The Court of Session has granted permission to proceed in the judicial review challenge against decisions to cut to the Winter Fuel Payment in Fanning & another v. Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Scottish Ministers.
Permission was granted by Lady Hood in Edinburgh on 24 October 2024. This means the case has been assessed as having “a real prospect of success” in terms of section 27B(2) of the Court of Session Act 1988.
A procedural hearing has been assigned for 4 December 2024; with a substantive hearing fixed for Wednesday, 15 January 2025.
A spokesperson for Govan Law Centre said:
“Our clients are delighted that the Court has granted permission for their judicial review challenge to proceed to a full hearing in early January. We await a decision on civil legal aid from the Scottish Legal Aid Board early next week in relation to the proceedings. If civil legal aid is granted we will then submit an urgent application for sanction for the employment of both junior and senior counsel and will announce our final legal team in early course”.
