

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.
June 25, 2025
Public law case update Q1 2025
News
Consultation on Surrey reorganisation kicks off
Jun 18, 2025
Government minded to send Commissioners into Croydon
Jun 13, 2025
Spending Review 2025: Reaction from the sector
Jun 11, 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.
Features


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.
June 25, 2025
Local government reorganisation: the impact on procurement and contracts

Recording and publishing officer decisions
Geoff Wild considers the much-misunderstood law governing the recording and publishing of officer decisions.
June 25, 2025
Recording and publishing officer decisions

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 29, 2025
Who runs councils in no overall control?

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 21, 2025
Local inquiries into Child Sexual Exploitation are merely pins on a map; a national inquiry is needed to string them together

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
A New Kind of Local Government Reform?
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.
More features

Local authority constitutions and the right of councillors to vote
The Supreme Court has handed down a landmark ruling on the lawfulness of a provision in a local authority's constitution which restricted voting by members on deferred applications for planning permission to those who had been present at the meeting or meetings at which the application had previously been considered. Philip McCourt set out the key points from the judgment.
Thinking ahead
Philip McCourt and Kirtpal Kaur Aujla comment on the contractual and commercial tasks ahead for local government reorganisation.
Understanding the Local Authorities (Functions and Responsibilities) (England) Regulations 2000
Ella Royle and Richard Barlow examine the role played by The Local Authorities (Functions and Responsibilities) (England) Regulations 2000 in governance in local government.
Approaching the pre-election period
Ahead of the May 2025 elections, Geoff Wild provides guidance for officers and members on the "dos and don'ts" during the pre-election period (‘‘purdah’).
AI in Local Government
Ibrahim Hasan looks at the legal issues that must be navigated around the use of AI in local government.
Raising the standard - or a missed opportunity?
Matt Lewin reflects on the Government’s consultation on reforms to the standards and conduct framework.
Navigating the devolution revolution: A guide for local authorities
Since the English Devolution White Paper was published in December 2024, the first tranche of councils have taken initial steps towards local government reorganisation. Laura Hughes explains what has happened so far and what all local authorities need to be considering.
Disqualification as an elected member
Geoff Wild provides a timely update on what disqualifies someone from being an elected member.
Five challenges facing local government in 2025
Local government is facing a complex and shifting operational landscape, shaped by ongoing budgetary pressures, ambitious policy objectives, and new legislative frameworks. Lawyers from the Government & Public Services team at TLT identify their top five challenges for 2025 and offer some thoughts on the best approach to tackling them.
Member and officer indemnities
Geoff Wild sets out the key considerations when it comes to member and officer indemnities.
A strengthening of the member conduct regime in England?
Simon Goacher sets out the key findings we can take from the government's published consultation.
The White Paper – new organisations and new rule books to come
In the second in a series of articles on the English Devolution White Paper, Philip McCourt looks at the establishment of new councils and the drafting of their constitutions.
Navigating the future: A consultative approach to local government funding reform
Peter Ware considers the Government’s proposed approach to local authority funding reform through the local government finance settlement from 2026-27.
‘All hail the Mayor’
Philip McCourt sets out some key considerations arising out of the English Devolution White Paper.
Devolution: the opportunities and the challenges
The Government’s proposals for reorganisation of local authorities in England are broadly welcome, writes Simon Goacher.
Bold ambitions
Amardeep Gill and Paul McDermott analyse the government’s English Devolution White Paper.
Mind the gap(s)
Lottie Winson speaks with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Amerdeep Somal, about her plans to address “accountability gaps”, challenges within the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system, and the key findings and recommendations of the Ombudsman’s recently published Triennial Review.
Complying with the Public Sector Equality Duty
In his latest bulletin for monitoring officers, Geoff Wild looks at how local authorities should approach the public sector equality duty.
Changes in death certification
V. Charles Ward examines recent changes to death certification following the statutory adoption of the medical examiner system, and outlines their implications for local authorities.
A new code of conduct for directors
Peter Ware examines how the Institute of Directors’ new code of conduct for directors might be useful for local authority companies.
How virtual meetings are shaping local democracy
A clear legislative framework in relation to virtual meetings will help ensure clarity and fairness, writes Ed Hammond.
Addressing the challenges and opportunities in local government reform
It seems increasingly clear that the Government will propose a major overhaul of local government. Amardeep Gill looks at the potential changes and sets out some key considerations.
The public law duty to consult
In his latest article, Geoff Wild considers the key aspects of the public law duty to consult.
Government Legal Risk Matrix updated
Alexander Rose, Colin Murray and Jonathan Branton examine the recent changes made to the Government Legal Risk Matrix.
Proposed Law Commission reforms to free up grave space
The Law Commission is seeking to reform the law of burial in England and Wales, which it says is “piecemeal, complex and outdated”. V. Charles Ward looks at the background to the proposals ad whether they go far enough.
From asylum seeker to monitoring officer
Former Corporate Director and Monitoring Officer of Brighton and Hove City Council Abraham Ghebre-Ghiorghis speaks to Lottie Winson about his 37-year career at the authority, his role as the “conscience of the organisation”, and his journey into law as an asylum seeker from Eritrea.
Members' interests, bias and pre-determination
In his latest article Geoff Wild seeks to clarify when it is appropriate for members to declare interests (and when it is not) and what the consequences are of doing so.
Disclosure of confidential information
Geoff Wild looks at the receipt of confidential information by members and the issues around its potential disclosure.
The future of devolution under Labour
Amardeep Gill and Louise Kavanagh consider the future of devolution under Labour, and specifically what this could mean for regions within England.
From the Twin Pillars to the Golden Triangle – a balancing of the powers
In a recent article Paul Feild expressed concern that the LLG, CIPFA and Solace’s 2024 Code of Practice on Good Governance for Local Authority Statutory Officers places onerous obligations on the Monitoring Officer without consideration as to how they might deal with them. Philip McCourt, who drafted the Code, responds to those concerns and says its publication presents an opportunity to lobby for structural change.
Director of Legal and Governance (Monitoring Officer)
£88,185 per annum
Senior Lawyer - Advocate
£46,731 - £49,764 per annum
Poll
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Events

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, How to Implement Good Information Governance - Act Now
20-08-2025 10:00 am
20-08-2025 10:00 am
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, How to Implement Good Information Governance - Act Now
15-09-2025 10:00 am
15-09-2025 10:00 am
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, How to Implement Good Information Governance - Act Now
08-10-2025 10:00 am
08-10-2025 10:00 am