How have councils been coping with virtual public meetings in the last month and what public meetings are happening locally in the week starting 11th May 2020?

How have councils been coping with virtual public meetings in the last month and what public meetings are happening locally in the week starting 11th May 2020?

How have councils been coping with virtual public meetings in the last month and what public meetings are happening locally in the week starting 11th May 2020?

                                      

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Cabinet (Liverpool City Council) 7th May 2020

Mayor Joe Anderson (Liverpool City Council) Cabinet 7th May 2020
Mayor Joe Anderson (Liverpool City Council) Cabinet 7th May 2020

As public meetings of local councils move online to virtual meetings, after a month of the new arrangements I thought it was time to write a piece about different council’s approaches including where things have gone wrong or well.
Continue reading “How have councils been coping with virtual public meetings in the last month and what public meetings are happening locally in the week starting 11th May 2020?”

Online tool started so UK self-employed can check eligibility for financial support but applications can’t be made yet

Online tool started so UK self-employed can check eligibility for financial support but applications can’t be made yet

Online tool started so UK self-employed can check eligibility for financial support but applications can’t be made yet

                                      

Money (the Chancellor announced a cash grant for some of the self-employed)
Money (the Chancellor announced a cash grant for some of the self-employed)

By John Brace (Editor) on 5th May 2020

Many moons ago, around the start of the lockdown due to the cornavirus pandemic in March 2020, financial support was promised by the UK government for some self-employed people (there are around 5 million in the UK and some of those won’t be eligible). I will declare an interest at this point as one of the self-employed people that are eligible. The below is not meant as accountancy or tax advice but is an update to a story published on the 26th March 2020 (Chancellor announces financial support for some of the self-employed impacted by Covid-19).
Continue reading “Online tool started so UK self-employed can check eligibility for financial support but applications can’t be made yet”

Mayor of London argues that Harrow School planning application and associated costs order was wrongly decided at judicial review

Mayor of London argues that Harrow School planning application and associated costs order was wrongly decided at judicial review

Mayor of London argues that Harrow School planning application and associated costs order was wrongly decided at judicial review

                                               

By John Brace (Editor)
and
Leonora Brace (Co-Editor)

Royal Courts of Justice, London, UK (resized). Picture credit sjiong, made available under the CC BY-SA 2.0 licence
Royal Courts of Justice, London, UK (resized). Picture credit sjiong, made available under the CC BY-SA 2.0 licence.

ED – 12.5.2020 – The decision resulting from the hearing reported below and other later hearings in the same judicial reviews [2020] EWHC 1176 (Admin) has since been published and can be read by following that link.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic the hearing was held (see Civil Procedure Rule Practice Direction 51Y) not in person but virtually as a video hearing. It was a two day hearing in a judicial review of a planning application and an associated costs order (linked cases CO/4849/2019 and CO/4851/2019) in Mayor Of London v Secretary Of State For Housing Communities And Local Government. It should also be pointed out that Harrow School was the applicant (for planning permission) and that during this long-running issue, the Mayor of London changed in 2016 from Boris Johnson (who is now Prime Minister) to Sadiq Khan.
Continue reading “Mayor of London argues that Harrow School planning application and associated costs order was wrongly decided at judicial review”

High Court Judges hear arguments for and against extradition of McDaid to the United States of America

High Court Judges hear arguments for and against extradition of McDaid to the United States of America

High Court Judges hear arguments for and against extradition of McDaid to the United States of America

                                               

By John Brace (Editor)
and
Leonora Brace (Co-Editor)

Royal Courts of Justice, London, UK (resized). Picture credit sjiong, made available under the CC BY-SA 2.0 licence
Royal Courts of Justice, London, UK (resized). Picture credit sjiong, made available under the CC BY-SA 2.0 licence.

Unfortunately as I was only sent the email to join the video hearing at 10.20am, I missed the first few minutes at the start as the hearing started at 10.30am and joined around 10.35am.

Helen Malcolm QC and Joel Smith were for the United States Government (although instructed by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service Extradition Unit) and Edward Fitzgerald QC and David Williams instructed by Alsters Kelly Solicitors were for Mr Robert McDaid. The case was United States Government vs McDaid (CO/1024/2019).

The decision arising from this hearing can be found at [2020] EWHC 1527 (Admin).

Continue reading “High Court Judges hear arguments for and against extradition of McDaid to the United States of America”

UK local government and national government move to “virtual” democracy and “virtual” public meetings as coronavirus restrictions continue

UK local government and national government move to “virtual” democracy and “virtual” public meetings as coronavirus restrictions continue

UK local government and national government move to “virtual” democracy and “virtual” public meetings as coronavirus restrictions continue

                                               

By John Brace (Editor)
and
Leonora Brace (Co-Editor)

Phil Davies at a public meeting of the Merseyside Police and Crime Panel (Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Confirmation Hearing 9th April 2020) from a still of a video filmed by Knowsley Council
Phil Davies at a public meeting of the Merseyside Police and Crime Panel (Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Confirmation Hearing 9th April 2020) from a still of a video filmed by Knowsley Council

After a break of approximately four weeks, the House of Commons and House of Lords both met today (21st April 2020) and agreed new procedural rules which allow a hybrid of in person participation (with social distancing) and virtual participation.
Continue reading “UK local government and national government move to “virtual” democracy and “virtual” public meetings as coronavirus restrictions continue”