Social Justice
Expert Lawyers in Public Law Challenges
In order to protect an individual's rights, our expert lawyers can help bring strategic litigation against a public body with a view to challenging a particular rule, policy or law. This may involve challenges under Human Rights legislation or the Equality Act.
“The lawyers at Osbornes Law work with passion, putting in all their best.”
“Osbornes Law are a truly excellent team. They cover a range of immigration, housing, and social care matters with a core commitment to representing vulnerable clients.”
Specialist Social Justice Lawyers
At Osbornes Law we endeavour to use the law as a means for delivering social justice to the community that we serve. We work to protect and fight for individuals’ rights.
Osbornes specialist social justice team is able to run such cases under our Public Law Contract, and you can find out further information on our Public Law page.
As Osbornes holds legal aid contracts in Housing, Community Care, Welfare Benefits, Family Law and Public Law we are well placed to advise and assist clients on a wide breadth of legal issues. We also look to use these skills and experience in bringing strategic litigation where appropriate.
Below are some of the areas where we are able to pursue legal challenges and litigate against large organisations to bring about justice. They include:
- Decision making in relation to Universal Credit claims. We routinely see excessive delay in decision making by the Department of Work and Pensions. We have also come across numerous cases where people’s Universal Credit claim has been unlawfully terminated by simply closing down their online claim, without a lawful decision or notification of appeal rights. If you have been affected by these sorts of issues, or other problems in respect of Universal Credit please contact us to discuss.
- Problems for EU nationals securing settled status in the UK, under the EU Settlement Scheme.
There is currently an internal review process with the Home Office in respect of unsuccessful applications, but beyond that there is no formal right of appeal. Such challenges can only be brought by way of Judicial Review and this may be something with which we are able to assist. - Access to housing assistance or welfare benefits
Refusals by government bodies and local authorities to allow access to housing assistance or welfare benefits to EU national who have been granted pre-settled status, rather than settled status, following applications made under the government’s EU Settlement Scheme . Access is denied to welfare benefits and housing if this is their only right to reside in the UK. It is arguable that to treat people with settled status (who have leave to remain in the UK with no restriction on recourse to public funds) in this way is contrary to EU law, which provides a right not to be discriminated against on the ground of nationality in comparison with UK nationals. - The ability of migrants to access support.
We routinely encounter refusals by public bodies to provide support to migrants as a result of their immigration status. Alternatively, there may be issues concerning the level of support provided by the Home Office or Local Authorities to migrants, which could be susceptible to challenge. - The standard of housing provided to asylum seekers.
Most asylum seekers will be accommodated by the Home Office pending a decision on their asylum claim. The standard of such accommodation is frequently poor, and there have been a number of stories in newspapers about failings in this respect. If you, or someone you know, are experiencing problems with an accommodation provider please contact us to see if we can assist. - Challenging Local Authority’s housing allocation schemes, which govern the way in which social housing is allocated and administered.
Our Social Justice team, led by William Ford. has experience and success of making these challenges. It can be possible to challenge allocation schemes on the basis of unlawful discrimination, or a failure to comply with the legislation that provides rules on how Local Authorities are to draft their allocation schemes. - Challenges to systemic gatekeeping” by Local Housing Authorities.
We routinely encounter cases of unlawful decision making when clients first approach local authorities to make a homeless application. - Support for care leavers.
We often act for young people who have been through the care system and are owed duties by their Local Authority upon turning 18. We have experience of bringing challenges to force Local Authorities to afford young people the rights of a care leaver, even where they do not meet the criteria of having been accommodated for 13 weeks by the Local Authority between the ages of 14 and 17. Cases can arise where had the Local Authority applied the law correctly at the time, the child would have been accommodated by Social Services, but this has not happened. It can then be possible to bring a claim for Judicial Review in certain circumstances where the Local Authority refuses to treat that young person in the same way as they would a care leaver. - Cuts to services.
With ever dwindling budgets it is not uncommon to see local services being cut by Local Authorities. In some cases it may be possible to challenge these types of decision by way of a claim for Judicial Review.
For a confidential discussion regarding your personal situation complete our online enquiry form and we will contact you.
Lisa Pepper deals with separation proceedings and leave to remove cases. Sources describe her as "a great person to work with: constructive, helpful and always infectiously happy.
Rob Aylott is an extremely talented lawyer dealing with cases of the utmost severity. He is very knowledgeable, tactically astute and an excellent negotiator.
Sophie is a first-class litigator. She is tenacious in pursuing the most difficult cases and doing so successfully by combining shrewd judgment with a steely determination.
"She has an encyclopaedic knowledge and an in-depth understanding of this work. She's extremely empathetic and can put herself in the client's shoes. She's also very strategic and is good at pre-empting litigation."
Friendly company, great service. Will thoroughly recommend company to others.
Housing and Community Care InsightsVIEW ALL
- 30.1.2025
Osbornes Wins Judicial Review on Legal Aid Fees
Osbornes successful in judicial review of Lord Chancellor over legal aid fees for Welfare Benefits On 28 January 2025 the High Court...
Read more - 13.1.2025
Osbornes Law Secures Mental Health Support for Asylum...
Home office backs down over decision to deny mental health support to suicidal torture victim seeking asylum The Home Office...
Read more - 7.10.2024
Disabled Woman Wins £34,000 Benefits Case
The Background to the Case In 2019 Ramona Cerbu was crossing the road when she was hit by a car and...
Read more - 2.9.2024
Transferring a Council House Tenancy to a Family...
Tenancy Succession Rules The loss of a loved one is always a difficult time. It is important that time is...
Read more - 30.7.2024
Single Mother Wins in High Court Homelessness Challenge
Claim for judicial review against Redbridge Council This case involved a claim in the High Court for judicial review against...
Read more - 15.7.2024
How To Deal With Rent Arrears
What can I do if I am struggling to pay off rent arrears? There are many reasons why one might...
Read more - 16.4.2024
When can you challenge public body decisions about...
An introduction to public law Public law governs the relationship between public bodies, such as central government or local government,...
Read more - 16.4.2024
Short-Form Assessments of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children
Age is just a number? Shining a light on Local Authorities’ Short-Form Assessments of Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children A recent report...
Read more - 5.4.2024
DWP Exposed for £32,000 Underpayment of Disability Benefits
Osbornes Law has assisted a vulnerable client to recover underpaid disability benefits totalling over £32,000. Our client, a disabled young man,...
Read more - 23.1.2024
Case Reiterates Local Authorities should follow Allocation Scheme
R (on the application of Kukhtyak) -v- London Borough of Hounslow [2023] EWHC 2914 (Admin) This sad case concerned an elderly couple...
Read more - 7.12.2023
Supreme Court sets High Threshold for Local Authorities...
Judgment was handed down on 28 November 2023 by the Supreme Court in an important case regarding the main housing duty. The...
Read more - 28.9.2023
Gatekept homeless teenager accommodated by local housing authority
Miss X, a 17 year old whose details are anonymised to protect her privacy, left her family home in March 2022 following...
Read more - 28.9.2023
Homelessness case successfully settled for elderly disabled lady
Ms X, whose details are anonymised to protect her privacy, had been living in a privately rented one-bedroom flat for...
Read more - 28.9.2023
Disrepair Claim for Single Father
Background to the Claim Osbornes Law represented a private tenant, a single father living with his young son in their...
Read more - 28.9.2023
Client successfully rehoused following refusal by local authority
Background to the case Osbornes Law represented a client who had been found intentionally homeless by his local authority. He...
Read more - 28.9.2023
Client rehoused and £16,000 arrears cleared
Osbornes Law were instructed to assist a client to suspend a warrant for possession. The client had fallen into arrears...
Read more - 26.9.2023
Victory for Homeless Victim
Mr X, whose details are anonymised to protect his privacy, fled his home country due to severe persecution from the...
Read more - 13.9.2023
Successful homelessness judicial review case against Redbridge Council
This matter involved a claim in the High Court for judicial review against Redbridge Council for failure to comply with...
Read more - 13.7.2023
Family Unlawfully Evicted Receives Damages of £22,000
Case Summary: Unlawful Eviction Claim Against Private Landlord This matter involved an unlawful eviction claim brought by our clients against...
Read more - 21.4.2023
Success in Court of Appeal in child disability...
The Court of Appeal has today handed judgment in the case of Harrington v Secretary of State for Work and...
Read more - 20.1.2023
High Court finds Westminster Council’s Housing Scheme...
Westminster City Council’s housing allocation scheme found to be unlawful The High Court has today handed down judgment finding...
Read more - 14.11.2022
Housing allocation case questions lawfulness of council’s...
Until February 2022, the social housing allocation scheme for the London Borough of Newham allowed people who lived outside the borough...
Read more - 10.6.2022
Housing Disrepair Claim for Leaking Pipe
Our solicitors at Osbornes Law successfully assisted a client in resolving a severe disrepair claim involving water leaks, damp, and...
Read more - 16.5.2022
Immediate, Non-Deferrable and Unqualified
Judgment was handed down on 04 May 2022 in the Court of Appeal in an important case regarding the main housing duty....
Read more