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 … Read more
Click this link for a table summarising benefits reforms introduced under the Conservative/Liberal Coalition Government of 2010 onwards.
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
Law Society of Scotland’s Advice to Consumers on Online Shopping Rights From Scottish Legal News E-Bulletin The Law Society of Scotland has advised consumers to be aware of their rights when it comes to returning any unwanted or faulty gifts which have been purchased online. The Law Society said that while there are greater protections … Read more
New rules on the use of so-called ‘McKenzie Friends’ in Scotland’s sheriff courts came into force on 1 January 2011 to the welcome of such organisations as Consumer Focus Scotland following lengthy campaigning for reform of the country’s civil justice system. Essentially, a McKenzie Friend is a non-legally qualified individual whom a party to a … Read more