Extended problem Question Assessment Brief

Module Code:UJUUKK-30-1

Module Title: Constitutional and Administrative Law

Assessment Component: Component A

N.B. all times are 24-hour clock, current local time (at time of submission)

Assessment Instructions

The following question is an extended problem question to be answered on an individual basis.

The government are concerned about football clubs forming regional breakaway leagues and parliament adopts the (hypothetical) Football Leagues (Locations) Act 2021 (the "Act"). The Act empowers local authorities to license football clubs with a specific requirement to compete in national leagues, the determination of what constitutes a national league left to a local expert tribunal to be established by the local authority. Local authorities are also given the power to, after a four week consultation process, issue relocation and non-relocation notices to football clubs that want to relocate out of urban areas to more rural grounds.

Avon County Council establishes the South West National Football League Tribunal (SWNFLT) constituted by five members, all of them directors on the board of Bristol Academicals Football Club (BAFC). SWNFLT issue a decision that a new powerhouse league is to be formed and limited regionally to the South West called the Wessex Football League as Wessex was a nation before the formation of England at the time of King Alfred the Great. There are no other reasons for this provided in the notification. The SWNFLT issues a notice to BAFC permitting the relocation of the ground outside the city and a second notice to Bristol Wanderers Football Club (BWFC) refusing relocation. There is no consultation undertaken, no reasons provided in the notice and no opportunity to appeal. BWFC had already purchased the necessary land for relocation and now BAFC offer to buy it for a quarter of the original purchase value.

BWFC wishes to stay in the English Football League but Avon County Council has now issued a notice that all football clubs within its territorial boundaries must obtain a licence by September 2021 to play in the Wessex Football League. Any club not obtaining a licence by then will be closed down immediately.

Advise Bristol Wanderers Football Club on any possible judicial review actions.

this question is from the topic judicial review