has launched a brand new letting agency to increase the availability of quality homes in the town’s private rented sector. Read more...
Prison sentence for letting agent who defrauded landlords and tenants of £220,000 (11 July 2016)
Barnet Council in Greater London has prosecuted a letting agent who defrauded dozens of tenants and landlords out of more than £220,000 in rents and deposits. Read more...
Hartlepool Council encourages victims of hate crime to report incidents (11 July 2016)
Hartlepool Council is urging victims of hate crime to report it, rather than “suffer in silence”.The Safer Hartlepool Partnership – whose members include Hartlepool Council, Cleveland Police and a range of other public sector and voluntary agencies – is calling for the reporting of hate crimes, either online or by visiting one of a series of local reporting centres in the town. Read more...
Lincolnshire Trading Standards issues warning about unauthorised will writing services (11 July 2016)
Lincolnshire Trading Standards has issued a warning about consumers using unregulated will writing companies to prepare wills – especially for property protection trust wills. Read more...
Selby District Council to pilot government’s brownfield register (11 July 2016)
Selby District Council in North Yorkshire has been chosen to pilot the government^s brownfield land register, which provides housebuilders with up-to-date and publicly available information on all brownfield sites available for development in the area. Read more...
Brent Council makes housing a key priority (11 July 2016)
Brent Council in Greater London has reaffirmed its commitment to make housing in the borough a key priority – including working closely with landlords in the borough to deliver the council’s housing strategy. Read more...
UNISON calls on government to reassure EU workers in NHS that jobs are safe (11 July 2016)
UNISON is calling on the government to reassure workers from the EU employed in the NHS that their jobs and futures are not under threat as a result of the UK’s vote to leave the European Union (EU). Read more...
Suspended sentence for farmer guilty of animal cruelty (8 July 2016)
An investigation by Surrey County Council’s Trading Standards Department has resulted in the prosecution of a local farmer for animal cruelty. Read more...
Manchester Residential Quality Guidance sets design standard for 25,000 homes planned in next ten years (8 July 2016)
Manchester City Council has said that the Manchester Residential Quality Guidance will ensure design standards for all new residential property in the city. Read more...
Wigan Council crackdown on benefit fraud saves £300,000 (8 July 2016)
Wigan Council has announced that its crackdown on benefit fraud has so far saved the taxpayer more than £300,000 in the last year. Read more...
£9,000 penalty for timber company which in breach of working at height regulations (7 July 2016)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a Somerset-based timber company for breaches relating to working at height. Read more...
Jail sentence for retailer who sold illicit tobacco products (7 July 2016)
A Lincolnshire retailer has been prosecuted after he was found to be selling illegal cigarettes. Read more...
DoH announces improved cervical screening test to detect cancer earlier (7 July 2016)
The Department of Health (DoH) has announced changes to the cervical screening process, to improve detection of cancer of the cervix. Read more...
Plymouth teenager convicted of cyber attacks on major websites and police (7 July 2016)
A 16-year-old teenager from Plymouth has been convicted of cyber attacks on a number of websites – as well as tweeting bomb hoaxes to two major US airlines. Read more...
Hartlepool Council childcare service rated “outstanding” by Ofsted (6 July 2016)
A childcare service run by Hartlepool Council has been rated outstanding by Ofsted, following a visit by inspectors in April 2016. Read more...
£7.6m contract to evaluate APS could be “game-changing” in protecting Armed Forces from injury (6 July 2016)
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has announced a £7.6 million contract with QinetiQ to evaluate an Active Protection System (APS) for armoured vehicles. Read more...
Cardiff sees rise in bus lane tickets, netting council £3.6m in 18 months (6 July 2016)
Cardiff Council has said that a rise in the number of drivers being caught by bus lane cameras is “disappointing”. Read more...
Does the Underrepresentation of Black and Ethnic Minorities in Britain’s Police Force Matter? (5 July 2016)
The Slavery Abolition Act received Royal Assent on 28 August 1833 and was intended to act as a catalyst towards ensuring that over time, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (‘BAME’) individuals were never again to be deprived of their life or liberty as a result of their race. Read more...
Record fine for Wirral landlord who rented out unsafe bedsits to vulnerable tenants (5 July 2016)
Wirral Council has prosecuted a landlord who rented out a house in multiple occupation (HMO) on Borough Road in Seacombe, after a council inspection uncovered a number of health and safety issues. Read more...
Education Secretary sets out plans to reform children’s services (5 July 2016)
The Secretary of State for Education Nicky Morgan has set out her vision for children’s social care and social work, saying that social services are the backstop of society, offering early help to families in need and intervening where things go wrong. Read more...
Government calls for evidence in review of sharia law in Britain (5 July 2016)
The Home Office is calling for those with experience of sharia law to take part in an independent review examining whether the religious code is being misused within Britain. Read more...
Bromley Trading Standards issues warnings to consumers for July’s National Scam Month (5 July 2016)
Bromley Council Trading Standards department is warning consumers about several recently reported scams, as National Scam Month gets underway in July. Read more...
Barnet Council launches new domestic violence service (5 July 2016)
Barnet Council has launched a new domestic violence and abuse service, as part of its commitment to tackle domestic violence and abuse of all forms in the borough. Read more...
Guildford Council starts welcoming refugees under the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Programme (5 July 2016)
Guildford Council has announced that the borough has welcomed its first refugee family as part of the UK government^s Syrian Refugee Resettlement Programme – with a second family expected shortly. Read more...
Fine for fisherman without licence who gave false identity (4 July 2016)
The Environment Agency has prosecuted a fisherman who gave a false ID when challenged over not having a rod licence. Read more...
Barnet Council’s children’s centres awarded special health status (4 July 2016)
Barnet Council in London has announced that all of Barnet’s ten children’s centres have now been awarded a Healthy Children’s Centre special health status, to recognise their work in helping to improve the health of children and families in Barnet. Read more...
Welsh government listens to parents over free childcare programme (4 July 2016)
Welsh Assembly Communities and Children’s Secretary Carl Sargeant has visited the Family Centre in Barry, South Wales, to see the benefits of the Welsh Government’s Flying Start programme. Read more...
Suspended sentence for unregistered gas fitter who put lives at risk (4 July 2016)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted an unlicensed gas fitter who put the lives of householders at risk by carrying out gas work he was not competent to undertake. Read more...
Jail for couple who made millions out of selling counterfeit BMW accessories online (4 July 2016)
A churchwarden and his wife have been prosecuted after pleading guilty to charges relating to selling counterfeit BMW merchandise worth millions of pounds. Read more...
£17,000 penalty for Devon companies which polluted River Dalch (4 July 2016)
The Environment Agency has prosecuted a Devon-based company and a site owner for polluting 2.5km of the River Dalch. Read more...
London Mayor calls for Londoners to unite against hate crime (4 July 2016)
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has called on Londoners to unite against hate crime in the capital. Read more...
Public health alert over E.coli 0157 outbreak (4 July 2016)
Public Health England (PHE) is warning consumers about the importance of good hygiene and food preparation practice as they continue to investigate an outbreak of E.coli 0157. Read more...
Public Health England providing support to hospitals over C.auris outbreak (4 July 2016)
Public Health England (PHE) has said it is providing ongoing advice about infection control in hospitals and care homes, after an outbreak of the drug-resistant yeast infection Candida Auris (C.Auris), which has been ongoing since 2013. Read more...
FCO and charity highlight heightened summer risk of international parent-child abduction (4 July 2016)
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and UK charity Reunite International are raising awareness of the impact of child abduction, which occurs more frequently during the summer when children may spend time with their non-resident parent. Read more...
Tackling homelessness and adverse child experiences “top of agenda” for Welsh Assembly Communities Secretary (4 July 2016)
Welsh Assembly Communities and Children Secretary Carl Sargeant has told Shelter Cymru’s annual conference that he is determined to do everything in his power to address the problem of homelessness and adverse childhood experiences as a result of homelessness. Read more...
Minister for Welfare Reform says supported housing sector “vital” to delivering many government policy objectives (4 July 2016)
Minister of State for Welfare Reform at the Department for Work and Pensions, Lord Freud, has told the Chartered Institute of Housing conference in Manchester that the institute’s ambition to improve people’s lives and situations is fundamental to welfare reform. Read more...
Government launches voluntary transfer arrangement between councils for unaccompanied children seeking asylum (4 July 2016)
The Home Office and Department for Education have launched a new voluntary transfer arrangement between local authorities for the care of unaccompanied children who arrive in the UK and claim asylum. Read more...
Essex County Council seeks feedback on children’s and young people’s mental health services (4 July 2016)
Essex County Council is inviting residents to share their experiences of children and young people’s mental health services in the county. Read more...
Disqualified directors jailed with accomplices for £3m land banking fraud (1 July 2016)
A gang of five who fraudulently sold green belt agricultural land in Warwickshire as property investments has been sentenced to a total of 29 years’ imprisonment, after conning more than 250 victims out of money. Read more...
Waste company has permit revoked for breaching Environmental Act (1 July 2016)
A waste company has had its licence revoked after failing to comply with environmental rules. Read more...
Film investment gang sentenced to total of 29 years for £98m fraud (1 July 2016)
Birmingham Crown Court has sentenced four men who defrauded HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to a total of 29 years in prison for their role in an elaborate tax fraud involving the funding of UK film productions. Read more...
£90,000 fine for failing to comply with safety notices over lifting gear (1 July 2016)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted a Wrexham-based company, which repeatedly failed to comply with legal notices to get its lifting equipment examined. Read more...