We welcome applications from talented barristers with expertise in our core practice areas: Family, Housing, Property, Business, Public law and Court of Protection.
Housing news
The Court of Appeal has confirmed that where a local authority makes a homelessness review decision late, that decision is valid notwithstanding its lateness.
Sarah Salmon and Joshua Swirsky discuss the case of R(MA) v LB Croydon in which they acted for the successful local authority.
The case reaffirms the right of a local authority in most circumstances to carry out an investigation before deciding whether to start a prosecution under s222 of the Local Government Act 1972. For claimants, the case stresses the need to show they have some identifiable interest in the remedy sought to have standing to bring judicial review proceedings.
The Civil Procedure Rules Practice Direction 55C, which came into force on 23 August 2020, has been extended from 28 March 2021 to 30 July 2021. The deadline for reactivation notices has also been extended from 29 January 2021 to 4pm on 30 April 2021.
This decision is significant for local authority landlords as there are tens of thousands of flexible tenancies in England and most may not have forfeiture clauses.
Sarah Salmon is acting for the London Borough of Hounslow in a High Court case to decide issues of principle in local authority claims for injunctions against ‘persons unknown’. The case could have much wider application as local authorities have used the same statutory provisions to seek injunctions against ‘persons unknown’ to restrain raves and car cruising (among other things).
From today, the ban on residential evictions has been extended in England and in Wales.
Sarah Salmon will be one of the panellists speaking about ASBIs and committal in the Covid-19 era at the HLPA’s Housing Law Conference 2020. The conference is taking place remotely on Thursday 10 December.
This week has already seen two important developments for social housing practitioners: the laying before parliament of regulations dealing with, inter alia, the suspension of evictions from residential tenancies and the publication of the long-awaited Social Housing White Paper.