Governance

Ethics and Integrity Commission: a new chapter in public standards oversight

A new chapter in public standards oversight has begun with the Government’s announcement of the Ethics and Integrity Commission, replacing the long-standing Committee on Standards in Public Life, writes Melanie Carter.

August 15, 2025

Ethics and Integrity Commission: a new chapter in public standards oversight

News

London Councils urges government to reconsider key elements of plans to reform council funding, highlighting need to accurately measure “high levels of deprivation” in capital

August 21, 2025

LGA calls for transitional protections for councils that will lose out through Fair Funding Review

August 21, 2025

County and rural council taxpayers to shoulder cost of funding reforms, county councils claim

Aug 21, 2025

Complaints to Public Services Ombudsman for Wales jump 43% in single year to record levels

Aug 19, 2025

EHRC defends approach to updating code of practice in light of Supreme Court ruling on interpretation of Equality Act

Aug 19, 2025

NALC urges stronger parish and town council role in reorganisation

Aug 15, 2025

Former Mayor sanctioned for using office to support visa applications

Aug 15, 2025

Councillor voted at meeting of licensing panel after officers incorrectly believed he had been formally appointed

Aug 15, 2025

District council warns planning reform would “weaken local democracy”

Aug 14, 2025

Centre for Governance and Scrutiny warns Devolution Bill needs stronger accountability measures

Aug 13, 2025

‘Big winners and losers’ will be created by local government funding reforms: IFS

Aug 13, 2025

Former mayor accused of "stolen valour" breached code of conduct: Sub- committee

Aug 12, 2025

LGA annual report on peer reviews highlights need for stronger leadership, governance and culture in councils

Aug 12, 2025

New guide aims to demystify ‘golden triangle’ statutory officer roles

Aug 11, 2025

Government confirms plan to offer debt repayment support to Woking

Aug 08, 2025

Council defends planning committee after critical peer review

Aug 08, 2025

Cheshire East councillors unanimously back measures to combat abuse of elected members

Aug 08, 2025

New chair of equalities watchdog confirmed, despite refusal from select committees to endorse her appointment

Aug 08, 2025

Councils should respond to all recommendations made during independent complaints investigations, says Ombudsman

Aug 07, 2025

Information Commissioner exercised discretion correctly in issuing city council with FOI enforcement notice, tribunal finds

Aug 07, 2025

Electoral Commission consults on support at polling stations for disabled voters

Aug 06, 2025

Council legal workloads rising while job satisfaction remains high: Legal Department of the Future survey

Aug 01, 2025

Government cautions councils over major financial and organisation decisions ahead of reorganisation

Jul 30, 2025

Governance failures at council allowed £9m overspend to go unchecked

Jul 29, 2025

Cornwall passes motion calling for nation status

Jul 29, 2025

Strategic authorities should be placed under legal obligation to co-produce decisions with residents, says thinktank

Jul 28, 2025

McMahon urges joint working on social care by new unitaries in local government reorganisation letter

Jul 25, 2025

Ombudsman calls for “urgent review” of statutory complaints process for cases involving children after finding failings by two London councils

Jul 25, 2025

Councillors at Epping Forest pass motions calling for end to asylum hotels in rural areas and small towns

Jul 25, 2025

Government delegation scheme could erode role of councillors as "backbone of English planning system", LGA warns

Jul 25, 2025

Combined authority defends subsidy control challenge over loans worth £140m made to developer

Jul 25, 2025

ADSO urges ministers to provide clarity on proposed new “neighbourhood governance” obligations

Jul 24, 2025

MPs warn of “broken” link between council tax and quality of services

Jul 23, 2025

MPs call for consolidation of electoral law, warn “fabric may not hold” in next elections

Jul 22, 2025

Max Caller leaves Birmingham intervention team

Jul 22, 2025

Farage says Reform UK facing 'obstructionism' in newly won councils

Jul 22, 2025

Reform UK candidate brings elections petition over “coin toss” approach to deciding vote

Jul 22, 2025

Government to set up Ethics and Integrity Commission with remit to uphold “the highest ethical standards across the public sector”

Jul 21, 2025

Government appoints Croydon commissioners, despite protestations from London borough

Jul 18, 2025

Metropolitan borough hit with best value notice

Jul 18, 2025

City council sets up Improvement Committee as minister hails progress made since end of best value intervention

Jul 17, 2025

Thurrock intervention extended for further three years

Jul 17, 2025

Must read

Families refusing access to support

Is home a suitable option for residence and care for a vulnerable adult if their family refuses access to support? Sophie Holmes analyses a recent ruling.

Families refusing access to support

Features

August 13, 2025

Inability to speak at a planning committee meeting and prejudice

The Court of Appeal recently upheld a grant of planning permission for major development in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Isabella Tafur explains why.

Aug 08, 2025

The Legal Department of the Future and the Monitoring Officer

Paul Feild offers some comments on the findings of Local Government Lawyer’s Legal Department of the Feature report.

Jul 30, 2025

The role of substitutes

Geoff Wild looks at the practice of local authorities nominating substitutes when a member is unable to take their place on a committee.

Jul 17, 2025

Maximising ROI in renewable energy: Legal, technical, and financial strategies for net-zero success

The Hugh James Energy and Renewables team share their expertise on achieving net-zero, and emphasise that it doesn’t have to come at the cost of return on investment (ROI).

Jul 11, 2025

Early insights into the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill

David Kitson offers some initial thoughts on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill.

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 quarter of 2025 which highlight important points of principle and procedure.

Jun 25, 2025

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 local government reorganisation.

Webinars

Avoiding local government failure – the changes needed by the sector to safeguard against failure

In the final episode in our three-part series looking into local government governance, Partners Amardeep Gill and Scott Dorling conclude their conversation with Professor Catherine Staite, Professor of Public Management at the University of Birmingham, by discussing the changes that need to happen in order to better protect the sector from future failures.

Avoiding local government failure – the tools and resources often overlooked by councils in trouble

Avoiding local government governance failure – the lessons that can be learnt by others from current failures in the sector

The Key Reforms of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 - Transparency, Influence and Accountability Standard

Drafting local authority constitutions

Local Authority Insight Series: Local Authority Companies – How to Make Them Work

Local Authority Insight Series: Monitoring Officers

More features

Jun 25, 2025

Recording and publishing officer decisions

Geoff Wild considers the much-misunderstood law governing the recording and publishing of officer decisions.

May 29, 2025

Who runs councils in no overall control?

Geoff Wild looks at the key considerations where elections see local authorities left in ‘no overall control’.

May 21, 2025

Local inquiries into Child Sexual Exploitation are merely pins on a map; a national inquiry is needed to string them together

With Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s audit of child sexual exploitation underway, and the government backing local inquiries, the controversy remains. Henry Bermingham argues that whilst these local inquiries can drive change on a small scale, they will fail to address the full causes of child sexual exploitation.

May 09, 2025

A New Kind of Local Government Reform?

Simon Goacher, Head of Local Government at national law firm Weightmans, explores the legal and governance challenges facing newly elected Reform UK councils as they transition from opposition to administration across ten local authorities in England.

May 09, 2025

Time to rethink statutory roles: the key to better performance in Local Government

Pam Parkes, President of the PPMA, calls for a review of the statutory roles in local government to assess whether they remain fit for purpose.

May 09, 2025

LGPS contribution rate adjustments – what is the actuary’s role?

Earlier this year the Kensington & Chelsea Borough Pension Fund caused something of a stir by setting a zero employer contribution rate against the advice of its actuary. But what exactly is the role of the actuary when it comes to contribution rate adjustments between valuations?

May 01, 2025

Election challenges

Emyr Thomas dives into the details of how election results can be challenged and what those who wish to challenge a result can expect.

Apr 25, 2025

The Supreme Court decision in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers

Last week the UK Supreme Court delivered its unanimous judgment in the case of For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers, allowing the appeal and addressing the interpretation of the Equality Act 2010 in relation to gender reassignment and sex discrimination. David Welsh considers the outcome.

Apr 23, 2025

Honouring the Armed Forces Covenant

Geoff Wild examines the purpose of the Armed Forces Covenant and offers suggestions as to how local authorities can put it into practice.

Apr 22, 2025

Cross-examination in judicial review

The High Court has rejected a parish council’s claim of legitimate expectation in a dispute over whether a district’s leader made a binding promise in a local meeting about the route of a ‘greenway’. Charles Streeten and Michael Feeney analyse the ruling.