Councils and governments are also subject to the law. Since they have clearly broken it in this case (and many others), the people they have wronged are entitled to compensation of some kind. Councillors (and MPs) will say “there can be no compensation” in the hope that this will discourage people from taking action, because they don’t want to pay out the penalties they have incurred – that is why it is important that people DO demand what is theirs by legal right.