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July 18, 2025
Don’t refuse to mediate! Engage
Peter Causton looks at a recent ruling where a defendant public body was reprimanded for refusing to mediate.
Jul 18, 2025
Smile for the Camera?
Annie Sayers gives an overview of the Family Justice Council’s Guidance on covert recordings.
Jul 18, 2025
ADHD diagnosis and disability
Does an ADHD diagnosis mean an employee is (rather than may be) disabled under the Equality Act 2010? That's the question the Employment…
Jul 18, 2025
The coroner's duty to notify the DPP
When is Rule 25(4) of the Coroners (Inquest) Rules 2013 triggered? Lewis Harrison explains.
Jul 18, 2025
Racist comments from one employee to another
The Employment Appeal Tribunal has upheld a tribunal’s decision that a racist comment made by one employee to another did not give rise to…
July 18, 2025
Court of Protection case update: July 2025
Niamh Brennan and Sarah Hutchinson round up the latest Court of Protection rulings of interest to practitioners.
Jul 17, 2025
Maximising ROI in renewable energy: Legal, technical, and financial strategies for net-zero success
The Hugh James Energy and Renewables team share their expertise on achieving net-zero, and emphasise that it doesn’t have to come at the…
Jul 17, 2025
Personal circumstances, public safety, and the planning balance
Arevik Jackson provides some reflections on recent co-joined enforcement appeals and the grant of temporary planning permissions.
Jul 17, 2025
The Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets (Wales) Bill: the key provisions
Hannah Shaw analyses draft legislation in Wales aimed at establishing a robust framework for environmental governance in Wales.
Jul 17, 2025
Errors of law, materiality and remedies
A recent Court of Appeal case concerning “restocking notices” in forestry has wider lessons in relation to errors of law and remedies,…
July 17, 2025
What next for rent reviews?
Government plans to ban upwards only rent reviews have caught everyone by surprise, writes David Harris.
Jul 16, 2025
Commonhold reform – the beginning of the end?
Tanya Edmonds of Ashfords answers a number of questions raised by the government's white paper on a reformed commonhold model.
Jul 16, 2025
The CAT’s approach to Subsidy Decision Reviews: Fast, cheap and simple?
Olivia Dawson and Oliver Slater consider the Subsidy Control Act’s subsidy challenge regime, the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s (the…
Jul 16, 2025
Millbrook Healthcare Limited v Devon County Council – Its impact on local government procurement
Oliver Dickie, Christopher Watkins and George McLellan dive into the recent High Court judgment on interim relief in procurement claims.
Jul 11, 2025
Early insights into the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
David Kitson offers some initial thoughts on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.
The section 58 defence in the Highways Act 1980
The Court of Appeal recently allowed a claimant’s appeal against a judge’s decision to reject his claim for liability against a county…
Risk assessments in care proceedings: L-G and Re T
Adrian Gordon considers two significant 2025 decisions of the Court of Appeal, which revisit some of the most fundamental considerations…
Turbulence ahead
The £205.2m Cardiff Airport public funding package is to be challenged under the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Jonathan Branton and Alexander…
PFI – a new era?
Melanie Pears explores the recent announcement by NHS England about the possibility of a private finance model for capital developments,…
Costs in discrimination claims brought by litigants in person
The EAT has overturned a £20,000 costs order due to the tribunal's flawed assumptions about legal advice and hindsight bias in assessing…
The Building Safety Act and retrospective service charge protection
Mark Loveday and Hugh Rowan examine Court of Appeal rulings on retrospective service charge protection under Schedule 8 of the Building…
Right to Buy (RTB) leases — be warned about service charges
Andrius Roos outlines five important takeaways from a recent case on the grant of Right to Buy leases and the ability to recover service…
Awaab’s Law – implementation of Phase 1
Matthew Lake, Sian Evans and Clare Jones consider the Government’s recent announcements on phase 1 of Awaab’s Law.
Seven key insights: Lord Justice Birss considers AI in civil justice
Matthew Lee sets out what expert witnesses and housing lawyers must know from the views on AI expressed by the senior judge who is to…
Imperative requirements in homelessness: nuts and bolts on a bumpy roadmap to suitable accommodation
Lindsay Johnson analyses an important Court of Appeal ruling on whether a local housing authority is precluded from determining the…
Neurodiversity in the Family Justice System Panel Discussion
42BR Barristers is pleased to present this online panel discussion exploring the next steps in advancing and sharing best practice to…
Employment Law Webinar Series - May to July - 42 Bedford Row
Following on from the first four webinars in our Employment Law Webinar Series 2025, 42BR's Employment Team is delighted to present the…
Home Truths - Dissecting Section 16J: Criminal Confusion in the Renters’ Rights Bill - 42 Bedford Row
Landlords, brace yourselves! Section 16J of the Renters’ Rights Bill could land you in criminal trouble for relying on shaky eviction…
Home Truths: Grounds for Possession under the Renters' Rights Bill - 42 Bedford Row
In this episode of Home Truths, Alex Adamou and Max Gordon discuss some of the interesting grounds for possession proposed under the…
Airport Subsidy Challenged in the CAT
Oliver Slater, Beatrice Wood and Steve Gummer dive into the latest Competition Appeal Tribunal subsidy control challenge, brought against…
IPA guidance 2025: Managing PFI distress and preparing for expiry
Aanya Gujral and David Owens dive into the recent guidance published on managing the risks associated with Private Finance Initiative…
What might the public inquiry on child sexual exploitation look like
With the recent announcement that there will now be a national public inquiry into child sexual exploitation (CSE) Stephanie McGarry and…
Data (Use and Access) Act – Updating Data Protection Law and more
On the 19th June 2025, the Data Use and Access Bill (“DUA Bill”) received Royal Assent to become the Data Use and Access Act 2025 (“DUA…
High Court Dismisses Challenge to New Super Prison
The High Court has refused permission to challenge the Secretary of State's decision to grant planning permission for so called 'super…
AI, copyright and LLMs
What are the copyright and confidentiality issues arising from use of public and private Large Language Models (LLMs)? Justin Harrington…
Automatic suspensions and the public interest
Tim Care provides a summary of the recent case of Unipart Group Ltd v Supply Chain Coordination Ltd [2025], and assesses its impact upon…
FOI and communication
The Upper Tribunal recently considered the meaning of ‘reasonably practicable’ in s11 of the Freedom of Information Act. Jonathan Dixey…
Too much?
In the fourth and final article on a Court of Appeal judgment that involved an exploration of the law and procedure relating to challenges…
Deploying ‘ADR’ in Planning & Compensation contexts
John Pugh-Smith looks at how these aspects of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) can now be made to work and at different stages of a…
Removal from the village green register
The High Court recently ordered the deletion of school playing fields from the village green register. Ashley Bowes explains why.
The attendance of experts in family proceedings
Rosie Muncer looks at the lessons to be learned from how a High Court judge considered a case management application for the single joint…
Local authority enforcement powers and domestic beekeeping
Dan Jacklin provides a detailed analysis of the enforcement powers available to local authorities in relation to domestic beekeeping.
Too little? When intervention is not required
In the third article on a recent Court of Appeal judgment that involved a wide-ranging exploration of the law and procedure relating to…
Closures of educational sites
The Court of Appeal recently refused permission to appeal in judicial review proceedings concerning the decision to close part of a school…
Public law case update Q1 2025
Kieran Laird and Sophie O’Mahoney offer a straightforward and concise overview of six public law and regulation cases from the first…
Must read
Must read
Borough consults on planning measures to tackle 'buy-to-leave' properties
A London borough has launched a consultation on planning measures aimed at tackling the rise in ‘buy-to-leave’ properties in its area.
- Details
The problem is properties sold as investments, often marketed off-plan overseas, and left to stand empty, Islington Council said. The issue is especially acute in the south of the borough, near the City.
Islington said empty new homes were “wasted supply” and failing to contribute to the area’s need for new places to live.
The local authority has drafted planning measures that would require owners of new properties to ensure that they are occupied.
“The draft measures represent the first time a local authority has tried to tackle ‘buy-to-leave’ using planning powers,” Islington claimed.
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The proposed measures – to apply to new rather than existing properties – would mean new homes could not be left unoccupied or unused for longer than three months, and would have to be occupied for at least 14 days in any three-month period.
“If a property is left unoccupied for more than three months, the council would be able to take legal action such as seeking an injunction from the High Court against the owner,” Islington said.
“Persistently breaking the injunction could lead to a fine, prison and even seizure of the empty property.”
Cllr James Murray, Islington's executive member for housing and development, said: "In Islington, as across London, there is a desperate shortage of housing. It's wrong when new homes sit there empty purely as investments, when Londoners are desperately trying to find somewhere to live.
"Our new proposals would make sure that all new homes in Islington are occupied – we want to send a message that ‘buy-to-leave’ is unacceptable."
Islington’s consultation, Preventing Wasted Housing Supply Supplementary Planning Document, runs until 30 January 2015. It can be viewed here.
Events
Events
Institutional landlord series: Possession – High Court Enforcement - 5 Pump Court
22-10-2025 4:00 pm
22-10-2025 4:00 pm
Institutional landlord series: Costs Recovery and Legally Aided Parties - 5 Pump Court
05-11-2025 4:00 pm
05-11-2025 4:00 pm
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