Council tax hikes planned 'across England'

Nearly all local authorities in England are set to raise council tax and service charges amid concerns for their financial stability, a survey suggests.

Council tax is set to rise in 95% of authorities while 93% will hike service fees, according to the 2018 State of Local Government Finance research.

Warner, Kaine, Wittman Request Briefing with Bureau of Indian Affairs for Newly Recognized Federal Tribes

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) today requested that Bureau of Indian Affairs schedule a briefing as soon as possible with six newly federally recognized tribes in Virginia so that they can fully understand what benefits and resources will now be available to them after a successful, decades-long effort to secure federal recognition. Congress last month passed and the president signed into law H.R. 984, the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017, which for the first time grants federal recognition to six Virginia tribes.

Selection for appointment to the Court of Appeal

On 1 February, an exercise will be launched to select up to seven new members of the Court of Appeal to take up appointment from summer 2018 onwards.

12-month sentence for ‘utterly false’ whiplash claim

Father of three who tried to claim £15,000 for a personal injury has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for fabricating his road traffic accident claim. The High Court heard Bernard Parmar made or caused to be made six separate false statements of truth following the collision between a Jaguar and a Vauxhall Corsa in the West Midlands in September 2012. read more:

Compensation fund payouts tumble by £5.9m in a year

Grants made to clients who have fallen victim to dishonest solicitors have dropped by almost 25% as the sector pulls away from economic crisis. The Solicitors Regulation Authority has revealed that the solicitors compensation fund made grants of £17.9m during the year to 31 October 2015, compared with £23.8m in 2014.

Transforming justice: wider fixed costs regime on the way

The Ministry of Justice is preparing to extend fixed recoverable costs for a wide range of civil cases. Today’s Transforming our Justice System consultation paper, published by lord chancellor Liz Truss, includes a section dedicated to civil justice which states that the recoverable costs regime will be extended.