Yesterday (11 July 2019) Sheriff Platt at Glasgow Sheriff Court granted two interim interdicts against Serco Limited and Compass SNI Limited to prevent our asylum seeker clients from being lock change evicted. Our Principal Solicitor, Mike Dailly Solicitor Advocate, appeared with Michael Way, Advocate appearing for Serco.
This afternoon Sheriff A Miller granted three further interim interdict against Serco evicting Glasgow asylum seekers, with Julius Komorowski, Advocate appearing for our clients.
Govan Law Centre (GLC) has set up a fast track partnership with Positive Action in Housing to ensure that any person threatened with an impending lock change eviction has access to a solicitor to seek an interim order to prevent eviction without a court order, and preserve the status quo until the issue can be decided by Scotland supreme appellate court.
GLC has a team of solicitors and managers dedicated to this service including Lorna Walker, Candy Walker, Christine McKellar, Laura Simpson, Agnes Maxwell-Ferguson, Laura Brennan, Claire Cochrane, Sally Mair, and Mike Dailly.
Yesterday afternoon counsel for the law centre Legal Services Agency secured three interim interdicts against Serco, with five secured last week. On Tuesday this week, the immigration and human rights law firm of Latta and Co., secured several interim interdicts against Serco.
We understand that Shelter Scotland and other agencies have many more applications for interim interdict pending. The fact that our network of law centres, advice agencies and law firms have to raise all of these sheriff court actions is regrettable given that our client’s Inner House appeal has been fast tracked to take place on 28 August 2019.
This appeal will settle authoritatively the question of whether Serco’s policy of eviction without a court order is lawful in Scotland. The outcome will be legally binding across Scotland. Serco have been asked to halt its lock change programme pending the outcome of this appeal but so far has refused to do so.
ENDS
