PracticeBethan's practice covers housing, community care and social welfare law, including homelessness and allocations; Children Act 1989 community care and housing provision; National Assistance Act 1948; all aspects of security of tenure, co-ownership, social security benefits, in particular housing benefit; community care assessments and services; best interests proceedings. Bethan appears regularly in the civil courts at all levels including tribunals hearing social security appeals and the Court of Protection. Her practice focuses in particular on housing and community care services for disabled or vulnerable adults, and families with children with disabilities. Bethan is experienced in all the main areas of housing law. She has been instructed as a housing law expert witness in care proceedings, and has advised on and drafted local authority housing allocations policy. She has conducted seminars, been an invited speaker and conducted training sessions for relevant practitioners' associations (e.g. Housing Law Practitioners' Association; Liberty; Shelter; Public Law Project). She was a panel member of the former Social Security Appeal Tribunal. PublicationsCo-author of a regular up-date on Housing Benefit Law in the Legal Action Magazine Assistant editor of the Community Care Law Reports Notable CasesStephens v Kerr [2006] HLR 21 CA : tenant with Rent Act 1977 security retaining her protected status despite prolonged absence from dwelling. Kerr v Stephens [2006] EWCA Civ 187 (15 February 2006)
Southwark LBC v Long [2002] HLR 56 CA: council's obligation to maintain common parts of council estate. London Borough of Southwark v Long [2002] EWCA Civ 403 (27th March, 2002)
Lambeth LBC v Howard [2001] 33 HLR 58 CA: relevance of Article 8 in possession proceedings brought by local authority on grounds of anti-social behaviour. London Borough Of Lambeth v Howard [2001] EWCA Civ 468 (6 March 2001) Hammersmith & Fulham v Clarke [2001] 33 HLR 77 CA: elderly tenant retaining security of her council tenancy after moving into residential care. London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham v Clarke & Anor [2000] EWCA Civ 3032 (20 November 2000) R (G) v LB Barnet [2001] EWHC Admin 5: availability of assistance under s 17 Children Act 1989 for child in need and its mother who was not habitually resident in the UK). Guleed, R (on the application of) v London Borough Of Barnet [2000] EWHC Admin 5 (9 October 2000) CIS 3325/00: social security commissioner appeal on entitlement of people with severe learning disabilities to income support after transfer from hospital care to nursing home care. [2001] UKSSCSC CIS_3325_2000 (03 August 2001) De Silva v Social Security Commissioner [2001] EWCA Civ 539: Social Security Appeal Tribunal's duty to make accurate record of proceedings. De Silva v Social Security Commissioner [2001] EWCA Civ 539 (05 April 2001) R (Patrick) v Newham LBC (2000) 4 CCLR 48: local authority's duty to conduct community care assessment for person with mental illness living rough: when duty triggered and requirements of a lawful assessment. LB Haringey v Jowett [2000] 32 HLR 308: Environmental Protection Act 1990 and noise nuisance caused by traffic. London Borough Of Haringey v Jowett [1999] EWHC Admin 365 (27th April, 1999)
Bate v Chief Adjudication Officer [1996] 1 WLR 814 HL: anti-test case rules in social security law. Chief Adjudication Officer v. Bate [1996] UKSSCSC CIS_787_1991 (16 May 1996)
BackgroundBethan has been involved in briefing MPs and drafting amendments on behalf of pressure groups in relation to housing and social security legislation. She has worked in Kosovo and Macedonia documenting human rights violations on behalf of Physicians for Human Rights and visited Montenegro to speak to lawyers on behalf of the Bar Human Rights Committee. Bethan comes from South Wales and speaks Welsh. She has appeared on Welsh TV and radio on many occasions commenting on current legal affairs. SocietiesHousing Law Practitioners' Association; Administrative Law Bar Association; founding member of the Social Security Law Practitioners'Association; Liberty; Child Poverty Action Group.
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