Law digests: 15 December 2023

Alternative dispute resolution

Churchill v Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council [2023] EWCA Civ 1416, [2023] All ER (D) 04 (Dec)

The Court of Appeal, Civil Division, allowing the appeal of the defendant local authority in a nuisance matter, held that the court could lawfully order the parties to court proceedings to engage in a non-court-based dispute resolution process, including the kind of non-court-based dispute resolution in issue in the instant case which was the appellant local authority’s internal complaints procedure to which the respondent was not contractually bound.

Immigration

R (on the application of Kent County Council) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2023] EWHC 3030 (Admin), [2023] All ER (D) 157 (Nov)

The Administrative Court ruled on the claimant Kent County Council’s claim for judicial review for unaccompanied asylum-seeking (UAS) children entering the UK in Kent on small boats. The claimant sought a declaration that the defendant Secretary of State for the Home Department (the Secretary of State) was acting unlawfully and sought an order requiring that the