“…graphs 21-26 he summarised the relevant law. The starting point was the decision of Stanley Burnton J (as he then was) in R (B) v Merton London Borough Council [2003] EWHC 1689 (Admin); [2003] 4 All ER 280. The Judge described this decision as giving ‘detailed guidance on the process to be followed by local authorities’. The Merton principles…”
“…In R(B) v London Borough of Merton [2003] EWHC 1689 (Admin), [2003] 4 All ER 280, (“Merton”) Stanley Burnton J gave guidance as to the appropriate processes to be adopted to ensure the fair assessment by a local authori…”
“…Shorthand for compliance with the requirements of an age assessment on which the Home Secretary may rely as set out in R(B) v Merton London Borough Council [2003] EWHC 1689 (Admin) and developed in subsequent cases.…”
“…[2003] EWHC 1689 (Admin), [2003] 4 All ER 280. The essential message can be sufficiently summarised by reference to (part of) the headnote from the report in the All England Law Report…”
“…er is inherently subjective. The risk of an erroneous decision will be reduced by a structured assessment that complies with the guidance in R (B) v Merton LBC [2003] EWHC 1689 (Admin), but not eradicated entirely, as the facts of the present case appear to show. The risks are even greater with a superficial assessment based on visual inspect…”