Public law Blog

A significant number of councils are failing to meet targets for Gypsy and Traveller sites, a charity has revealed. Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT) has published a report which revealed numerous cases of local authorities failing to make adequate...

The UK is lagging behind when it comes to meeting the human rights recommendations previously made by the United Nations, an influential coalition of groups has argued. The organisations’ report, which was overseen by the British Institute of Human...

Almost 75,000 people have signed a petition which urges ministers to keep the Human Rights Act. Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor Liz Truss has confirmed that the Government will press ahead with scrapping existing laws in favour of the British...

Plans to replace the Human Rights Act with a new British “Bill of Rights” could be scrapped by the Prime Minister it has been suggested this month. Speculation is mounting that Theresa May will abandon the controversial plans to rip up existing...

A Romany Gypsy has highlighted the inherent unfairness of the Government’s new planning legislation. Lisa Smith, who currently lives on a travellers’ site and works in the education department of her local council, is unhappy that changes to the...

Lester Morrill’s Associate Solicitor Rhiannon Jones is among the expert speakers confirmed for a conference which will be taking place in Manchester next month. The Public Law and Judicial Review North event will welcome some of the top lawyers in...

The campaign group Liberty has launched a fresh attack on the Government’s plans to scrap the Human Rights Act. The Prime Minister has now confirmed that the proposals to replace the legislation with a British ‘Bill of Rights’ will...

Civil liberties campaigners have heavily criticised the Home Secretary for giving a speech which advocated the UK leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. In a speech earlier this week, Theresa May suggested Britain should walk away because the...

Almost 6,000 people have put their name to a new petition which has asked the Government to reconsider proposals to change the definition of “gypsy” status and the way it is applied in planning matters. Campaigners believe that the approach...

A leading civil liberties group has backed calls to amend a piece of legislation which is currently working its way through Parliament, amid fears that it could have a detrimental effect on Gypsies and Travellers. The Equality and Human Rights Commission...

A group of Romany travellers have appealed against a council’s decision to refuse planning permission for a site in Somerset. The family in question are seeking permission to change the use of the existing site in the Cheddar Valley to have five...

An Irish traveller has successfully challenged a local authority’s “discriminatory” policy. With help from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the individual had pursued a judicial review over the way North Somerset Council had...

Justice Secretary Michael Gove continues to come under fierce criticism for his proposals to tear up the Human Rights Act. Civil liberties campaigners have previously voiced concern about plans to replace the current laws with a British Bill of Rights. Mr...

Ministers are understood to be drafting a controversial new law which would explicitly encourage the UK’s judiciary to disregard judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The present Government has repeatedly attacked what it sees as...

Justice Secretary Michael Gove is set to tell Judges that they can ignore certain rulings from the European Court of Human Rights. The British Bill of Rights – which the Government is drafting to replace the Human Rights Act – will dilute the...

Full details of a controversial plan to replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights are set to be published in the next couple of months. Minister for Human Rights Dominic Raab recently told the House of Commons that preparations for the new...