As many readers will know London Borough of Bromley have appealed to the Court of Appeal against the refusal of the High Court to grant them a wide injunction against Gypsies and Travellers covering 171 parcels of land. The appeal is to be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice on December 3rd and 4th. London Gypsies and Travellers (LGT) are continuing with their intervention in this case and have now set up a Crowd Justice page to raise funds for their challenge to this appeal.
Legal Aid Problems
PM is a previous Client of ours and is an Irish Traveller. He lives in his caravan with his partner and recently his 3 year old son has come to live with him. PM has been in the area of a particular Welsh local authority (LA) since 2012 and, since that time, he has had to resort to unauthorised encampments since he does not have an authorised pitch in the area. However he has been pressing the LA to provide him with an authorised pitch but they have, to date, failed to do so. Since 2017 PM has instructed us to assist him and we have been taking up the case on his behalf. In July 2019, out of desperation, he moved onto an empty pitch on a site that LA are building for Travellers in their area. At this date LA have only obtained funding to construct three pitches and these three pitches have now been constructed. PM has moved onto one of these pitches. At this date, no further funding is available for further pitches though, ultimately, the LA intends to construct 32 pitches at this site. The LA’s Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment estimates that they need 32 pitches for Travellers in their area (hence the number of pitches they intend to construct).
Legal Aid Cuts
Source – The Guardian (December 2018)
Legal Aid Matters
To celebrate 70 years since the introduction of legal aid in Britain, Justice Alliance have published Legal Aid Matters which contains short pieces on 70 of the most important cases funded by legal aid.
Terryann Samuels – The long road to the Supreme Court – Struggles with the Legal Aid Agency
7 June 2013 – Ms Samuels made an application as homeless to Birmingham City Council (“BCC”)
Wide Injunction Cases in the High Court – An Update
This is an update to our report below in this section about the High Court judgment in the case of LB Bromley v Persons Unknown & London Gypsies and Travellers (LGT). In giving her final order, Mulcahy J has given…
A Response to Extending Fixed Recoverable Costs in Civil Cases: Implementing Sir Rupert Jackson’s proposals
About us
The Community Law Partnership (“CLP”) is a firm of solicitors in Birmingham City Centre specialising in Housing, Community Care, and Public Law.
Press Release – London Gypsies and Travellers challenges “Wide Injunctions” in the High Court
© Mike Doherty, Left to right: Brigitta Balogh (pupil barrister); Cllr Richard Bennett (LGT trustee); Christopher Johnson (CLP); Ilinca Diaconsecu (LGT); Marc Willers (Garden Court); Tessa Buchanan (Garden Court); Debby Kennett (LGT); and Tanya Murat (LGT).
Please see the attached Press Release and statement.
Attachments
Total Attachments: 2
Tackling Inequalities Faced by Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities
This is the long awaited report from the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee which was published on 5 April 2019. Below we have some quotes (in italics) and some comments from us. CLP in conjunction with Ruston Planning made submissions to the Committee but, since our submissions centred on accommodation issues for those who live in caravans, we were wasting our breath apparently (see below).
LASPO Review
The Government’s long awaited review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012 has finally been published: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/777038/post-implementation-review-of-part-1-of-laspo.pdf
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has also published an ‘action plan’: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/777036/legal-support-the-way-ahead.pdf