LB -v- London Borough of Enfield (anonymity order)

Administrative CourtHigh CourtKing's Bench DivisionAnonymity Order

Claim number: AC-2025-LON-000186

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

20 March 2025

Before:

His Honour Judge Auerbach (sitting as a Judge of the High Court)

Between:

The King on the application of
LB

-v-

London Borough of Enfield

Order

Notification of the Judge’s decision on the application for permission to apply for judicial review (CPR 54.11, 54.12)

Following consideration of the documents lodged by the Claimant and the Acknowledgement of service filed by the Defendant

ORDER by His Honour Judge Auerbach (sitting as a Judge of the High Court)

  1. Pursuant to rule 39.2 of the Civil Procedure Rules 1998, the identity of the Claimant shall not be disclosed directly or indirectly and this matter shall be known as R (LB) v Enfield LBC.
  2. Pursuant to r.5.4C CPR 1998 a person who is not a party to the proceedings may obtain a copy of a statement of case, judgment, or order from the court records only if the statement of case, judgment or order has been anonymised.
  3. The application for permission to apply for judicial review is granted.
  4. The hearing of the claim is expedited and shall be listed for hearing as soon as the court can accommodate the hearing, consistent with the below directions timetable and with a time estimate of one day. If the parties disagree with this time estimate they shall provide a written time estimate within 7 days of service of this order.

Observations

  1. I have granted the anonymity application (which is not opposed) having regard to the fact that the Claimant is an 18-year old asylum seeker and the evidence with regard to his background circumstances and mental health.
  2. The claim appears to have been filed on the last day of the three-month period. Having regard to the chronology of communications and events during the course of that three-month period, it would not be right to dismiss the claim on the basis of a failure to file it promptly.
  3. I consider that the claim is arguable having regard to the Claimant’s case that he was not residing with anyone with parental responsibility in March 2024, the Thameside duty, the subsequent admission as to his age, and the fact that he was subsequently taken into care.
  4. Given the nature of the relief sought, and the description of the Claimant’s current circumstances, a measure of expedition is warranted as per my order.

Case Management Directions

  1. The Defendant and any other person served with the Claim Form who wishes to contest the claim or support it on additional grounds shall, within 14 days of the date of service of this Order, file and serve (a) Detailed Grounds for contesting the claim or supporting it on additional grounds, and (b) any written evidence that is to be relied on. For the avoidance of doubt, a party who has filed and served Summary Grounds pursuant to CPR 54.8 may comply with (a) above by filing and serving a document which states that those Summary Grounds shall stand as the Detailed Grounds required by CPR 54.14.
  2. Any application by the Claimant to serve evidence in reply shall be filed and served within 14 days of the date on which the Defendant serves evidence pursuant to 1(b) above.
  3. The parties shall agree the contents of the hearing bundle and must file it with the Court not less than two weeks before the date of the hearing of the judicial review. An electronic version of the bundle shall be prepared and lodged in accordance with the Guidance on the Administrative Court website. The parties shall, if requested by the Court lodge 2 hard-copy versions of the hearing bundle.
  4. The Claimant must file and serve a Skeleton Argument not less than seven days before the date of the hearing of the judicial review.
  5. The Defendant and any Interested Party must file and serve a Skeleton Argument not less than seven days before the date of the hearing of the judicial review.
  6. The parties shall agree the contents of a bundle containing the authorities to be referred to at the hearing. An electronic version of the bundle shall be prepared in accordance with the Guidance on the Administrative Court website. The parties shall if requested by the Court, prepare a hard-copy version of the authorities bundle. The electronic version of the bundle and if requested, the hard copy version of the bundle, shall be lodged with the Court not less than seven days before the date of the hearing of the judicial review.