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Suffolk Constabulary Can't Appeal Matchday Policing Costs Ruling - Ipswich Town News

Suffolk Constabulary has been told it has no grounds to appeal October’s Court of Appeal decision which ruled that they and not Town should cover the costs of policing roads around the ground on matchdays.

In the initial High Court hearing in July 2016 Mr Justice Green ruled that Suffolk Constabulary should have charged Town for policing two roads bordering the ground on matchdays (Portman Road and Sir Alf Ramsey Way) during the period 2008 to 2013.

The police had argued that the policing of the roads was inseparably linked to that inside the stadium and was therefore the club’s responsibility, while Town claimed the charges were unlawful.

Ruling in the police's favour, Mr Justice Green stated that the policing provided amounted to "special police services".

At June’s Court of Appeal hearing, Michael Beloff QC for Town, who said more than £500,000 was at stake in the case, argued that Mr Justice Green's assessment had been overcomplex and that he had misdirected himself on the law: "He overcomplicated what is or should be a simple issue.

"He spent so much time in examining various trees that he lost sight of the wood. A better metaphor might be that he took his eye off the ball.”

In October, three Court of Appeal judges, Lady Justice Gloster, Lord Justice Gross and Lord Briggs, agreed with Beloff and ruled in favour of Town, Lady Justice Gloster stating that the critical factor in their ruling was that the land was public rather than private.

Suffolk Constabulary subsequently applied to see whether it had grounds to appeal but Supreme Court judges have ruled that there are none as "the case doesn't raise an arguable point of law".

A Town spokesman said: "We are pleased that the matter is closed and that we continue to have a good working relationship with Suffolk police."

Suffolk police and crime commissioner Tim Passmore told BBC Suffolk: "We are disappointed with the outcome of this decision from the Supreme Court.

"We will now take some time to consider the implications for the force and once they have been fully assessed in due course we will be in a position to comment further."

It’s not yet clear whether a further court hearing will be required before the police repay Town.

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