BA -v- London Borough of Southwark (anonymity order)

Administrative CourtHigh CourtKing's Bench DivisionAnonymity Order

Case number: AC-2026-LON-001722

In the High Court of Justice
King’s Bench Division
Administrative Court

In the matter of an application for judicial review

30 July 2026

Before:

Duncan Atkinson KC,
sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge

Between:

The King
on the application of
BA
(Claimant)

-v-

London Borough of Southwark
(Defendant)

Order

On an application by the Claimant for anonymity and for approval of a signed consent order, dated 12 May 2026.

Following consideration of the documents lodged by the Claimant

ORDER BY DUNCAN ATKINSON KC,
sitting as a Deputy High Court Judge

  1. Anonymity:

(a) Pursuant to CPR 39.2(4) and/or the Court’s inherent jurisdiction and/or s. 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998:

(i) the Claimant’s name is to be withheld from the public and must not be disclosed in any proceedings in public; and

(ii) the Claimant is to be referred to orally and in writing as BA.

(b) Pursuant to s. 11 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981, there must be no publication of the identity of the Claimant or of any matter likely to lead to the identification of the Claimant in any report of, or otherwise in connection with, these proceedings.

(c) Pursuant to CPR 5.4C(4):

(i) the parties must within 7 days file a redacted copy of any statement of case filed, omitting the name, address and any other information likely to lead to the identification of the Claimant;

(ii) if any statement of case subsequently filed includes information likely to lead to the identification of the Claimant, a redacted copy omitting that information must be filed at the same time;

(iii) unless the Court grants permission under CPR 5.4C(6), no non-party many obtain a copy of any unredacted statement of case.

(d) Any person wishing to vary or discharge this Order must make an application, served on each party.

  1. Approval of Consent Order: By a consent order signed by the parties on 12 May 2026, the Claimant is permitted to withdraw their application for judicial review, and the Defendant agrees to pay the Claimant’s Costs.

REASONS

(1) Anonymity: The Claimant is not a protected party, but the application for anonymity is made on behalf not only of herself but her family. This relates, in particular, to her young children, who are vulnerable on a number of grounds. The claim also relies on personal medical information in which the Claimant has a reasonable expectation of privacy, and she is herself vulnerable by reference to that medical information. There are accordingly compelling reasons for the limited derogations from the principle of open justice in paragraph 1.

(2) Consent order: The application for permission related to the failure of the Defendant to provide a decision on the Claimant’s ‘change of circumstances’ application under the Defendant’s Housing Allocation Scheme. The consent order is predicated on the Defendant now having made such a decision, dated 29 April 2026. As the preamble to the order states: “the Claimant now having achieved the relief sought in this claim and the claim therefore becoming academic” it is appropriate to withdraw the application, and for the Defendant to meet the Claimant’s costs. The consent order is therefore approved.

    Signed: Duncan Atkinson KC
    Date: 30 July 2026