NHS Trust Faces £35k Legal Bill After Losing Legal Challenge Against Council

Leicester’s Hospitals have been ordered to pay Harborough District Council £35,000 after losing a court battle.

The NHS Trust took the authority to a Judicial Review, after being refused a request for £1m of developer funding, to deal with pressures on services it claimed would be generated by a massive new housing development near Lutterworth,

A High Court judge dismissed the challenge earlier this month and ordered the Trust to make a contribution to legal fees paid by the council to defend the case.

The area set for the development

Richard Mitchell, chief executive of the Trust, reacted to the judge’s ruling, which also blocked the right to appeal, saying: “We are disappointed in the outcome and will be taking the time to review the judgement contents in detail before considering our next steps as a trust.”

A spokesperson for Harborough District Council said the judge’s decision was welcomed, adding: “The council is pleased the court has ordered the trust should contribute to the council’s costs of defending the claim and that the judge refused permission for the trust to appeal his decision.”