News & Events
News & Events
In Darlington v Islington LBC [2026] EAT 11, the EAT (Lord Fairley P.) dismissed an appeal concerning the interpretation and effect of a COT3 settlement agreement. Alex represented the successful Respondent. The Claimant had been employed at a mainstream school, during which time she was employed by the local authority. Whilst working at the school she made disclosures which she alleged to be protected disclosures. Having left her employment, she applied for another job in an Early Years Centre run by the same local authority. A provisional offer of employment was withdrawn following receipt of a reference from the school she had previously worked at. A settlement was reached (prior to any claim being presented) via a COT3, leading to…
News 6 Feb, 2026
The Court of Appeal has recently handed down judgment in Hampshire County Council v GC & GC [2026] EWCA Civ 20. Alex Line and Monique Bouffé were instructed to represent the Appellant local authority. Alex also appeared in the Upper Tribunal below. The decision provides important points of clarity about legal duties under the Children and Families Act 2014 that will affect children and young people with SEND, and local authorities, nationally. The case had unique facts, concerning a service family who were living abroad due to the father’s position in the navy. The period of absence was due to be three years but it transpired to be two. The local authority decided to cease to maintain their child’s EHC…
News 28 Jan, 2026
In R (BIA, BKT, BKD, BLT) v (1) Islington Borough Council (2) Governing Body of St Jude and St Paul’s School (3) Parochial Church Council of St Judge and St Paul’s School (4) London Diocesan Board for Schools, Alex Line and Imogen Egan successfully represented the Defendant local authority in a challenge to its decision to close a local voluntary aided primary school. In April 2025 the local authority decided to close the school pursuant to powers under the Education and Inspections Act 2006, following a consultation process which started in late 2024. The school was a small primary school which had been significantly undescribed for several years. The Defendant concluded that it no longer remained viable and so took…
News 1 Jul, 2025
For a long time, one of the hottest and most contentious questions in Equality & Diversity has been “What is a woman?” Last week, the Supreme Court answered this question in a ruling that is set to cause rewrites of policies up and down the UK. There have been various suggested answers to this question: anyone who says they are a woman; biological women plus trans-women who hold GRCs; or just biological women. Last week, the Supreme Court answered the question, at least so far as the Equality Act is concerned: a woman is someone who is biologically female. As the judges were at pains to point out, that doesn’t undermine the protected characteristic of gender reassignment. Those with that…
News 23 Apr, 2025
The judgment of Linden J in R (AB) v Bristol City Council; R (ES) v Devon County Council; and R (JX) v Devon County Council [2025] EWHC 893 (Admin) was handed down on 10th April 2025, following a rolled up judicial review hearing held over three days. Alex Line represented the Secretary of State for Education, the Interested Party, in all claims. The judgment can be found here: AB, R (on the application of) v Bristol City Council. The cases concerned young people living in the Bristol and Devon areas. They each had special educational needs and were entitled to services through Education Health and Care Plans provided by the local authorities pursuant to the Children and Families Act 2014…
News 14 Apr, 2025
Alex Line successfully represents local authority in important High Court case confirming that the First-tier Tribunal (HESC) is a suitable alternative remedy to judicial review In R (LW) v London Borough of Islington [2025] EWHC 703 (Admin), following a rolled-up hearing, the High Court has confirmed that the First-tier Tribunal (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber), which deals with statutory appeals under the Children and Families Act 2014 concerning EHC Plans, is a suitable alternative remedy to judicial review. Kate Grange KC (sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge) emphasised the extremely high threshold which must be crossed in order to persuade the High Court to entertain a judicial review claim in circumstance where a statutory right of appeal exists.…
News 28 Mar, 2025
In Gregory & Stroilov v (1) Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (2) Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman [2025] EWHC 201 (Admin), Dove J refused permission for the Claimants to proceed with their judicial review claim. Alex Line represented the First Defendant, against whom five of the six judicial review grounds relied on were against. The First Claimant is the father of Indi Gregory, who was terminally ill and tragically passed away in 2023 following the implementation of a care plan permitting the withdrawal of life support treatment. That decision was sanctioned by the High Court (Peel J) against whose decision an appeal was made. Permission to appeal was refused by the Court of Appeal by Peter Jackson LJ, King LJ and…
News 4 Feb, 2025
In long running group litigation, the Ministry of Justice and Lord Chancellor, represented by Andrew Allen KC and Alex Line, who were instructed by the Government Legal Department, have successfully defended claims brought by judges under the Part-time Worker (Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 in relation to their pay and pension conditions. Background The case concerns Circuit Judges who are authorised under s.9(1) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 to sit in the High Court. When doing so, the Claimants (who form part of a wider cohort of judge claimants) contended that they were part-time workers, and treated less favourably compared to salaried judges of the High Court in respect of pay and pension. Another Claimant was a salaried District…
News 13 Nov, 2024
In R (Williams) v Secretary of State for Justice [2024] EWHC 2144 (Admin) Alex Line, instructed by the Government Legal Department, successfully represented the Defendant before Hugh Mercer KC (sitting as a Deputy Judge of the High Court), who dismissed the claim. The Claimant is serving an indeterminate prison sentence having been found guilty of serious sexual offences against children. The case concerned a decision of the Parole Board, who recommended that he be released from closed to open prison conditions. The final decision on this issue is reserved to the Secretary of State for Justice, who declined to follow the Parole Board’s recommendation, and determined that Claimant should remain in closed conditions due to risk that he would abscond.…
News 16 Aug, 2024
In Clayson and others v Ministry of Justice and others [2024] EAT 99, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (Mr Justice Kerr) dismissed an appeal brought by Claimant Circuit Judges in relation to their pension rights. Andrew Allen KC and Alexander Line successfully represented the Respondents. The three test Claimants (who formed part of a larger cohort) were each former Recorders who were appointed to the office of Circuit Judge on or after 31st March 1995. That date was important, as it was the date on which a new judicial pension scheme under the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993 (‘JUPRA’) came into effect. They contended that the terms of this scheme were less favourable than the scheme under the Judicial Pensions…
News 28 Jun, 2024
Education Law Specialist, Alex Line, has recently been involved in an important Upper Tribunal decision concerning families of armed forces personnel who have children with special educational needs. Alex Line recently appeared in the Upper Tribunal in Hampshire County Council v GC & GC [2024] UKUT 128 (AAC), acting for the local authority. This is an important case (described by Upper Tribunal Judge West in his decision as a ‘test case’) concerning a family who moved to Dubai for two years because the father was deployed there as part of his naval service. The local authority ceased to maintain their child’s EHC Plan pursuant to s.45 of the Children and Families Act 2014, on the basis that the family were…
News 5 Jun, 2024
Alex Line, instructed by the government legal department, recently represented the Secretary of State for Education in Averre-Beeson v Secretary of State for Education [2024] UKFTT 00385 (HESC). This was an appeal under s.129 of the Education and Skills Act 2008, which went to the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal (in its Care Standards jurisdiction). These were long running proceedings emanating from a high profile and widely reported collapse of a large multi-academy trust. The Appellant, a well-known figure in the schools industry, held various positions of responsibility within the trust. Following the trust’s demise, the Department for Education investigated concerns into his conduct including relating to the nature and propriety of the commercial relationships…
News 24 May, 2024
