John Fitzsimons

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John is a versatile junior barrister who maintains a deliberately diverse practice encompassing data protection/information law, planning/environmental law, inquests/inquiries and general public and regulatory law. He is regularly instructed by a wide variety of public and private clients and is ranked in Legal 500 as a leading junior.

John holds a degree in Law and French from Trinity College Dublin (which included a year of study at Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas) and a BCL degree from the University of Oxford (Worcester College).

Before coming to the Bar, John worked at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and as a paralegal in a leading Irish law firm. He interned at JUSTICE and the Court of Justice of the European Union, and tutored Public Law and European Law to undergraduate and postgraduate law students.

John enjoys volunteering and is always looking for new volunteering opportunities. He volunteers for the Bar Pro Bono Unit, and in the past has volunteered with the Environmental Law Foundation and Southwark Law Centre. His most recent pro bono experience involved representing JUSTICE in the First-tier Tribunal with Estelle Dehon KC in an appeal concerning ethnicity data held by police forces under the PREVENT programme.

John is accredited for public access work. This means he can be instructed by anyone directly. Enquiries about this are welcomed.

As well as his work at the Bar, John sits as a non-executive director on the board of Innisfree Housing Association and regularly provides data protection training on behalf of PDP Training to a range of data protection and privacy professionals in both the UK and Ireland.

Expertise

Information Law
John has a busy data protection and information law practice and is ranked as a leading junior in Legal 500 (2025). He has acted in this area for private clients, public bodies and the Information Commissioner, and regularly appears in both the First-tier and Upper Tribunals, as well as the High Court and Court of Appeal. His recent experience includes:

Freedom of Information
- Hackney LBC v Information Commissioner [2024] UKFTT 373 (GRC): Acting for the Appellant in an appeal concerning disclosure of an Information Asset Register and s31(1)(a) FOIA.
- JUSTICE v Information Commissioner [2024] UKFTT 154 (GRC): Acting, with Estelle Dehon KC, for JUSTICE in an appeal concerning ethnicity data held by police forces under the PREVENT programme.
- Moss v Kingston-upon-Thames RLBC [2023] EWCA Civ 1438: Acting for the Respondent in the leading case considering the use of contempt powers under s61 FOIA.
- Shipton v Information Commissioner [2023] UKUT 170 (AAC): Acting for the Second Respondent in an appeal concerning the composition of an FTT panel.
- Rotherham MBC v Harron [2023] UKUT 22 (AAC): Acting for the Appellant in an appeal against certification of an offence of contempt to the Upper Tribunal.
- Moss v Kingston upon Thames [2023] EWHC 27 (KB): Acting for the Respondent in the first High Court case to consider the use of contempt powers under s61 FOIA.
- Moss v Kingston upon Thames [2022] UKFTT 322 (GRC): Acting for the Respondent in contempt proceedings brought against it by an FOI requester.
- FCDO v (1) Information Commissioner and (2) Williams, Wickham-Jones and Lownie 2021 [UKUT] 248 (AAC): Acting for one of the Second Respondents in an appeal which considered whether it is permissible to rely on sections 23 and 24 FOIA in the alternative.
As well as his court and tribunal work, John regularly advises clients about:
- Reliance on various exemptions under FOIA and EIR;
- Duties of search;
- Drafting of Refusal Notices;
- Handling complaints made to the ICO; and
- Merits of appeals against ICO Decisions
Data Protection
- Advising a variety of private and public bodies about liability and quantum issues in respect of personal data breaches and other potential breaches of data protection legislation.
- Bringing strike out and summary judgment applications against unmeritorious data breach claims.
- Defending data breach claims and claims concerning breaches of data subject rights (in particular subject access requests) brought against data controllers.
- Bringing injunctive proceedings in relation to stolen/lost personal data.
- Advising and assisting claimants in exercising their individual rights under UK GDPR, in particular, right to be forgotten, right to rectification and subject access rights, as well as rights under PECR.
- Reviewing privacy notices and other policy documents for a range of joint controllers, data controllers and data processors
- Advising on disputes concerning data processing agreements, data sharing agreements (particularly in a health and social care context), joint controller agreements and other contractual arrangements, including transfers of data abroad.
- Advising public sector clients about the Law Enforcement Directive and the interaction between Part 2 and Part 3 DPA 2018.
- Drafting responses to ICO investigations.
- Drafting written observations for the Court of Justice of the European Union with Philip Coppel KC in a preliminary reference matter considering the scope of the journalistic exemption under the data protection legislation.
- Acting with Estelle Dehon KC in a four day multi-track trial involving a long running damages claim against a public body for alleged breaches of data protection legislation (Cooper v National Crime Agency).
- Providing advice and support as a “subject matter expert” to HewardMills, a global DPO service.
- Providing training for a wide array of clients in both the private and public sectors on data protection. He also gives training for PDP both in the UK and in Ireland on PDP’s Level 1 and Level 2 Data Protection courses.
Publications

John formerly wrote the regular case law update for the Freedom of Information Journal and many of his case law updates can be found on Westlaw. He is also a contributing author to the leading texts on data protection and information law, namely “Information Rights” by Philip Coppel QC (Hart, 6th ed 2023) and “Data Protection: A Practical Guide to UK Law” by Peter Carey (Oxford, 6th ed 2020). He is a co-author of “Data Protection, Privacy and Information Law” (Law Society, 1^st ed, forthcoming).
Planning and Environment
John has a busy planning practice advising and acting for housebuilders, other private clients, local planning authorities and residents’ groups in a wide range of planning, environmental and highways matters including residential, infrastructure, enforcement work and plan-making. His experience and expertise extends from planning application stages right up to planning inquiries, judicial reviews and s288 challenges.

His inquiry experience includes a range of s.78 and enforcement appeals across the country. His most recent inquiry experience involved successfully acting for Buckinghamshire Council with Richard Ground KC in a 17-day s78 appeal during March – May 2024 concerning the non-determination of planning permission for over 500 dwellings, primary school and employment land in Gomm Valley, High Wycombe.

John also regularly appears in the planning court. He acted as a junior in the Supreme Court in the leading case to consider challenges to neighbourhood plans (R(on the application of Fylde Coast Farms Ltd) v Fylde BC [2021] UKSC 18) and has successfully acted for claimants in a number of judicial review challenges including:
- R(Watton) v Cornwall Council [2023] EWHC 2436 (Admin): Acting for the Claimant, with Richard Ground KC, in a judicial review concerning a planning permission for a large crematorium in Cornwall.
- R(Wyeth-Price) v Guildford Borough Council and Bewley Homes [2020] EWHC 3355 (Admin): Acting for the Claimant concerning a challenge raising heritage and flooding issues.
- R(Keating) v East Suffolk Council CO/4377/2020: Acting for the Claimant concerning a failure to properly carry out EIA in respect of a large poultry production unit (conceded by the Defendants before the hearing).
John also regularly assists local authorities in defending and settling judicial review challenges at pre-action stage and after issue of claim. His advisory work extends across the full breadth of planning and environmental matters such as climate change, renewables, PD rights, allotments, waste, flooding, heritage, affordable housing/viability, CIL, habitats, EIA and local plan-making.
Inquests and Inquiries
- Overview
- News
John regularly acts for interested persons and supports witnesses in giving evidence at inquests. In his early years of practice, he regularly worked on health and social care matters (particularly in the Court of Protection), and in social housing law. His knowledge of the social care and social housing sectors often assists in his ability to represent clients in inquests relating to those sectors.

Some particular highlights of his recent experience include:

Inquests
- Inquest touching on the death of Zara Aleena: Acting for a local authority in an inquest concerning the attack, sexual assault and murder of Zara Aleena as she walked home from a night out in Ilford 2022. The perpetrator was on licence and under the supervision of the Probation Service having recently been released from prison (2024)
- Inquest touching on the death of CP: Acting for a local authority in an inquest concerning discharge planning arrangements for an individual moving from hospital to care at home (2024)
- Inquest touching on the death of NS: Acting for a local authority in an inquest concerning a fire-related death in social housing (2023)
- Inquest touching on the death of CC: Acting for a local authority in an inquest concerning the death of an individual in receipt of social care (2022)
- Inquest touching on the death of FG: Acting for a local authority concerning a death in a local authority care home (2021)
- Inquest touching on the death of JL: Acting for a local authority in a ten-day Article 2 inquest concerning issues relating to mental health act assessments, psychiatric care and police pursuits (2021)
- Inquest touching on the death of MB: Acting for a local authority in an inquest concerning social care and health provision for Prader-willi syndrome (2021)
- Inquest touching on the death of BR: Acting for a local authority in a five-day jury inquest concerning training of care staff, a fall from a hoist and subsequent safeguarding inquiries (2019)
Inquiries
- Acting for a local authority responsible for various safeguarding matters at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
- Instructed as a ‘junior junior’ for the Department of Communities and Local Government in relation to the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry.
- Chambers UK Bar 2025: Cornerstone Barristers achieve 75 individual rankings across 15 practice areas 17 Oct 2024
Local Government
As part of his public law and regulatory practice, John regularly represents local authorities and those acting against local authorities in a wide variety of matters. This includes planning/environmental law, information law/data protection and inquests and inquiries (about which more details can be seen within the respective ‘practice areas’ tabs on his profile).

John’s local government work also extends to various regulatory law matters. John often acts for local authorities in FtT (Property) matters concerning appeals under the Housing Act 2004 and under the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015. He also has experience representing and advising local authorities in appeals to the FTT (GRC) concerning the registration of Assets of Community Value (see for example Dragonfly Architectural Services Ltd v Brighton & Hove City Council [2023] UKFTT 946 (GRC)).

John’s local government expertise also extends to advising local authorities about complaint handling, including dealing with housing ombudsman complaints and complaints concerning the conduct of Councillors.
- Tribunal upholds Council’s decision to include ‘drinking man’s boozer’ on list of assets of community value13 Dec 2023
- Moss v Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames & Information Commissioner04 Dec 2023
Public Law and Judicial Review
John has a broad public law and judicial review practice. He has experience in advising both public bodies and private clients in this area. His public law work spans many of Chambers’ practice areas including planning and environmental, licensing, inquests and inquiries, local government and information law. Further details of John’s work in these areas of practice can be seen within the ‘practice areas’ tab on his profile. In brief, some highlights of John’s public law court experience includes:
- R(Watton) v Cornwall Council [2023] EWHC 2436 (Admin): Acting for the Claimant, with Richard Ground KC, in a judicial review concerning a planning permission for a large crematorium in Cornwall.
- R(on the application of Fylde Coast Farms Ltd) v Fylde BC [2021] UKSC 18: Acting for the Appellant with Estelle Dehon KC in a judicial review concerning the interpretation of provisions in the TCPA 1990 for challenging neighbourhood development plans and neighbourhood development orders.
- R(Wyeth-Price) v Guildford Borough Council and Bewley Homes [2020] EWHC 3355 (Admin): Acting for the Claimant in a judicial review challenging a planning permission on grounds raising heritage and flooding issues.
- R(Keating) v East Suffolk Council CO/4377/2020: Acting for the Claimant in a judicial review challenging a planning permission on grounds that there was a failure to properly carry out EIA in respect of a large poultry production unit.
- Instructed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in order to consider various legislative amendments required in the context of the Data Protection Bill 2018.
- Instructed by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in relation to further matters arising in respect of the Data Protection Act 2018.
- Acting for a local authority, with Ashley Underwood KC, in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
- Acting for Uber, with Philip Kolvin KC, in Delta Merseyside and Uber Britannia Ltd v Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council [2018] EWHC 757 (Admin) where the Claimants successfully quashed the Council’s ‘predominant use’ policy directed at private hire drivers.
- Acting for a local authority in a dispute concerning allotment land, led by Estelle Dehon, in Ramsgate Town Council v Thanet District Council [2018] EWHC 3042 (Ch)