Local Government Lawyer


Local Government Lawyer

 

Local Government Lawyer

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Unlocking legal talent

Jonathan Bourne sets out why in-house council teams and law firms should embrace apprenticeships.
June 13, 2025
Unlocking legal talent

Releasing stalled housing sites

John Pugh-Smith looks at the challenges around stalled housing sites and outlines some possible solutions, pending MHCLG’s awaited “full reset” of Section 106 obligations.
February 06, 2026
Releasing stalled housing sites

Threshold findings and final orders at Issues Resolution Hearings

Graeme Bentley draws out the main points for local authorities from the Re D case and highlights the areas that require particular care when preparing or relying on threshold material.
February 06, 2026
Threshold findings and final orders at Issues Resolution Hearings

Subsidies for regional airports

Aviation subsidies have been brought into the spotlight by the Cardiff Airport Subsidy Control case. Alexander Rose examines the key issues.
February 06, 2026
Subsidies for regional airports

The Procurement Review Unit is now live

Laura Wisdom and Sophie Osborn set out what contracting authorities and suppliers need to know about the Procurement Review Unit.
February 06, 2026
The Procurement Review Unit is now live

The Warm Homes Plan: Key Takeaways

Nimoy Kher analyses the Government's Warm Homes Plan, picking out the key parts of the plan and what they mean for local authorities.
February 05, 2026
The Warm Homes Plan: Key Takeaways

Building safety reform in Wales

Matthew Stevens considers what the new higher-risk building rules in Wales mean in practice and how the regime compares to England.
February 04, 2026
Building safety reform in Wales

Issue estoppel in service charge disputes

The Upper Tribunal has recently considered the application of issue estoppel to a s.19 LTA 1985 FTT determination that a variable service charge was reasonably incurred and therefore payable. Justin Bates and Poppy Kemp analyse the ruling.
February 04, 2026
Issue estoppel in service charge disputes

The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and Wales: extending protections from discrimination to Welsh contract-holders

Sarah Salmon and Alistair Cantor dissect the forthcoming anti-discrimination measures due to be introduced by the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 to landlord and tenant legislation in Wales, consequential changes to fundamental terms applicable to occupation contracts, and implications…
February 04, 2026
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 and Wales: extending protections from discrimination to Welsh contract-holders

Awaab’s Law and development agreements

Ellen Hawthorne considers what social landlords must build into their development agreements in light of Awaab’s Law.
February 04, 2026
Awaab’s Law and development agreements

Housing case alert - January 2026

Emily Howe and Ian Larkins round up the latest housing law judgments of interest to local authorities and housing associations.
Feb 04, 2026
Housing case alert - January 2026

Cross-border placements of children

Justin Gray outlines imminent reforms to cross-border placements of children in Scotland.
Jan 30, 2026
Cross-border placements of children

The planning permission for the new Chinese Embassy

Morag Ellis KC, Stephanie Bruce-Smith and Charles Streeten look at the key considerations behind the Secretary of State’s decision to grant…
Jan 30, 2026
The planning permission for the new Chinese Embassy

Transparency and the scope of PD12R FPR 2010

Edward Lamb KC and Tara Vindis set out the key points from a care proceedings case concerning transparency and the scope of PD12R FPR 2010.
Jan 30, 2026
Transparency and the scope of PD12R FPR 2010

G-Cloud 14 to G-Cloud 15 – What is changing?

James Berry talks through the change from G-Cloud 14 to 15 - what does it mean for the CCS, and what does it mean for suppliers?
Jan 29, 2026
G-Cloud 14 to G-Cloud 15 – What is changing?

Councillors in an increasingly digital age

Geoff Wild looks at some of the issues raised by councillors’ use of social media, electronic communication, personal email addresses and…
Jan 28, 2026
Councillors in an increasingly digital age

Introduction of New Fair Deal to the LGPS

The Government is consulting on introducing “New Fair Deal” protections for workers whose jobs are outsourced to third-party providers.…
Jan 28, 2026
Introduction of New Fair Deal to the LGPS

Do we have a right to a jury trial in the UK?

Chloe McQuillan and Olivia Peake discuss the proposed reforms to the jury system and the viewpoint of the opposing voices.
Jan 27, 2026
Do we have a right to a jury trial in the UK?

Devolution and coastal areas

Coastal areas suffer disproportionate levels of economic deprivation – proposed devolutionary changes must not make their situation worse,…
Jan 23, 2026
Devolution and coastal areas

The EIP: 10 Days of the 10 Goals - Goal 5: Waste

Goal 5 of the Government's Environmental Improvement Plan concerns waste. Edward-Arash Abedian looks at the Government's proposals…
Jan 22, 2026
The EIP: 10 Days of the 10 Goals - Goal 5: Waste

Jan 21, 2026

Age assessment and interim relief

The Court of Appeal has given guidance on interim relief in age assessment judicial reviews. David C. Gardner and Susana Ferrin set out the…
Jan 18, 2026

Children and end-of-life care

Lamis Fahad and Caitlin Smithey look at the outcome of a local authority's application to the High Court for declarations under the court's…
Jan 15, 2026

Data Centres Enter the NSIP Regime

James Goldthorpe and Emyr Thomas explain the UK government facilitating data centre developments through the NSIP regime and how…
Jan 15, 2026

Town halls and charitable trusts

The First-Tier Tribunal recently considered whether the Charity Commission’s amended scheme for Victoria Hall, which forms part of the…
Jan 15, 2026

Hillside: Three years on

Michael Dempsey considers the impact of the Supreme Court’s Hillside decision on key stakeholders in planning and the ongoing debate on…
Jan 13, 2026

Homelessness law reform in Wales

What will the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Bill mean for local authorities and housing associations? Richard Macphail…
Jan 12, 2026

Maintenance of a river embankment

The High Court has upheld a decision by Natural Resources Wales to cease maintenance of River Conwy embankment. Gwion Lewis KC analyses the…
Jan 09, 2026

Public law case update Q3 2025

Kieran Laird and Hannah Jones offer a straightforward and concise overview of six public law and regulation cases from the third quarter of…
Jan 09, 2026

Roll up, roll up

The High Court last year considered the principles to be applied by the High Court when considering ‘rolled-up’ hearings. James Maurici KC…
Jan 07, 2026

HMOs and “self-contained flats”

A recent Upper Tribunal judgment highlights how turning long stay hotel accommodation into "self-contained flats" is not as easy as putting…
Jan 07, 2026

Only or Principal Home…again

Andrew Lane examines the concept of ‘only or principal home’ in cases about the potential misuse of social housing and sets out how…

News


News




Must read

LGL Red line
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Fix it fast: How “Awaab’s Law”
is forcing action

Eleanor Jones sets out what "Awaab's Law"
will mean in practice for social landlords.

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Housing management in practice
Rebecca Rees provides key takeaways
on six key challenges in housing
management including how to tackle
anti-social behaviour.

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Local authority legal teams after Mazur
Local authority legal teams will need to review
their practices and work allocation in the wake
of Mazur, but there is no need for
panic writes Timothy Leader.

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Why AI must power
the next wave
of Social Housing
delivery

 

 

 

 

 

 

For years, national housing policy has wrestled with the tension between aspiration
and delivery. Targets have been set and missed; waiting lists have grown longer,
and the most vulnerable people in our society have been left with fewer safe,
affordable places to call home. Technology has a key role to play to address this
situation writes Andrew Lloyd of Search Acumen.

Must read

LGL Red line

Features

Releasing stalled housing sites

February 06, 2026
John Pugh-Smith looks at the challenges around stalled housing sites and outlines some possible solutions, pending MHCLG’s awaited “full reset” of Section 106 obligations.

Subsidies for regional airports

February 06, 2026
Aviation subsidies have been brought into the spotlight by the Cardiff Airport Subsidy Control case. Alexander Rose examines the key issues.

Features

Features

Housing case alert - January 2026

February 04, 2026
Emily Howe and Ian Larkins round up the latest housing law judgments of interest to local authorities and housing associations.

Features

Enjoying the challenge

November 21, 2025
LLG President Paul Turner has worked in local government throughout his legal career. Philip Hoult talks to him about what drew him into the sector, the benefits of working for different kinds of local authorities, and what challenges such as local government reorganisation mean for legal teams.

From Paralegal to Solicitor

November 15, 2024
Rob Dudley outlines the route to qualification for paralegals via the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).

Webinars

Webinars

SPONSORED

Case study: using enforcement powers for the remediation of buildings

The Government has made funding available, up to £100,000 per building, for local authorities to obtain legal advice on pursuing those responsible for remediating buildings – the Remediation Enforcement Support Fund. (The closing date for local authorities to apply for funding is fast approaching and is currently set for midnight on 28 February 2026.) But how does a local authority effectively…

How Finders International Supports Council Officers

Councils across the UK face a growing number of complex cases involving deceased individuals with no known next of kin, unclaimed estates, and long-term empty properties. These situations demand not only legal precision but also sensitivity, efficiency, and resourcefulness.

Unlocking legal talent

Jonathan Bourne of Damar Training sets out why in-house council teams and law firms should embrace apprenticeships.

Webinars

More Features

Introduction of New Fair Deal to the LGPS

January 28, 2026
The Government is consulting on introducing “New Fair Deal” protections for workers whose jobs are outsourced to third-party providers. Sadie Goodrum and Nigel Bolton examine the proposals.

Jobs

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ABOUT SHARPE PRITCHARD

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We are a national firm of public law specialists, serving local authorities, other public sector organisations and registered social landlords, as well as commercial clients and the third sector.

Our team advises on a wide range of public law matters, spanning electoral law, procurement, construction, infrastructure, data protection and information law, planning and dispute resolution, to name a few key specialisms.

All public sector organisations have a route to instruct us through the various frameworks we are appointed to. To find out more about our services, please click here.

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OUR KEY LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONTACTS

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Peter CollinsPeter Collins

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Catherine NewmanCatherine Newman

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Rachel Murray-Smith

Rachel Murray-Smith

Partner

020 7406 4600

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