Crown Privilege for Documents held by the Polie The plaintiff probationary police constable had been investigated, prosecuted and cleared of an allegation of theft. He now claimed damages for malicious prosecution, and in the course of the action, sought disclosure of five documents, but these were withheld on the ground of Crown privilege. The House … Continue reading Conway v Rimmer: HL 28 Feb 1968
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A Local Authority involved in a boundary change has power to make a deal with a neighbouring authority over land. Citations: Gazette 05-Mar-1997, Times 25-Feb-1997 Statutes: Local Government Act 1972 68 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Citing: Appeal from – Regina v Secretary of State for the Environment Ex Parte Sutton London Borough Council QBD 14-Dec-1995 … Continue reading Regina v Secretary of State for the Environment Ex Parte Sutton London Borough Council: CA 25 Feb 1997
The Secretary of State may appoint an arbitrator to decide between local authorities on a land transfer dispute on a re-organisation of local government. Citations: Times 14-Dec-1995 Statutes: Local Government Act 1972 68 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Cited by: Appeal from – Regina v Secretary of State for the Environment Ex Parte Sutton London Borough … Continue reading Regina v Secretary of State for the Environment Ex Parte Sutton London Borough Council: QBD 14 Dec 1995
Fair Coment on Political Activities The defendant newspaper had published articles wrongly accusing the claimant, the former Prime Minister of Ireland of duplicity. The paper now appealed, saying that it should have had available to it a defence of qualified privilege because of the claimant’s status as a politician. Held: The appeal failed (Lords Hope … Continue reading Reynolds v Times Newspapers Ltd and others: HL 28 Oct 1999
Appeals were brought complaining as to the apparent reversal of the burden of proof in road traffic cases and in cases under the Terrorism Acts. Was a legal or an evidential burden placed on a defendant? Held: Lord Bingham of Cornhill said: ‘The overriding concern is that a trial should be fair, and the presumption … Continue reading Sheldrake v Director of Public Prosecutions; Attorney General’s Reference No 4 of 2002: HL 14 Oct 2004
Three local authorities disputed whether a contract had been made between them, and if so its terms, as to the financial support of a leisure centre. Held: Later legislation need not frustrate agreement between the parties.Hirts LJ said: ‘the agreement was in my judgment frustrated by supervening illegality . . the parties having covenanted to … Continue reading Islwyn Borough Council and Another v Newport Borough Council: CA 28 Jun 1993
The company appellant, E, wished to develop its land. The Council had declared it to be a conservation area. E said that they had not given the necessary notice of the meeting of the sub-committee at which the initial decision had been made. E appealed against a finding that due notice had been given. Held: … Continue reading Regina v Swansea City Council, ex parte Elitestone Ltd: CA 5 May 1993
Does paragraph 46(1) of schedule 5 to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (‘the 2015 Act’) confer power upon a local authority to prosecute consumer offences irrespective of a connection with the area? Alternatively, is that power governed by section 222(1) of the Local Government Act 1972 (‘the 1972 Act’) (a general power to prosecute and … Continue reading City of York Council, Regina (on The Application of) v Auh and Others: CACD 9 Aug 2022
Judges: Bidder QC J Citations: [2011] EWHC 1680 (Admin) Links: Bailii Statutes: Local Government Act 1972 250(5), Town and Country Planning Act 1990 320 Jurisdiction: England and Wales Costs, Planning, Local Government Updated: 15 September 2022; Ref: scu.441444
The claimants had been detained under the 1971 Act, after completing sentences of imprisonment pending their return to their home countries under deportations recommended by the judges at trial, or chosen by the respondent. They challenged as unlawful the respondent’s, at first unpublished, policy introduced in 2006, that by default, those awaiting deportation should be … Continue reading Lumba (WL) v Secretary of State for The Home Department: SC 23 Mar 2011
The Austrian District and Regional Real Property Transactions Commission refused to approve the sale of a number of plots of land. The applicant challenged the refusal alleging bias and contending that his article 6 rights were violated for that reason. The Austrian statute provided that the refusal of approval rendered the sale null and void. … Continue reading Ringeisen v Austria: ECHR 16 Jul 1971
The claimant applied for a review of a decision by the respondent council not to sell it land. Held: The challenge failed. The councillors had acted in accordance with advice given to them by officers, and ‘the committee was concerned only to consider what was in the interest of the Council. And in reaching its … Continue reading Island Farm Development Ltd, Regina (on the Application of) v Bridgend County Borough Council: Admn 25 Aug 2006
Parliament’s Approval if statute rights affected In a referendum, the people had voted to leave the European Union. That would require a notice to the Union under Article 50 TEU. The Secretary of State appealed against an order requiring Parliamentary approval before issuing the notice, he saying that the notice could be given under the … Continue reading Miller and Another, Regina (on The Application of) v Secretary of State for Exiting The European Union: SC 24 Jan 2017
Land had been owned by the authority and used as a children’s home. After a boundary change taking the land outside its area, it sought to sell the land for development. The neighbours, claiming the benefit of a restrictive covenant allowing only one house on the land, objected. Using the 1972 Act, the authority purported … Continue reading London Borough of Sutton v Bolton and Another: ChD 3 Feb 1993
The local authority had accepted the argument that stag hunting was cruel and had banned it from the land it owned in the Quantocks. The ban was challenged. Held: The ban was unlawful. The decision had been reached on moral, and not on administrative grounds. The purposes it sought to implement were not within the … Continue reading Regina v Somerset County Council Ex Parte Fewings and Others: CA 22 Mar 1995
Blackmail was alleged under section 21 of the 1968 Act, the letter making the unwarranted demand with menaces having been posted from England to an intended victim in Germany. Held: The appeal was dismissed. To allow an English court to have jurisdiction where elements of the offence occurred abroad, the last act constituting the actus … Continue reading Treacy v Director of Public Prosecutions: HL 1970
The respondent appealed against a finding that the provision which made a loan agreement completely invalid for lack of compliance with the 1974 Act was itself invalid under the Human Rights Act since it deprived the respondent lender of its property rights. It was also argued that it was not possible to make a declaration … Continue reading Wilson v Secretary of State for Trade and Industry; Wilson v First County Trust Ltd (No 2): HL 10 Jul 2003
Mutual Knowledge admissible to construe contract The parties had entered into a development contract in respect of a site in Wandsworth, under which balancing compensation was to be paid. They disagreed as to its calculation. Persimmon sought rectification to reflect the negotiations. Held: The appeal succeeded. There were difficulties in construing the contract. The contract … Continue reading Chartbrook Ltd v Persimmon Homes Ltd and Others: HL 1 Jul 2009
The question was whether, when a teacher has applied for and accepted ill-health retirement benefit, usually a lump sum and a pension, on the ground of permanent incapacity, there exists a public law duty on his employer to dismiss the employee. Held: The contract came to an end upon the grant of ill health retirement … Continue reading Verner, Sheppard, Ridley v Derby City Council, Norfolk County Council, St Thomas More Roman Catholic High School: QBD 14 Nov 2003
Short issue as to the requirements for valid ‘service’ of a completion notice so as to bring a newly completed building within liability for non-domestic rates. The notice had been served by email where no statutory authority existed for this. Held: The LA’s appeal succeeded. ‘Against the background of the detailed scheme established by or … Continue reading UKI (Kingsway) Ltd v Westminster City Council: SC 17 Dec 2018
Identifying ‘maandatory’ and ‘regulatory’ The appellants had sought a Certificate of Alternative Development. The certificate provided was defective in that it did not notify the appellants, as required, of their right to appeal. Their appeal out of time was refused. Held: The House considered the consequences of a failure to comply with a procedural requirement, … Continue reading London and Clydeside Estates v Aberdeen District Council: HL 8 Nov 1979
The House considered the power of an officer of the Board of Inland Revenue to seize and remove materials found on premises which a warrant obtained on application to the Common Serjeant authorised him to enter and search; but where the source of the power limited the power of seizure and removal to things ‘which … Continue reading Regina v Inland Revenue Commissioners ex parte Rossminster Ltd: HL 13 Dec 1979
The claimant challenged the policy of the respondent council to replace many established trees along streets in the City. Held: Permission to apply for review was refused: ‘Some concern has been expressed by objectors to the scheme that, in some cases, a street has lost all of its trees. Some realism is required. Trees are … Continue reading Dillner, Regina (on The Application of) v Sheffield City Council: Admn 27 Apr 2016
The House was asked ‘whether a local authority can obtain a summary order for possession against an occupier of a site which it owns and has been used for many years as a gipsy and travellers’ caravan site. His licence to occupy the site has come to an end. He has no enforceable right to … Continue reading Doherty and others v Birmingham City Council: HL 30 Jul 2008
Court of Appeal must follow Own Decisions The claimant was injured and received compensation. He then sought to recover again, alleging breach of statutory duty by his employers. Held: The Court of Appeal was in general bound to follow its own previous decisions. The court considered the circumstances in which it could depart from a … Continue reading Young v The Bristol Aeroplane Co Ltd: CA 28 Jul 1944
The court considered the conditions under which the respondent authority replied to all enquiries as to properties within its area. The replies were given by a standardised all inclusive information sheet derived from a central database. The . .
The claimant had tripped on a footpath on a housing estate. There was a depressed manhole cover on the footpath over which he tripped. The footpath had been constructed by Pembrokeshire County Council, who were both the local housing authority and . .
