News

Mar 11, 2026

Go beyond public sector equality duty to strengthen community cohesion, LGA tells councils

While councils have legal responsibilities to promote and maintain community cohesion as set out in the Public Sector Equality Duty, it cannot be reduced to compliance alone – “it has to be more than simply meeting a statutory duty”, the Local Government Association has said.

Mar 11, 2026

Administrative Court practice statement on opposed applications for extensions of time to apply to all London work except planning cases

The Judge in Charge of the Administrative Court has issued a practice statement on opposed applications for extensions of time that will apply from now on to all of the court’s work in London, except in Planning Court cases.

Mar 10, 2026

LGA publishes short guide to publicity during pre-election period

The Local Government Association has published a guide providing advice and guidance on the publicity restrictions that should be observed by local authorities during the pre-election period.

Mar 10, 2026

Campaigners call for reform to “strengthen, rather than dilute” legal foundations for children with SEND

A coalition of organisations led by ‘Save Our Children’s Rights’ has announced plans for a national demonstration calling on the Government to “protect and strengthen” the legal rights of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Mar 10, 2026

Council wrongly stopped allowance payments after agreeing to provide adoption support for two sisters for life, Ombudsman finds

An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found that although Luton Borough Council agreed to provide adoption support for life for two sisters, it wrongly stopped allowance payments for the eldest, and reduced payments for the younger sibling “without any notice or…

Mar 10, 2026

Charity Commission loses judicial review bid over Ombudsman plans to report failures to Parliament

A High Court judge has refused the Charity Commission for England and Wales permission to bring a judicial review challenge over reports issued by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) concerning its handling of safeguarding complaints.

Mar 10, 2026

City council to put £27m in reserves to cover potential equal pay claims

Coventry City Council is to put £27m into reserves over the next three years to cover the potential costs associated with equal pay claims lodged against the local authority.

Mar 10, 2026

Ombudsman warns on gap in Wales between number of people identifying as carers and those in receipt of formal needs assessments

Despite improvements in post-assessment communications and practical support for carers, a gap still remains between the number of people who identify as carers and those receiving formal needs assessments in Wales.

Mar 10, 2026

New platform to give care-experienced and adopted people better access to their records to be launched later in 2026

CoramBAAF and the Archives and Records Association (ARA) have announced a partnership to make it easier for adopted and care-experienced people to find and access records relating to their adoption and time in care.

Mar 10, 2026

Court of Appeal to hear dispute over closure of drop-in centre for adults with mental health difficulties

The Court of Appeal will this week (12 March) hear an appeal over the High Court’s dismissal of a judicial review challenge to the closure of a drop-in centre for adults with mental health difficulties.

Mar 10, 2026

Supreme Court to hear key case next week on homelessness and procedural rights

The Supreme Court will next week (17 March) consider whether a local authority’s duty to house homeless applicants under section 193 of the Housing Act 1996 ends by operation of law or whether the local authority is required to make a decision that the duty has ended.

Mar 09, 2026

Senedd nominates next Auditor General for Wales

The Senedd has nominated Catherine Mealing Jones, currently chief executive at Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, for appointment as the next Auditor General for Wales.

Mar 09, 2026

Schools and social care should be at front of queue for additional funding flowing to Wales following Spring Statement, say councils

Welsh council leaders have called for schools and social care to be “at the front of the queue” for any additional funding flowing to Wales following the UK Government’s Spring Statement.

Mar 09, 2026

Applicant for homelessness assistance lodges bid to take out-of-borough placement dispute to Supreme Court

A homeless applicant has lodged an application with the Supreme Court for permission to appeal in a dispute over an out of borough placement that was made available.

Mar 09, 2026

Council and Marine Management Organisation agree harbour revision order in part replacing 450-year-old law

A Harbour Revision Order (HRO) covering Bridport (West Bay), Lyme Regis, and Weymouth Harbours and in part replacing laws dating back to 1584 has been agreed by Dorset Council and the Marine Management Organisation.

Mar 09, 2026

Judge praises framework for post-adoption contact agreed in Family Court case

A "sea change" in thinking by a county council on post-adoption support services has enabled the parties in a case to agree a child focused contact framework, Ms Justice Harris said in a Family Court case.

Mar 09, 2026

County council sanctioned in dozens of SEND appeals, FoI request reveals

Surrey County Council was formally sanctioned by the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) tribunal in 38 cases between February and June 2025, stemming from missed administrative deadlines.

Mar 09, 2026

Croydon “hugely disappointed” at lack of further action from professional bodies after referrals, says Mayor

Croydon Council has reiterated its commitment to lobby the Government for stronger laws that would hold officers to account for misconduct in public office.

Mar 06, 2026

Councils accused of “letting rogue landlords off the hook” with low fine collection rates

Local authorities have been accused of “letting rogue landlords off the hook” after research by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) suggested that councils have collected just a quarter of the total fines issued.

Mar 06, 2026

Plans to help councils struggling to finance SEND support fail to take into account “burgeoning” home-to-school transport costs: MPs

A report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned that new plans designed to help local authorities struggling to finance support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) fail to take into account “burgeoning” home-to-school transport costs.

Mar 06, 2026

Adult social care system held together with “add-ons and work arounds, sticking plasters and glue”: Baroness Casey

The chair of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, Baroness Casey, has warned that social care has never had its own “creation moment”, and highlighted the need for a national conversation and six “immediate actions” from Government.

Mar 06, 2026

High Court quashes low traffic neighbourhood schemes made permanent by London borough

Traffic schemes brought in by the London Borough of Croydon were unlawful in that they were introduced for the illegitimate purpose of raising revenue, a High Court judge has ruled.

Mar 06, 2026

LLG holds elections for Deputy Vice President and Junior National Lead

LLG (Lawyers in Local Government) has launched elections for the roles of Deputy Vice President and Junior National Lead.

Mar 06, 2026

LGA calls for “urgent review” of fly-tipping sentencing guidelines, claiming court fines “undercut council penalties”

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called on the Government and the Sentencing Council to review sentencing guidelines for fly-tipping urgently, after new figures show that offenders prosecuted through the courts are often fined less than the penalties councils can issue directly.

Mar 06, 2026

Council fails in statutory review challenge over grant of planning permission by inspector on land at airfield

Wiltshire Council has lost a High Court challenge over a planning dispute at Old Sarum Airfield, where a listed building due to be renovated was damaged by an unexplained fire.

Mar 06, 2026

Minister signs into law regulations for commencement of new plan-making system

The Government has hailed “a major milestone for local plan-making in England” after the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, this week signed into law the regulations to commence the new plan-making system, provided for by the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.

Mar 05, 2026

Government launches independent antisemitism review into schools and colleges in England

The Government has this week (4 March) launched an independent review into how schools and colleges in England identify, respond to and prevent antisemitism.

Mar 05, 2026

Court of Appeal dismisses appeal by council in SEN case on basis it was “academic”

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a London borough concerning specialist educational provision for a disabled young person, ruling that the case was “academic”.

Mar 05, 2026

Minister orders external review at Slough after Commissioners suggest council is “plateauing”

The Minister for Local Government and Homelessness, Alison McGovern, has ordered an external review at Slough Borough Council amid claims that previous progress at the local authority has not been sustained.

Mar 05, 2026

Development of social homes by housing associations “fairly stable” despite ongoing pressures, says regulator

The development of new social homes “remains fairly stable” despite housing associations having to make trade-offs in their investment decisions, the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) has said.

Mar 05, 2026

Brothers with special educational needs left without speech and language therapy for more than a year due to council failings: Ombudsman

Brothers with special educational needs were left without the speech and language therapy they were legally entitled to for more than a year, because Buckinghamshire Council failed to make sure it was in place, an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.

Mar 05, 2026

Judge gives permission for challenge to dismissal by inspector of appeal over advertising discontinuance notice issued by council

Mrs Justice Lang has granted permission for judicial review on all grounds tabled against an inspector’s decision to dismiss an appeal concerning a discontinuance notice issued by Manchester City Council relating to multiple advertisement displays on a single site.

Mar 05, 2026

Report on planning in Wales calls for regional footprint of specialist legal teams

Wales’ four corporate joint committees (CJC) - regional bodies comprising local authorities - should assist large scale infrastructure projects on legal services, ecology, landscape and transport and explore the potential for standardised section 106 agreements.

Mar 05, 2026

Test challenge over ‘move-on’ period to see large numbers of refugees avoid street homelessness, says claimant legal team

A successful test challenge to Home Office policies and practices on the move-on period will see large numbers of newly recognised refugees avoid street homelessness.

Mar 04, 2026

Welsh Language Commissioner calls for compulsory Welsh language training for teachers, strengthened promotional standards that create duties for local authorities

The Welsh Language Commissioner has called on the next Welsh Government to act “intentionally and ambitiously” if it wants efforts to create more Welsh speakers and double the daily use of the language to succeed.

Mar 04, 2026

MPs warn of impact of local government reorganisation on transparency of government finances

The reliability of the Whole of Government Accounts (WGA) continues to be undermined by missing and unaudited data, principally from English local government bodies – and the Government’s reorganisation programme could hinder any progress, the Public Accounts Committee has warned.

Mar 04, 2026

High Court issues temporary injunction blocking sale by council of property where Hindu temple is based: report

A Hindu community has secured an injunction against Peterborough City Council over the local authority’s proposed sale of its freehold interest in the property where its temple is based, it has been reported.

Mar 04, 2026

Court of Appeal to hear challenge to transfer of care homes by council to private sector

The Court of Appeal will tomorrow (5 March) hear an appeal over the High Court’s rejection of a legal challenge against a decision by Kirklees Council to transfer the ownership of two specialist dementia care homes to a private provider.

Mar 04, 2026

High Court rejects local authority plan to remove three-year-old from long term foster carers to place for adoption alongside half-sister

The High Court has granted an adoption order in favour of long-term foster carers, rejecting a local authority’s plan to remove a three-year-old child (T) from the family she has known in order to place her for adoption alongside her half-sister.

Mar 04, 2026

District rules out further legal action after refusal of permission for challenge to housing of asylum seekers at army camp

Wealden District Council has decided not to pursue or support further legal action after the High Court’s recent refusal of permission for a judicial review over the Government’s plans to accommodate asylum seekers at Crowborough Army Camp.

Mar 03, 2026

High Court agrees car cruising injunctions should remain in Black Country and Birmingham

The High Court has backed the continuation of separate ‘car cruising’ injunctions covering Birmingham and most of the Black Country.

Mar 03, 2026

Court of Appeal to hear bid by council for permission to appeal ruling over use of hotel to accommodate asylum seekers

The Court of Appeal will this week (5 March) hear Epping Forest District Council’s bid for permission to appeal the High Court’s refusal to grant a final injunction that would block the Home Office from accommodating asylum seekers in the Bell Hotel in Epping.

Mar 03, 2026

Judges hear appeal over High Court ruling that Harrogate traffic regulation orders made by council were valid

The Court of Appeal is this week (3-4 March) hearing an appeal from a local property firm over a High Court ruling that four traffic regulation orders (TROs) made by North Yorkshire Council for Harrogate were valid.

Mar 03, 2026

Council to use public space protection orders to tackle car cruising rather than rely on Black Country-wide High Court injunctions

Dudley Council is to rely on a borough-wide public space protection order (PSPO) to tackle car cruising, and will no longer be part of the group of local authorities in the Black Country that apply for High Court injunctions.

Mar 03, 2026

Revised guidance on dealing with littering put on statutory footing

Government guidance on tackling littering has been revised and put on a statutory footing, “meaning local authorities now have a legal duty to follow it”, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has announced.

Jobs

www.publiclawjobs.co.uk

Jobs

Qualified Lawyer

Senior Solicitor - Property

Legal Officer

Director of Governance

Directory

Events