Contrary to my previous post, I have been able to confirm for certainty that my JSON script failed after I upgraded to WordPress 5.4. I have since rolled back (using addin WP ROLLBACK) to 5.2.4 and 5.2 and then back to 5.2.4 and in each case the JSON file still failed to work. I suspect it is not a full rollback. If anyone knows a more thorough way to install an older version or has any other ideas then I will be hugely grateful. Many thanks.