Engage Renfrewshire Launches Off
4th April 2011
'Engage Renfrewshire', Renfrewshire's new Third Sector Interface, officially launched on 1 April, effectively merging Paisley Partnership Regeneration Company, Renfrewshire Council for Voluntary Services, and the Volunteer Centre Renfrewshire.
Engage Renfrewshire has a role in supporting the community and third sector agencies in respect of the Community Plan and its main objectives of wealtheir & fairer, smarter, safer & stronger, healthier, & greener.
Renfrewshire Law Centre has applied to become a member.
New Legal Aid Thresholds Announced
31st March 2011
The Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) has announced new thresholds for Advice & Assistance (A&A) and Civil Legal Aid (CivLA), which will take effect from 11 April 2011.
Legal Aid is a form of government welfare benefit available to eligible persons who cannot afford to pay for private legal services.
A&A covers meetings with your solicitor, correspondence, telephone calls etc, and representation in some tribunals (ABWOR). Eligibility for A&A is assessed with reference to household financial circumstances, i.e. if you live with a partner, then your partner's income and savings are taken into account.
From 11 ...
Slum Landlords Beware of New Housing Law
18th March 2011
The Scottish Parliament has now passed the Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Act 2011, which aims to improve the standard of private rented housing in Scotland.
Councils should have enhanced powers to take measures against bad or unlawful practices and to improve both landlords' and their tenants’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities.
Delinquent landlords face a fine of up to £50,000 as well as a ban on letting homes of up to five years. The use of premiums, already unlawful in terms of existing legislation, should also receive attention under the new regime.
Benefits Reforms Summary under Conservative/Liberal Coalition Government, 2010 onwards
8th March 2011
Click this link for a table summarising benefits reforms introduced under the Conservative/Liberal Coalition Government of 2010 onwards.
New Law to Help Injury Victims & Families
7th March 2011
The Scottish Parliament has passed a new Damages Bill, which will reform the law of negligence with the aim of improving rights to compensation on the part of victims and their families in claims in respect of injury or death, including those caused by workplace accidents and industrial diseases.
The new law follows recommendations by the Scottish Law Commission, and was introduced by Bill Butler MSP. Changes to the existing law include:—
- A deceased person’s claim for the pain and suffering they endured before death may transmit to their executor.
- There will be an assumption that 75% of a ...
Paisley Snail Conference Makes New Friends
10th February 2011
As time marches on, so too do Renfrewshire Law Centre & UWS's plans for the Paisley Snail Conference 2012. Today saw the Conference Streeting Committee engage in a series of meetings with representatives of key agencies to continue to raise the profile of the Conference and to consolidate its support base. Below, Jon Kiddie and Joe Bryce meet Ellen Farmer of the Old Paisley Society at Sma Shot Cottages, an important nearby local institution.
Eric Graham, in Memoriam
25th January 2011
Eric Graham
in Memoriam
16 March 1924 — 21 Jan 2011
Renfrewshire Law Centre Director since 26 Jan 1999
Chair, 2000 — 2010
It is with great sadness that Renfrewshire Law Centre has to report the death of Eric Graham during the evening of 21 January 2011 peacefully at his home with family. Eric served as a Director of Renfrewshire Law Centre from 26 January 1999, acting as Chairman from 2000 to 2010, our longest serving chairperson ever. As Director and Chairman he gave of his time wholly voluntarily, and Renfrewshire Law Centre is indebted to him for his stalwart support over ...
Law Clinic Feedback
17th January 2011
Renfrewshire Law Centre is pleased to report student feedback from the first crop of student advisors to particpate in the RLC/UWS joint law clinic venture, Law Wise, as originally publisged on the Law Clinic website.
Law Wise Law Clinic began in September 2010 and had its official launch on 15 October 2010. We were honoured to have Professor Seamus McDaid (Principal and Vice Chancellor of University of the West of Scotland) Hugh Henry MSP, Professor Donald Nicolson (Director of University of Strathclyde Law Clinic) and Mungo Bovey QC speak at the launch. The event was a huge success and ...
Human Rights Lawyers Re-Unite Family
17th January 2011
Longstanding friend of Renfrewshire Law Centre, Joe Bryce, Advocate, Volunteer Law Clinic Supervisor and Conference Consultant, has won an important asylum case with instructing solicitor, Neil Barnes of Loughran Barnes LLP, thus bringing a Congolese family to Scotland to reunite them with their grandmother.
Pascaline Kunda-Kilufya was granted asylum from the war-torn Congo 2007, but her family remained stranded in a Zambian refugee camp.
The Scottish Refugee Council Family Reunion Unit tried to persuade the British High Commission in Zambia to allow the children in to come to the UK, but this was refused on the basis that some of ...
Council Supports Homeless Applicants
6th January 2011
Renfrewshire Council has adopted a new policy which should improve the rights of homeless persons and families and those facing homelessness.
In terms of a homeless applicant’s age, although statute law currently only grants (i) automatic priority need to those aged 16 or 17, and (ii) discretionary priority need (a) to those aged 18-20 who have left care or who face particular risks, and (b) to older individuals if some other factor applies, nonetheless Renfrewshire Council hasextended automatic priority need to include (iii) those aged under 36 and (iv) those aged over 50.
This is ahead of Central Government ...