Leaseholder protections ‘insufficient’, council chiefs warn
28/06/2022 Council leaders welcome measures protecting leaseholders from being landed with unfair bills to make their homes safe but warn protections are ‘insufficient’ . |
Portsmouth council opposes £1.2bn electric cable
22/06/2022 Portsmouth City Council is formally opposing plans to build a £1.2bn electricity interconnector between Portsmouth and Normandy in France. |
Councils secure extended fuel protest injunction until May 2023
07/06/2022 Two councils have seen their fuel protest injunction extended until May 2023 to prevent protestors blocking roads and vehicles. |
Free legal advice for people facing eviction expanded with £10m
01/06/2022 More people facing eviction due to financial difficulties will be able to get access to free expert legal advice, the Government today announced. |
Retailers could be fined up to £1m for selling knives to children
01/06/2022 Large retailers selling to knives to children could be fined up to £1m under new proposals, after a London council warned the current sentences did not reflect the seriousness of the offence. |
Refugees at risk of deportation due to legal aid shorfall
27/05/2022 People seeking asylum are at risk of deportation because of a lack of local legal aid provision in many areas, a new report has revealed. |
Northumberland issues s114 over unlawful finances
23/05/2022 Northumberland CC has issued a section 114 notice for unlawful expenditure – including allowances paid to its chief executive Daljit Lally. |
Call to deploy legal advisers in council spaces
23/05/2022 Legal advisers should be deployed in council offices and other public locations to provide access to civil justice, a think tank has argued. |
Government confirms it won’t appeal COVID care home ruling
05/05/2022 Government won't appeal a court decision which found the policy of discharging patients from hospitals to care homes at the start of the pandemic was unlawful. |
Former Haringey leader takes legal action against Ombudsman
03/05/2022 Former leader of Haringey Council Joseph Ejiofor has issued legal proceedings to challenge the local government Ombudsman’s decision to name him in a report. |
Council to take legal action against asylum centre
28/04/2022 Hambleton District Council is taken legal action against government plans to create a centre for asylum seekers at Linton-on-Ouse. |
Discharging patients into care homes was 'unlawful', High Court rules
27/04/2022 The High Court today ruled that the Government’s policy of discharging patients from hospital to care homes at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was unlawful. |
UK comes under pressure to adopt rights charter
26/04/2022 Local leaders will continue to be ‘heavily constrained’ until the UK follows through on its promise to guarantee the rights of local government in law, a sector expert has warned. |
Council secures injunction against fuel protests
25/04/2022 Thurrock Council has secured an injunction to prevent protestors from blocking roads or stopping vehicles at key fuel terminals in the borough. |
All regions told to take asylum seekers
14/04/2022 All regions of England, Scotland and Wales will be expected to take a share of asylum seekers under a new system of ‘full dispersal,’ the Government has told councils. |
Family Courts pioneering approach to support domestic abuse victims
06/04/2022 Filomena Sterkaj outlines how a new pilot aims to better support victims of domestic abuse. |
High Court rules no discrimination in legal protection for children in care
17/03/2022 High Court yesterday ruled that legislation allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to be placed in unregulated accommodation did not count as age-based discrimination. |
Gove urges pension funds to add to Russian pressure
14/03/2022 Levelling up secretary Michael Gove has urged local government pension scheme (LGPS) committee chairs to consider what more they can do to exert pressure on Russia. |
Judge backs Greater Manchester bus franchising
10/03/2022 The giant Stagecoach Group has failed in its attempt to block plans for bus franchising in Greater Manchester. |
Week-long strike over pay to hit local government sector
08/03/2022 Council workers are expected to strike for a week this month in the first coordinated industrial action to hit the sector in a decade. |
The Subsidy Control Bill: Legal certainty vs flexibility
08/03/2022 Angelica Hymers and Alex Kynoch offer advice on the Government’s indicative regulations and guidance on the Subsidy Control Bill. |
New pilot to better support victims in family court
08/03/2022 A new pilot to improve the way local authorities and courts share information to better support victims of domestic abuse has been launched. |
Unite announces industrial action over pay
28/02/2022 Unite’s local government members will next month stage targetted industrial action at councils where enough members rejected the employers’ 1.75% pay offer for 2021-22. |
Cumbria drops legal challenge to reorganisation
28/02/2022 Cumbria CC has decided to drop its legal challenge after losing its second High Court bid for a judicial review of local government reorganisation. |
Cumbria council loses second bid to stop reorganisation
23/02/2022 Cumbria CC is ‘considering its next steps’ after losing its second High Court bid for a judicial review of the decision to create two unitary authorities. |
London borough settles LOBO loan dispute
21/02/2022 Newham Council has reached a multimillion pound deal with Barclays Bank to settle its long-running Lender Option Borrower Option (LOBO) loan dispute. |
Council backs down in cycle lane case
27/01/2022 Campaigners claim to have 'drawn a line in the sand' after a highway authority admitted it acted unlawfully when it decided to remove a popular cycle lane in November 2020. |
Cumbria continues legal battle against reorganisation
26/01/2022 The county council is opposed to the Government’s decision to replace the county council and six district councils with two unitaries. |
Abused school pupils threaten council with legal action
25/01/2022 Former pupils of a council-run school are considering legal action against Lincolnshire County Council after two former staff members were convicted of abuse. |
Shortcomings revealed in second child murder case
14/12/2021 A second court case in a month has revealed serious shortcomings in how local agencies responded to allegations of abuse shortly before a child’s murder. |
Taking struggling energy companies in-house
06/12/2021 Angela Watson explains what councils need to consider when deciding whether to take an entity in-house. |
LGA warning over soaring care costs
23/11/2021 Soaring adult and children’s care costs mean councils could ‘soon fail to support everyone they need to,’ town halls have warned. |
Councils accused of not taking action against criminal landlords
12/11/2021 Two thirds of councils in England have failed to prosecute any criminal landlords in the last three years, according to new research. |
Birmingham could face new equal pay claims
12/11/2021 Birmingham City Council is facing an equal pay ‘crisis’, a trade union has warned. |
Former employees convicted of fraud against council
13/09/2021 Two women have been found guilty of creating a 'phantom' employee to defraud a council and a charity out of more than £40,000. |
High Court grants permission for ‘Levelling Up Fund’ legal challenge
24/08/2021 The High Court has granted permission for a legal challenge to the ‘Levelling Up Fund’ after campaigners accused the Government of using the fund for political purposes. |
‘Shameless’ COVID fraudsters targeted 41 councils
11/08/2021 The actions of two companies that attempted to defraud dozens of councils out of COVID grants have been labelled ‘despicable’. |
Councils urged to take more action against criminal landlords
04/08/2021 Over half of local authorities in England have failed to use new powers to issue civil penalties against rogue landlords in the past three years, a new survey has revealed. |
District cancels 700 court summonses
28/07/2021 Harborough DC has apologised to residents after issuing hundreds of court summonses for unpaid council tax in error. |
Have social services been negligent?
14/07/2021 Saara Idelbi and Conor Monighan consider the liability of local authorities in negligence where it is argued that social services should have intervened more quickly to remove children from their family homes. |
High court rejects challenge of council's low traffic neighbourhoods
29/06/2021 A legal challenge against Lambeth Council's low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) has been rejected by the high court. |
Council prosecutes firm over traffic jams
23/06/2021 Thames Water has been prosecuted by a London borough after creating what the council said were unnecessary traffic jams three times in less than a fortnight. |
Council calls for sentence review after attack on litter warden
21/06/2021 Dudley Council has criticised the 'unduly lenient' sentences given to two men who attacked and racially abused a litter warden. |
Vulnerable children ‘detained unlawfully’ in Scotland
07/06/2021 Vulnerable children in Scotland may have been detained unlawfully in secure accommodation, a new investigation has revealed. |
Newborn baby care orders on the rise, research finds
04/06/2021 The majority of mothers facing urgent care proceedings are given less than a week’s formal notice that their newborn baby might be removed, new research has warned today. |
Council secures high court ruling to protect safety of residents
18/05/2021 Thurrock Council has been granted an interim injunction by the High Court to prevent residents from living in an unsafe property. |
Lambeth to reimburse £27m of water bills
06/05/2021 The decision follows years of legal wrangling over charges collected on behalf of Thames Water. |
Virtual council meeting challenge dismissed by High Court
28/04/2021 Councils will not be able to continue to meet virtually after 6 May after High Court Judges dismissed a legal challenge by local government. |
Council had 'truly toxic atmosphere,' tribunal hears
27/04/2021 The Hammersmith & Fulham LBC director at the centre of an unfair dismissal claim had been working in a ‘truly toxic atmosphere,’ an employment tribunal has heard. |
Grenfell director dismissed while on sick leave, tribunal hears
20/04/2021 A council director who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after working on the Grenfell Tower response was dismissed while on sick leave, an employment tribunal has heard. |
Council action sees Tesco fined £7.5m for selling out of date food
20/04/2021 Tesco has been fined £7.5m for selling out of date food after a successful prosecution brought by Birmingham City Council. |
Professionals back use of standalone supervision orders
12/04/2021 Nine out of ten professionals think standalone supervision orders should continue to be an option in care proceedings, according to a new survey. |
Virtual insanity: Councils hit out at refusal to extend meeting rules
26/03/2021 Councils will not be able to hold virtual council meetings after 6 May after the Government refused to budge on changes to legislation. |
Sleep-in shifts legal battle ends
19/03/2021 A long-running legal challenge by care workers over pay worth £400m has been rejected by the Supreme Court. |
Liverpool parks to be protected 'forever'
19/03/2021 Liverpool City Council has become the first local authority to legally protect the future of its parks and green spaces. |
Landmark judgement brings rough sleeping clarity
11/03/2021 Councils have the legal powers to help people with no recourse to public funds (NRPF) who are sleeping rough during the pandemic after a landmark judgement. |
UK has broken air pollution law for a decade, top court warns
05/03/2021 The UK has 'systematically and persistently' broken legal limits on dangerous air pollution since 2010, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled. |
Woman jailed for defrauding London council
02/03/2021 A woman has been sentenced to 12-months’ imprisonment for defrauding the Royal Borough of Greenwich out of nearly £10,000. |
Beware the agent of change
26/02/2021 Tom Cosgrove explains what planning decisions should be made to avoid significant adverse impacts from noise. |
Council faces legal action over cycle lane removal
25/02/2021 A cycling charity is taking legal action against a council’s decision to scrap a cycle lane introduced during lockdown. |
Ban on bailiff evictions in England extended by six weeks
15/02/2021 A ban on bailiff evictions has been extended until the end of March to protect renters during the current lockdown restrictions. |
Treasury scraps cap on public sector exit payments
12/02/2021 The Government has dropped its controversial cap on public sector exit payments after admitting it had ‘unintended consequences’. |
Mayor and TfL seek to appeal Streetspace judgement
11/02/2021 London mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport for London (TfL) have applied to appeal a court ruling that deemed their Streetspace for London Plan unlawful. |
The importance of managing public law and financial issues
08/02/2021 Tiffany Cloynes outlines what steps local authorities should take to avoid section 114 reports. |
Council fined for death of girl following playground collapse
22/01/2021 A council in London has been fined £330,000 after a five-year-old girl died when playground equipment collapsed on top of her. |
High Court rules London's Streetspace scheme was unlawful
21/01/2021 The High Court has overturned London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Streetspace for London Plan, which was introduced in May last year in response to the pandemic. |
May elections to go ahead as council chiefs call for indemnity
21/01/2021 Local elections will go ahead on 6 May despite the ongoing pandemic, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled. |
Commission proposes third option on integrated care
11/01/2021 The Health Devolution Commission (HDC) has called for a third 'health and prosperity' model of Integrated Care Systems. |
London council ordered to keep schools open
15/12/2020 The Royal Borough of Greenwich has agreed to keep schools open after it was threatened by legal action from the Government. |
Liverpool mayor steps down amid police probe
10/12/2020 Liverpool City Mayor Joe Anderson has stepped down from his post following his arrest last week. |
Council drops COVID tier three legal challenge
09/12/2020 Stratford-on-Avon DC said new information had come to light following a response from the Government. |
MHCLG demands updates after Liverpool mayor arrest
08/12/2020 Government officials have written to the chief executive of Liverpool City Council demanding updates on its governance after the arrest of the city’s mayor last week. |
Liverpool mayor believed to be one of five arrested in police investigation
04/12/2020 Liverpool City Council Mayor Joe Anderson is believed to be one of five people arrested as part of an ‘ongoing investigation’, local newspaper reports have claimed. |
The new cap on Public Sector Exit Payments
03/12/2020 Charles Pallot outlines the new Restrictions on Public Sector Exit Payments for local authorities and the clash with LGPS strain payments. |
Stratford-on-Avon Council takes legal action over Tier 3
02/12/2020 Stratford-on-Avon District Council has sent the Government a Judicial Review pre-action protocol letter over its decision to place the area in Tier 3. |
Police make first Grenfell arrest
26/10/2020 Detectives investigating the fire have arrested a man on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. |
London council fines two rogue landlords £110,500
22/10/2020 Islington Council has fined two landlords £110,500 for providing dangerous and sub-standard housing. |
Institutional Blindness – there is a cure
20/10/2020 Scott Dorling outlines some of the key lessons for local authorities in the recent public interest report into Nottingham's governance of Robin Hood Energy Limited. |
External solicitors and Court of Protection finance deputyships – to instruct or not to instruct?
09/10/2020 Andrew Welch outlines the arguments for and against instructing external solicitors, explaining why it is a good option in appropriate circumstances. |
Hundreds of homeless lives saved by emergency accommodation, researchers find
25/09/2020 More funding and emergency legal changes are ‘critical’ so local authorities can continue to support people in safe and secure accommodation, the chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis has said. |
Tribunal rules foster care workers entitled to employee rights
01/09/2020 A UK tribunal has ruled that foster care workers are council employees and therefore entitled to employment rights. |
Council hits out at ‘flawed’ bus lane review
18/08/2020 Newcastle City Council has warned that a review into its bus lane signage contains a ‘number of legal errors’. |
Roads to recovery
14/08/2020 Alex Glassbrook explores if councils were legally allowed to make amendments to traffic regulation orders in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. |
Convicted landlords warned over confiscation threat following COVID crisis
22/07/2020 Kevin Hegarty, QC, has warned that local authorities could legally go after law breaking landlords in a bid to cope with the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic. |
Taking action over an employee’s social media posts
22/07/2020 Daniel Piddington warns that councils need to tread carefully when staff bring them into disrepute using personal social media accounts. |
Council seeks temporary drinking ban in London Fields Park
03/07/2020 Hackney Council is taking legal action to temporarily ban drinking in London Fields Park after high levels of antisocial behaviour. |
Councils call for clarity on local lockdowns
16/06/2020 Councils this week called for clarity on the legal powers they will have if they are forced to implement local coronavirus lockdowns. |
Evictions suspended for a further two months
08/06/2020 Council chiefs have welcomed the ban on evictions for a further two months. |
Remote local authority meetings
08/06/2020 Tiffany Cloynes and Clare Hardy outline the challenges and opportunities presented by conducting remote meetings in local government. |
Council gets go-ahead for local plan judicial review
05/06/2020 Sevenoaks District Council has been given permission to bring a judicial review against the government's planning inspector’s after it refused to endorse its local plan. |
Westferry Printworks scheme quashed after Jenrick accused of 'bias'
27/05/2020 The Government has agreed to revoke planning permission for the former Westferry Printworks on the Isle of Dogs after being accused of bias towards the developer. |
Care home on the brink of collapse
18/05/2020 Care homes in the North East have issued a legal warning to North Tyneside council, claiming they could collapse within days without further funding. |
Making use of a force majeure provision
27/04/2020 Michelle Craven-Faulkner and William Occleston explain how local authorities can make use of a force majeure clause, and what options are available if there is no such clause in a contract. |
Risk and resilience around Covid-19
15/04/2020 Kella Bowers outlines the potential for future civil liability in social care. |
Care home bosses disqualified for diverting £500,000 of council money
31/03/2020 ‘Reckless’ care home bosses have been disqualified for diverting council funds and abandoning elderly residents. |
Housing tenant issued Britain’s first ‘coronavirus injunction’
30/03/2020 The first ‘coronavirus injunction’ has been issued to a tenant in Manchester for breaking rules on social distancing. |
Renters protected from eviction during coronavirus crisis
27/03/2020 Charities have welcomed moves to protect tenants from all ongoing housing evictions. |
Union and council end dispute amid coronavirus crisis
24/03/2020 Trade union Unite has said its dispute with Veolia over holiday pay for refuse staff working at Tower Hamlets LBC has been resolved. |
Council clerk convicted of breaking Freedom of Information Act
19/03/2020 A council employee has been fined for illegally deleting an audio file in the first conviction under the Freedom of Information Act. |
Council to prosecute leisure centre over death of toddler Rocco Wright
18/02/2020 Leeds City Council has announced it intends to prosecute David Lloyd Leisure Ltd ‘in the near future’ over the death of Rocco Wright. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.