Category: Law

The Electoral Register contains all the names and addresses of adults living in the UK who are eligible to vote in General and Local Elections. Although each person must take action to register, it is not supposed to be optional and the fine for not registering can amount to £1,000. Nevertheless, it is estimated that 15% of those who should register, have not done so. This hampers their credit rating and means they cannot serve on a jury.

A Household Enquiry Form is sent to every home in the UK each year by local councils. This lists the people who previously registered and asks for that information to be checked and amended where necessary. The response can now be given online, making it a very simple process.

A young person can register when they are 16 years old, in readiness for voting from the age of 18 (in Scotland, this is 14 years old, for voting in local elections from age 16). Members of the House of Lords cannot vote in General Elections, neither can EU citizens, nor convicted prisoners.

(Image: Anna Shvets at pexels.com)

Since 1949 it has been possible to apply for financial help with legal costs under the Legal Aid provisions. These were intended specifically for those on low incomes, thereby ensuring that all citizens are able to access legal advice and representation, much needed in a complex system in which legal fees can build up in a bewildering spiral, or so it may seem to the ordinary person.

Of course, this has cost the tax-payers billions of pounds, but in 2012 the Legal Aid, Sentencing & Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) reduced the number of people eligible to receive Legal Aid. Only serious cases are now considered, according to set criteria. However, there are charities such as Citizens Advice, the Law Centres and LawWorks clinics among others, which can offer assistance.

Unfortunately, it is thought that LASPO is a factor in the increased number of people representing themselves in court with limited knowledge of what to do or say.

(Image: Rawpixel Ltd at Flickr.com / CC BY 2.0)

Until 1994, shops in the UK were generally not allowed to open on a Sunday, for religious reasons.  Since then, ‘large’ shops ~ those with a floor area of more than 3,000 sq.ft. ~ have been able to open for a single six-hour period any time between 10am and 6pm. Certain shops are allowed to open for longer ~ those in airports and petrol stations, for instance (gov.uk). There are no restrictions on any of the other six days of the week.

For ‘small’ shops ~ those with a floor area of less than 3,000 sq.ft. ~ there are no restrictions at all, even on a Sunday. However, all shops are obliged to close on Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. In Scotland, the Sunday opening hours can be longer than in England and Wales; in N.Ireland they are shorter, but there are variations across the UK according to local demand.

(Image of Birmingham Bullring shopping centre: MallSecrets at Flickr.com / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Most people on the Electoral Register are eligible to be officially requested to do jury service at a Crown Court. Random selection of people aged 18-75 is made by a computer. Jurors must have been resident in the UK for at least 5 years since their 13th birthday. Jury service is deemed to be a citizen’s duty but is also an exercise of our democratic right to judge the law.

The principle behind juries is to have unbiased decisions on trial outcomes. Therefore, each juror must be a stranger to all involved in the prosecution and defence. A juror can be rejected for mental impairment or if they fail a DBS check and/or is a convicted criminal.

If a chosen person does not attend the Court on the notified date, they can be fined £1,000. Of the group of jury candidates that are summoned, 12 will be chosen by the Court Clerk (15 in Scotland). However, a juror can also be rejected by the lawyers and one of the remaining candidates put in their place.

Verdicts of ‘guilty’ or ‘not gullty’ are decided by a simple majority of 10, except in Scotland, where the majority is 8 and a third option of ‘not proven’ can be decided.

(Image [cropped]: Ian Forrester at Flickr.com / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

The last death penalties carried out in the UK were in 1964, when convicted murderers Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans were hanged. However, it was not until 1998 that execution was entirely abolished. The punishment for the most severe crimes, such as murder, is now life imprisonment.

After a certain length of time, prisoners may be eligible for parole, which means that they could be released with some restrictions. Nevertheless, some prisoners do spend the whole of the rest of their lives in prison.

The photograph above is of H.M. Prison Manchester (otherwise known as ‘Strangeways’), which is a Category A men’s prison ~ Category A being the highest of four Categories of criminality. It was opened in 1868. It is one of eight high-security prisons for Category A prisoners, the other being Belmarsh, Frankland (nicknamed ‘Monster Mansion’), Full Sutton, Long Lartin, Wakefield, Whitemoor and Woodhill. The total prison population is around 90,000 of which perhaps 1,000+ are Category A and these are further classified as to their risk of escaping.

(Image: Peter McDermott at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

UK driving licences were first introduced in 1903 and anyone over 17 could apply for one, at a cost of 5/- (five shillings) per year. Driving tests did not come into the picture until 1934.

Today’s driving licences must be renewed every 10 years and when the driver reaches the age of 70. Thereafter, it must be renewed every three years. When renewing, you have the chance to change the photo on your licence to a more recent one. The fees for a new or replacement licence can be viewed on the Government website here.

When learning to drive, the first step is to apply for a provisional licence. This enables the holder to have lessons. The Highway Code must be learned and, when ready, the theory test is booked. If that is passed, the driving test can be booked. The driving part of the test takes about 40 minutes and various manoeuvres must be carried out, as directed by the examiner, as well as following an unknown route as directed by a sat-nav device.

Many people do not pass these tests the first time, but they can always book again…

(Top image: Phil Champion at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-NC 2.0)