Peter Oldham KC, acting for the defendant Oxfordshire County Council, successfully defended an appeal by the claimants against the decision of Langstaff J who had dismissed their claim for judicial review of the Council’s decision to reorganise provision for early intervention services, including the closure of children’s centres. The Court of Appeal gave oral judgments on 8th December 2016 dismissing the appeal. The claim was that when Cabinet decided on the reorganisation plan, they regarded full Council’s previously approved medium term financial plan for children’s centres as fixed and limiting their discretion, so that they did not discharge the public sector equality duty, or take into account needs or consultation responses. The judge dismissed the claim at the end of July 2016. The Court of Appeal dismissed the claimants’ appeal from the judge’s decision, saying that the judge was entitled to find on the facts that Cabinet had fully discharged its duties.
