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Oct 14, 2025

New watchdog takes over from Committee on Standards in Public Life to oversee ethical standards across public sector

A new watchdog tasked with promoting ethical standards across public life has been launched by the Government, replacing the long-standing Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL).

Oct 14, 2025

Ofsted issues revised policy for prioritising children’s homes registration applications in face of “unprecedented” demand

Ofsted has said it will no longer deal with social care registration applications “solely in order of the date they are received”, but will prioritise applications that address the shortage of placements for those children in most urgent need.

Oct 14, 2025

Blake Morgan advises London boroughs on transition to leisure agency model

Blake Morgan has advised Richmond and Wandsworth Councils on their strategic adoption of the leisure agency model, describing it as “a transformative approach to delivering local leisure services”.

Oct 14, 2025

Birmingham settles historic equal pay claims

Birmingham City Council, UNISON and GMB have agreed to settle the outstanding equal pay claims brought by the two unions on behalf of members working for the local authority and Birmingham Children's Trust.

Oct 14, 2025

Amendments to Planning and Infrastructure Bill would see ministers able to issue ‘holding directions’ to stop councils refusing planning permission whilst they consider using ‘call-in’ powers

Ministers will be handed new powers to prevent councils from rejecting planning applications as part of further changes to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill aimed at accelerating house building.

Oct 13, 2025

Homes England to hold preliminary market engagement over £60m legal services framework

Homes England has given notice of plans to hold preliminary market engagement over a framework for 2026-2030 that will cover a range of property and investment-related legal services.

Oct 13, 2025

Ombudsman urges council to take action to tackle high numbers of people waiting for MCA assessments and DoLS applications

A Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation has found that in June 2025, Southampton City Council had 382 outstanding Mental Capacity Act assessments and 404 outstanding Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) applications.

Oct 13, 2025

Councillors at Welsh local authority drop judicial review over mosque plans

Three councillors behind a threatened judicial review challenge of plans to convert a former library into Monmouthshire's first mosque have dropped their proposed legal action against the county council.

Oct 13, 2025

Government consults on restoring access for councillors to LGPS and extending scheme to mayors

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has launched a consultation on restoring access to the Local Government Pension Scheme for councillors in England and extending it to mayors.

Oct 13, 2025

Local government reorganisation could hit vulnerable people with “triple whammy” of worse services, higher costs for care, and not enough staff, county councils claim

A report commissioned by the County Councils Network (CCN) has warned that government plans to split county councils into multiple small unitary councils could hit “millions” of vulnerable people with a “triple whammy” of worse services, higher costs for care, and not enough staff to deliver…

Oct 13, 2025

Council forced to rerun entire parish council election after administrative error

An administrative error in 2023 has forced Thanet District Council to rerun elections for all seats on a parish council following the resignation of a single councillor.

Oct 13, 2025

Councils secure four-year extension to oil protests injunction

The High Court has extended an injunction prohibiting protestors from blocking roads and vehicles at key fuel terminals for four years, following a joint application from Essex County Council and Thurrock Council.

Oct 10, 2025

North Wales solicitor becomes 181st president of the Law Society

Mark Evans has this week become the first president of the Law Society to hail from Wales in 22 years, and only the third in its 200-year history.

Oct 10, 2025

Council told to pay more than £10k for SEN failings following investigation by Ombudsman

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised Leeds City Council after a child did not receive all the provision in their Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) over three terms, with the council failing to respond to the mother’s concerns about this.

Oct 10, 2025

LLG unveils new chair of LLG Board

LLG (Lawyers in Local Government) has appointed Nicholas Ong-Seng as Chair of the LLG Board.

Oct 10, 2025

Section 117 aftercare policy of council and integrated care board “flawed”, finds Ombudsman

An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised Kent County Council and NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board’s “flawed” section 117 aftercare policy, which caused a woman “confusion, uncertainty and distress”.

Oct 10, 2025

Council threatened with legal action over temporary congestion charge scheme

A pre-action protocol letter threatening legal action over a temporary congestion charge for cars in Oxford has been sent to the county council.

Oct 10, 2025

Minister calls on planning inspectors to show flexibility over local plans submitted for examination

The Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, has written to the Planning Inspectorate to outline his expectation that local plans submitted in the current plan-making system should be treated “with an appropriate degree of flexibility”.

Oct 10, 2025

Government launches fast-track review to change “outdated” licensing rules

The Department for Business and Trade and the Home Office have issued a call for evidence as part of a fast-track review - or “four-week blitz” – of what the Government says are “outdated” licensing rules.

Oct 09, 2025

TfL appoints 19 firms to £120m legal services panel

Transport for London has named 19 law firms to a legal services framework worth an estimated £120m over six years.

Oct 09, 2025

Local authority department up for in-house team of year at Yorkshire Legal Awards

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council has been shortlisted for in-house team of the year at the Yorkshire Legal Awards 2025.

Oct 09, 2025

Divisional Court rejects counterclaims from contract holders for rent repayments over failure of Welsh social landlords to provide electrical condition reports

A Divisional Court has rejected claims for repayment of rent in circumstances where two Welsh social landlords failed to provide the contract holders with electrical condition reports (ECR).

Oct 09, 2025

Hugh James advises major housebuilder on largest net zero housing development in UK

Law firm Hugh James has advised Barratt Redrow on the UK’s largest net zero housing development, to be delivered in Wales.

Oct 09, 2025

Emergency duty social workers at North West council to be able to access live police body-worn camera footage under partnership with local police force

Emergency Duty Team (EDT) social workers at Westmorland and Furness Council will be able to securely access live police body-worn camera footage, enabling real-time safeguarding decisions that are “informed, timely, and focused on the child’s best interests”, under a partnership between the local…

Oct 09, 2025

Climate campaigners launch Supreme Court bid over local energy efficiency standards

Campaigners behind a judicial review challenge of the Government's policy on local energy efficiency standards have lodged an application for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Oct 09, 2025

High Court refuses council permission to challenge approval for 800-home development

The High Court has refused Horsham District Council permission to bring a statutory review challenge aimed at stopping an 800-home development in West Sussex.

Oct 09, 2025

Restaurant owners hit out at council amid claims it is pursuing £2.5m confiscation order over planning breach

Two restauranteurs have complained that their passports have been confiscated and they face a £2.5m confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act in a planning dispute with Lewisham Council.

Oct 08, 2025

Reform-led council to bring in external consultants for efficiency review

Leicestershire County Council’s Reform UK leader Dan Harrison has said he will engage consultants for a root and branch efficiency review of the council.

Oct 08, 2025

Parish council to remove multi-use games area after five-year legal battle

A parish council faces an unlimited fine in the High Court next month for breach of a noise abatement order in a lengthy dispute about a games area in a local park.

Oct 08, 2025

Borough council to issue refunds to drivers over irregularities with traffic regulation order

Reading Borough Council has refunded £68,000 in fines to drivers after finding it had made a traffic regulation order (TRO) incorrectly.

Oct 08, 2025

Welsh Government proposes giving public powers to remove Senedd members for conduct breaches

The Welsh Government has issued draft legislation that would give the public powers to remove Senedd Members who seriously break conduct rules.

Oct 08, 2025

Government warned against removing planning duty for national parks and landscapes

More than 200 organisations have written to the Prime Minister, urging the Government not to weaken or remove the legal protections for National Parks and National Landscapes.

Oct 08, 2025

National Workload Action Group calls for national guidance on use of AI in children’s social care

Research carried out by the National Workload Action Group (NWAG) has found that administrative pressures, poor digital infrastructure, and a limited access to effective reflective supervision are contributing to burnout and high turnover among social workers.

Oct 08, 2025

Judge criticises failures of local authority in care proceedings case

A High Court judge has strongly criticised the actions of an unnamed local authority in a care proceedings case – including its failure to progress an approved care plan and to keep the young person informed as to what was happening.

Oct 08, 2025

London borough in legal challenge over planning inspector traveller site decision

Barnet Council has launched a legal challenge of a planning inspector's decision to approve an Irish travellers' site on Green Belt land.

Oct 07, 2025

Council defeats taxi licensing appeal from driver who “trapped” passenger

Luton Council has successfully defended its decision to revoke the license of a taxi driver who had been accused of locking a lone woman in his car and only releasing her once an inflated fare had been paid.

Oct 07, 2025

Still “too many” incidences of non-compliance with Public Law Outline, Presiding Family Judge for London warns

Whilst work is leading to improvement, London remains an “outlier” in terms of the time it takes to determine care proceedings and the number of hearings it takes to do so, with “too many” incidences of non-compliance with the Public Law Outline (PLO), the Family Presiding Judge for London has…

Oct 07, 2025

Ombudsman urges London council to continue on “long road” of improving knowledge of housing stock, after special investigation

The Housing Ombudsman has told Lewisham Council it must improve after a special investigation uncovered serious concerns about the way the London borough manages hazards and handles complaints and repairs in its homes.

Oct 07, 2025

Health and Care Professions Council to procure £28.8m framework for advising on Fitness to Practice cases

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has invited tenders for the provision of external legal services to support the preparation, management, and presentation of Fitness to Practise (FtP) cases.

Oct 06, 2025

It is not permissible for court to “ride two horses” by repeatedly adjourning question of jurisdiction whilst seeking to progress case as if it does have jurisdiction, senior family judge rules

The Family Court has ruled that the court does not have substantive welfare jurisdiction in respect of a 1-year-old French national who was visiting the United Kingdom with her parents when she came to the attention of social services following a visit to the hospital.

Oct 06, 2025

Council leader refuses requests to publish confidential report into former leader

Newcastle City Council's leader has refused a request to publish a confidential report regarding a complaint made against the local authority's former leader.

Oct 06, 2025

Government proposes requirement on sellers and estate agents to provide buyers with “vital information” about property upfront

The Government has unveiled proposals to “shake up” the homebuying system, including a requirement on sellers and estate agents to provide buyers with “vital information” about a property upfront, including the condition of the home, leasehold costs, and chains of people waiting to move.

Oct 06, 2025

Councils in row over “premature” publication of local reorganisation report

Councils in Nottinghamshire are arguing over the release of a report on reorganisation in the county after councils published the document against the wishes of Nottinghamshire County Council and Rushcliffe Borough Council.

Oct 03, 2025

Reform council lifts newspaper ban in face of legal challenge

Nottinghamshire County Council has lifted its ban on a local newspaper a week on from receiving a pre-action protocol letter challenging the decision.

Oct 03, 2025

Fraud unit issues recommendations on tackling “polygamous working”

The Counter Fraud & Enforcement Unit (CFEU), a local government shared service for councils in the south of England, has conducted a review into "polygamous working", following the recent conviction of a man who was simultaneously employed across three councils.