Community action

Communities increasingly find themselves affected by decisions taken by public bodies – from planning and environmental issues to healthcare, education and equalities. Our Community Action work focuses on using judicial review and other public law challenges to help charities and community groups hold decision makers to account.
Russell Cooke has a strong track record of acting in high profile, complex and strategically important judicial reviews, particularly where a case raises wider public interest issues or affects vulnerable or under represented groups.

Judicial review is often the most effective way to challenge decisions made by:

• Government departments
• Local authorities and planning bodies
• Regulators and public agencies
• NHS bodies and healthcare decision makers

Our lawyers advise at every stage of the process, including:

• Early case assessment – identifying whether a decision can be challenged and the best grounds for doing so
• Pre action correspondence – engaging with public bodies before proceedings are issued
• Urgent and time sensitive applications
• Permission and substantive judicial review hearings, including appeals
• Strategic litigation intended to clarify or develop the law
• Working alongside campaign groups, charities and third sector organisations

We are experienced in navigating the legal, practical and reputational complexities that can arise in community led challenges.

Our Community Action work is grounded in real cases where judicial review has been used to protect public spaces, challenge flawed decision making and ensure accountability.

Protecting public spaces and environmental interests

Some recent examples of community groups seeking to protect shared public assets and green spaces that we have acted for:

• Save Wimbledon Park Ltd
  We represent Save Wimbledon Park in its judicial review challenge concerning the proposed expansion of the Wimbledon tennis championships. 
• Crowborough Shield CIC
  We act for Crowborough Shield CIC in a High Court judicial review challenge, supporting the organisation in bringing a public law claim arising from decisions affecting the local community.

Strategic human rights and equality challenges

We also work with organisations bringing judicial review claims that raise sensitive, complex and nationally significant issues. Some recent examples include:

• TransActual UK
  We acted in judicial review proceedings challenging government decisions impacting trans people’s access to healthcare, including litigation around the puberty blocker ban.
• Amnesty International UK
  We acted for Amnesty International UK which intervened in the case of: For Women Scotland v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 

Regulatory changes affecting the charity sector

• Mobility Matters and the Community Transport Association
  acting for an umbrella group of 100s of community transport charities as interested parties in a judicial review concerning regulatory changes which posed an existential threat to the community transport sector

Our work in this area reflects our wider commitment to equality, access to justice and responsible public decision making.

Clients choose us for community and public interest judicial reviews because:

• We have deep expertise in judicial review and public law, including complex and novel arguments
• We understand the human and community impact behind legal challenges
• We are experienced in strategic litigation and test cases
• We work collaboratively with campaign groups, charities and advisers
• We provide clear, practical advice about risk, funding and prospects of success

Our lawyers are recognised for their work in public law and regularly act in cases that attract national attention and shape policy.

Many community and public interest challenges depend on innovative funding models. We have experience in supporting our clients to successfully crowdfund to support judicial review proceedings, and use other alternative funding arrangements.

This often involves:

• Advising on the legal and procedural framework while a community coordinates its own fundraising
• Supporting organisations managing multiple stakeholders and public supporters
• Ensuring transparency and compliance where funds are raised from the public
• Helping clients understand how crowd funded litigation fits alongside costs risks, protective costs orders including under the Aarhus Convention and other safeguards

We understand that community led challenges frequently rely on collective action and shared commitment. Our role is to ensure the legal strategy is robust, realistic and aligned with the way the campaign is being financed.

Where appropriate, we work collaboratively with clients, funders and advisers to ensure that funding considerations are built into the case strategy from the outset.