July 03, 2025
IPA guidance 2025: Managing PFI distress and preparing for expiry
Aanya Gujral and David Owens dive into the recent guidance published on managing the risks associated with Private Finance Initiative (“PFI”) projects.
Jul 03, 2025
What might the public inquiry on child sexual exploitation look like
With the recent announcement that there will now be a national public inquiry into child sexual exploitation (CSE) Stephanie McGarry and…
Jul 03, 2025
Data (Use and Access) Act – Updating Data Protection Law and more
On the 19th June 2025, the Data Use and Access Bill (“DUA Bill”) received Royal Assent to become the Data Use and Access Act 2025 (“DUA…
Jul 03, 2025
High Court Dismisses Challenge to New Super Prison
The High Court has refused permission to challenge the Secretary of State's decision to grant planning permission for so called 'super…
Jul 03, 2025
AI, copyright and LLMs
What are the copyright and confidentiality issues arising from use of public and private Large Language Models (LLMs)? Justin Harrington…
July 03, 2025
Automatic suspensions and the public interest
Tim Care provides a summary of the recent case of Unipart Group Ltd v Supply Chain Coordination Ltd [2025], and assesses its impact upon the application of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015).
Jul 03, 2025
FOI and communication
The Upper Tribunal recently considered the meaning of ‘reasonably practicable’ in s11 of the Freedom of Information Act. Jonathan Dixey…
Jul 03, 2025
Too much?
In the fourth and final article on a Court of Appeal judgment that involved an exploration of the law and procedure relating to challenges…
Jul 01, 2025
Deploying ‘ADR’ in Planning & Compensation contexts
John Pugh-Smith looks at how these aspects of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) can now be made to work and at different stages of a…
Jun 27, 2025
Removal from the village green register
The High Court recently ordered the deletion of school playing fields from the village green register. Ashley Bowes explains why.
June 27, 2025
The attendance of experts in family proceedings
Rosie Muncer looks at the lessons to be learned from how a High Court judge considered a case management application for the single joint experts in care proceedings to attend to give oral evidence.
Jun 27, 2025
Local authority enforcement powers and domestic beekeeping
Dan Jacklin provides a detailed analysis of the enforcement powers available to local authorities in relation to domestic beekeeping.
Jun 27, 2025
Too little? When intervention is not required
In the third article on a recent Court of Appeal judgment that involved a wide-ranging exploration of the law and procedure relating to…
Jun 27, 2025
Closures of educational sites
The Court of Appeal recently refused permission to appeal in judicial review proceedings concerning the decision to close part of a school…
Jun 25, 2025
Public law case update Q1 2025
Kieran Laird and Sophie O’Mahoney offer a straightforward and concise overview of six public law and regulation cases from the first…
The scope and purpose of s166 DPA: a procedural and not a merits route of challenge
The Upper Tribunal has provided important clarification on s166 of the Data Protection Act and orders requiring the Information…
Local government reorganisation: the impact on procurement and contracts
Craig Athorn and Stephen Dorrian look at the opportunities and challenges for public procurement and commercial contracts presented by…
Recording and publishing officer decisions
Geoff Wild considers the much-misunderstood law governing the recording and publishing of officer decisions.
AI solutions: the contractual issues
What are the key contractual issues that public sector organisations should prepare for when implementing an AI solution? Justin Harrington…
How do you deal with conflicts of belief in schools and colleges?
To what extent can you lawfully restrict how your staff manifest their protected beliefs? Jo Moseley considers what schools and colleges…
Modifying subsidies: What is permitted and what is not?
Beatrice Wood and Oliver Slater explore recent developments and discuss the process of awarding subsidies.
Getting new PPP right: Smarter tools for smarter infrastructure
Nicola Sumner, Steve Gummer and Roseanne Serrelli discuss the 'dos and don'ts' of Public-private Partnerships in their new form.
Negotiating s106 agreements
Why does negotiating section 106 agreements have to be such a drag? Simon Ricketts looks at the key issues.
Heat network zoning coordination
Carrie Davies sets out some early-stage considerations for local authorities when it comes to heat network zoning coordination.
Mediating PFIs
Mediation is a potentially underused tool for unlocking contract disputes arising out of PFI, write Emma Beynon and Andrew Lancaster.
Generative AI and data protection
Justin Harrington sets out what UK public sector organisations need to know when it comes to generative AI and data protection.
Zones/RABs and heat networks: The path to an investible infrastructure asset class?
The UK’s new heat network zoning framework (the outlines for which were drawn by the Energy Act 2023) is set to redefine how low‑carbon…
The final say
The Court of Protection has provided an important reminder that it is the judge who has the final say as to best interests, writes Alex…
The seven questions to address in a welfare analysis
A recent Court of Appeal decision highlights the importance of analysing all the factors in the welfare checklist when considering a care…
Too late
In the second article of a series on challenges to decisions about care for young people brought after the event, Catherine Rowlands looks…
VAT on school fees and its impact on the SEND system: an emerging pressure point
Lauren Fullerton and Arran Dowling-Hussey look at the impact of the Government’s imposition of VAT on school fees has had on the SEND…
Expert fees in public law children cases
When the expert exceeds Legal Aid Agency rates, what is the Court to do? Eleanor Hull analyses an important recent ruling from the…
Producing robust capacity assessments and the approaches to assessing capacity
Lynette Wallace looks at the lessons from a recent Court of Protection ruling on capacity.
One teacher, two jobs
Alexandra Addington looks at a recent disciplinary hearing concerning a teacher who phoned in sick to work at a different school, and…
The 26-week timeframe and care proceedings with an international element
Gary Fawcett examines a recent Court of Appeal ruling on the 26-week statutory time limit in care proceedings with an international element.
Too little? Or too late?
In the first in a series of articles, Catherine Rowlands examines a Court of Appeal judgment that involved a wide-ranging exploration of…
Partial debt guarantees- Reviving Investment in UK Water Infrastructure
Is it Time for a Public Sector Major Infrastructure Debt Guarantor?
Unlocking legal talent
Jonathan Bourne sets out why in-house council teams and law firms should embrace apprenticeships.
Re A compliance in care proceedings
Emily Henshaw looks at what Re A compliance means and why it matters.
AI in the UK public sector
In the first in a series of articles on the adoption of AI by the public sector, Justin Harrington sets out some use cases and provides a…
Planning reform to accelerate housing delivery - at what cost?
Chrisa Tsompani examines how the Government’s sweeping planning reforms could reshape every layer of the building sector – from local…
All change: The implications of planning reform upon regeneration projects
There is a considerable amount of legislative and policy change taking place in town and country planning currently. Richard Barlow and…
Appropriate assessments and planning committee meetings
Annabel Graham Paul sets out the wider implications of a recent Court of Appeal decision on appropriate assessments in a case involving a…
Council liability in cases of personal injury suffered on public highways
Thom Lumley and Catherine Zakarias-Welch analyse another significant ruling on liability for injuries sustained on public highways, in…
Subsidy control: referral of subsidies
The financial threshold for referral of subsidies to the Competition Markets Authority is to increase from £10m to £25m with effect from 4…
At Local Government Lawyer we are committed to providing our readers with an unrivalled source of news and analysis of legal issues facing the public sector. The members of our editorial team, who have more than 30 years’ experience of legal journalism between them, update the site on a daily basis.
We welcome contributions from lawyers working for or advising public bodies – indeed from anyone who feels they can add to the debate. These articles can be on all subjects relevant to public sector legal practice, whether addressing the latest legal developments and case law or analysing management and career issues.
We are more than happy to accept unsolicited articles, although we cannot guarantee publication. It is always worth checking with us first before you put pen to paper, just in case we have already commissioned an article on the same subject from another author.
Our aim is to publish content that is relevant, informative, practical and clear.
If you feel there are subjects we should be writing about, do please let us know. We also actively welcome all feedback.
For all editorial enquires, contact:
Philip Hoult
Editor, Local Government Lawyer
Email:
General enquiries:
Email:
Jobs
Director of Legal and Governance (Monitoring Officer)
£88,185 per annum
Senior Lawyer - Advocate
£46,731 - £49,764 per annum
Head of Governance & University Solicitor
Up to £66,537 per annum
Assistant Director - Legal & Governance
£72,686 - £81,742 per annum
Events
Back to Basics: Construction Insurance and Insolvency - Devonshires
16-07-2025 2:00 pm
Online (live)
Institutional landlord series: Service and Notices – from Possessions to Injunctions and Requests for Access - 5 Pump Court
16-07-2025 4:00 pm
Online (live)
HMPL Building Blocks: Tackling Non-occupation and Sub-letting - Devonshires
17-07-2025
Online (live)
To establishing whether Material Changes of Use have occurred - Ivy Legal Training
18-07-2025 9:30 am
Online (live)
A-Z Family Law: Take Two! - 42 Bedford Row 
Executive Programme in Public Procurement Law and Policy - University of Nottingham 
Business and Property Masterclass #5: Interim Relief – Acting urgently and getting it right - Cornerstone Barristers
10-09-2025 11:00 am
Online (live)
Property Law Roadshow 2025 - Bristol - St John's Chambers 
CUBAS Comprehensive Training & Licencing (Manchester), September 2025
Business and Property Masterclass #6: Rights of Light and Restrictive Covenants - Cornerstone Barristers
23-09-2025
Online (live)
AI in the Public Sector Conference - Westminster Insight 
Activism in the Workplace - 42BR Barristers Employment Law Annual Lecture 
DoLS Authoriser Training - LPS Law
HMPL Building Blocks: Service Charges & Ground Rent – Tackling Leasehold and Shared Ownership Arrears - Devonshires
14-10-2025
Online (live)
Property Law Roadshow 2025 - Cardiff - St John's Chambers
Institutional landlord series: Possession – High Court Enforcement - 5 Pump Court
22-10-2025 4:00 pm
Online (live)
Institutional landlord series: Costs Recovery and Legally Aided Parties - 5 Pump Court
05-11-2025 4:00 pm
Online (live)
Annual Fraud Conference 2025 - Oxford Investigation Service
HMPL Building Blocks: Law and Procedure Following Death of a Tenant - Devonshires
09-12-2025
Online (live)
HMPL Building Blocks: Legal Tools to Combat Anti-Social Behaviour - Devonshires
17-02-2026
Online (live)