VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Council to pay social worker £64,000 over harassment
17/09/2024 Cambridgeshire County Council will pay a former employee almost £64,000 over harassment relating to her ‘gender critical’ beliefs and sexual orientation. |
Council leaders call for a voice on Cobra
12/08/2024 Local government representation on Cobra, the committee for dealing with national emergencies, is essential, council leaders say after last week’s riots. |
Council requests fresh appeal over discrimination case
04/07/2024 A council has requested a second appeal over an employment tribunal that found it had racially discriminated against an employee. |
Councillor suspended over alleged homophobic slurs
01/07/2024 A council leader has been suspended by the Labour Party after allegations of homophobia. |
Councillors quit Labour over Shaheen, Abbot and Gaza
04/06/2024 Seven councillors in Slough have resigned from Labour citing as the reason the treatment of Faiza Shaheen and Diane Abbot and the party’s position on Gaza. |
Gove warns of ‘explosion in antisemitism’
21/05/2024 Communities secretary Michael Gove today warned of an ‘explosion in antisemitism’ since the outbreak of the latest round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. |
Councillor accused of making ‘racist remarks’ during LGA meeting
17/05/2024 A Tendring district councillor has been found to have breached the councillors’ Code of Conduct by allegedly making ‘highly offensive’ and ‘racist remarks’. |
Gender-critical social worker awarded over £50k
29/04/2024 A social worker who faced disciplinary action following complaints about her gender critical beliefs will be awarded over £50,000. |
Newcastle moves cycle barriers that blocked disabled access
04/04/2024 Newcastle City Council has agreed to move a set of barriers after a disabled cyclist raised concerns that the design constituted indirect discrimination. |
Ex-Conservative councillor faced discrimination by local party
18/03/2024 A former Conservative councillor faced discrimination on the basis of his Muslim faith or Pakistani background, a confidential report has revealed. |
Chiefs back ethnicity pay gap reporting
15/02/2024 Council chiefs have backed proposals that would place a duty on local authorities to collect data and report on staffing, pay and outcomes by ethnicity. |
Ombudsman calls for Royal Commission for social housing
23/01/2024 The Housing Ombudsman has called for the establishment of a Royal Commission to deliver a long-term plan for social housing that tackles social injustices. |
Maladministration findings ‘springboard’ to better services, Croydon told
16/01/2024 Croydon Council has been told by the Housing Ombudsman to use learning as a ‘springboard to deliver better services’ after severe maladministration findings. |
‘Illiberal’ bill banning boycotts of Israel passes Commons
11/01/2024 A bill aimed at banning local authorities from boycotting Israel has passed the Commons despite being branded as ‘illiberal and draconian’. |
Tribunal rules against council in discrimination case
10/01/2024 Westminster has apologised following ruling the borough had discriminated against social worker Rachel Meade after complaints about gender critical beliefs. |
Council accused of menopause ‘discrimination’
02/10/2023 Employment tribunal will today begin the first case in Britain where a worker will argue that menopause symptoms amount to a disability under the Equality Act. |
Tackling anti-GRT racism at the local level
12/09/2023 Dr Helen O'Nions, Nottingham Law School, looks at the role of local government in preventing discrimination against travelling communities. |
Government failing to protect disabled people
17/08/2023 The UK and Welsh governments are failing to protect disabled people from discrimination and the situation is worsening due to the cost-of-living crisis. |
Consultation on £1.8bn LGPS change launched
01/06/2023 The Government has launched a consultation seeking views on changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). |
Leicester City Council loses race discrimination case
13/04/2023 A social worker who claimed she suffered racial discrimination at work has won her case against Leicester City Council. |
Systemic sexism costs economy over £88bn a year
08/03/2023 Barriers faced by women wanting to work is costing the economy in England, Scotland and Wales £88.7bn every year, according to new research. |
Council chiefs call for ‘structural change’ to tackle racism
06/03/2023 Structural change is needed to reduce inequality in health affecting black, minority and ethnic communities, according to local government leaders. |
Autistic children face discrimination in care system
03/03/2023 Marginalised families with autistic children face serious problems in the health, care, and education systems, according to new research. |
Charity calls for ban on pavement parking to improve accessibility
09/02/2023 People with disabilities struggle to move around their communities due to ‘inadequate infrastructure’, a sustainable transport charity has found. |
Minorities hit hardest by cost-of-living crisis
06/10/2022 The cost-of-living crisis is having a disproportionate impact on Black and minority ethnic people, new research has revealed. |
Council’s ‘failings’ led to discrimination of disabled boy
06/10/2022 Hertfordshire County Council’s ‘failings’ led to the discrimination of a young boy with disabilities when it came to the provision of educational support. |
Equality regulator to monitor racist AI
01/09/2022 Equality regulator is set to start monitoring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by councils to ensure technologies are not discriminating against people. |
Traveller communities in Wales face ‘widespread racism’
11/08/2022 Members of the Senedd have called on councils to take ‘action’ to provide sites for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities who face widespread prejudice. |
Racism ‘off-putting’ for minorities seeking family support
30/06/2022 Family support services need to do more to meet the needs of minority ethnic families who researchers say often face racism when requesting support. |
Inquiry hears of bullying and racism in social care sector
10/06/2022 Lower-paid health and social care workers have experienced bullying, racism and harassment at work, an inquiry by Britain’s equality regulator has heard. |
GRT community face ‘shocking’ levels of discrimination
18/05/2022 Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people’s experiences of public services including housing, health and education are marred by discrimination, peers say. |
Council chiefs call for action against ‘scourge’ of pavement parking
18/05/2022 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to give councils the freedom to ban pavement parking in their own areas. |
High Court rules no discrimination in legal protection for children in care
17/03/2022 High Court yesterday ruled that legislation allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to be placed in unregulated accommodation did not count as age-based discrimination. |
New funding to tackle racial inequality across Liverpool City Region
27/07/2021 New investment will see 22,000 local authority staff receive race equality training across Liverpool City Region. |
Combined authority first to be awarded RACE quality mark
26/07/2021 The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has become the first organisation in the UK to be awarded the RACE Equality Code. |
Calls to end 'unstable and discriminatory' housing system
26/05/2021 A third of adults are living in homes that are unaffordable, unfit or unstable, a homelessness charity has warned today. |
London boroughs vow to do more to tackle racial inequalities
09/12/2020 The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minorities shows there’s ‘so much more to do’ to promote racial equality, London borough leaders have said. |
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Planning reforms present 'dangers' for disabled peopled, Lord Holmes warns
07/07/2020 The relaxation of planning rules poses 'serious dangers' for disabled people, Lord Holmes has warned. |
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Two councils join forces to address health inequalities
06/05/2020 Two councils have joined together to tackle health inequalities affecting Black African and Caribbean communities. |
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Older people face ‘litany of damaging stereotypes’, charity warns
20/03/2020 Older people in the UK are seen as incompetent, hostile or a burden on society, according to the findings of a new study into ageism. |
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Council demands end to ‘age-based pay discrimination’
31/01/2020 Gateshead Council has announced that it will be lobbying the Government to end age-based pay discrimination. |
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Court rules adoption service ‘discriminated against’ couple
09/12/2019 A court has awarded a couple £120,000 in damages after their local adoption service turned them away because of their Indian heritage. |
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A tale from Shakespeare Country – comedy or tragedy?
11/11/2019 Goings on in deepest Warwickshire suggest a hinterland of a dark and oppressive culture of sexism, says Mark Whitehead |
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Local leaders pledge to tackle ageism
01/10/2019 Mayors and council leaders have pledged to tackle discrimination on grounds of age. |
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One in 10 rental properties advertised as ‘no housing benefit’
08/11/2018 Around 10% of rental properties in England are likely to be advertised unlawfully by explicitly discriminating against people who rely on housing benefit. |
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Letting agents discriminate against tenants on benefits
22/08/2018 Several major letting agents are discriminating against tenants on housing benefit, according to campaigners. |
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Whitehall defends voter ID reform against accusations of ‘discrimination’
23/04/2018 The Government has defended its plans to require voters to produce ID when voting after watchdog warned reform may discriminate against ethnic minorities. |
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PM announces £90m to address ethnic inequalities in youth unemployment
19/03/2018 The prime minister today announced a £90m programme to address ethnic disparities in youth unemployment in the wake of the Government’s study of inequality within public services. |
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Javid latest MP to receive 'punish a Muslim' letter
16/03/2018 Local government secretary Sajid Javid has become the fifth politician to receive a hate-filled anti-Muslim letter. |
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Commissioners highlight problems for voters with disabilities
10/11/2017 Some people were unable to vote in the last general election because of their disabilities, according to the Electoral Commission. |
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Councils complicit in ‘human rights violations’, disability organisations say
21/08/2017 Deaf and disability organisations have accused the Government and local authorities of human rights violations due to policies which prevent disabled people living independent lives. |
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Council pays out £2000 after blind woman unable to vote
07/06/2017 A woman has won a legal challenge against her district council over voting access for the blind and partially sighted. |
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Disability access to council websites ‘ongoing challenge’
17/05/2017 The websites of nearly a third of councils failed an accessibility test for people with disabilities proving digital access is still ‘an ongoing challenge’. |
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Campaigners call for ‘failing’ Prevent duty to be scrapped after discrimination case
27/01/2017 A civil liberties group has demanded the ‘failing’ Prevent duty be scrapped after education authority admits discriminating against a child with a toy gun. |
