SPOTLIGHT

A zero sum game?

The number of SEND tribunal cases is rising and the proportion of appeals ‘lost’ by local authorities is at a record high. Lottie Winson talks to education lawyers to understand the reasons why, and sets out the results of Local Government Lawyer’s exclusive survey.

Local Authority Insight Series - Climate Change

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR: What are the legal powers that local authorities can use to fight climate change and what legal obstacles do they face? Rachel McKoy, Stephen Cirell, Richard Honey QC and James Lupton consider the problems.

Local authorities are on the front line of the battle against climate change. According to Friends of the Earth there are more than thirty actions that local authorities could and should take to help the fight against climate change. These include reducing carbon emissions through housing policies, procurement, planning and transport policy, infrastructure improvements and by decarbonising constriction and regeneration activity.

But, in practice, what legal powers can local authorities use to put these plans into action and what legal obstacles do they face?

To address these questions, LexisNexis and Local Government Lawyer put together a panel of legal experts to explore four key aspects of local authorities’ roles in reducing the rate of climate change:

  • How local authorities can use their own assets to combat climate change.
  • The levers available to the local authorities and the potential impact of the Environment Bill
  • Using the planning system to combat (and deal with the consequences of) climate change.
  • Decarbonising infrastructure and regeneration projects

About the speakers

Rachel McKoy

Assistant Director of Governance & Monitoring Officer
London Borough of Hounslow.

Rachel is a specialist planning solicitor with significant commercial experience in all areas of planning, regeneration and local government law - dealing with large scale strategic schemes, estate regeneration, capital delivery and infrastructure projects.

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Stephen Cirell

Consultant,
Stephen Cirell Consultancy Ltd.

Stephen Cirell is a well known national expert on public sector climate change, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

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James Lupton

Senior Projects and Infrastructure Lawyer,
DWF

James is a senior projects and infrastructure lawyer, with over 15 years' experience in advising both public and private sector bodies on commercial arrangements, outsourcings, joint ventures, the procurement and delivery of major infrastructure projects and the legal issues that arise in concluding such transactions.

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Richard Honey QC

Barrister,
Francis Taylor Building

Richard Honey QC practises as a barrister in the fields of public law and environmental law, with particular specialisms in judicial review and similar statutory challenges, infrastructure projects, compulsory purchase and compensation, and climate change and ESG litigation.