Local government in London

Bevan Brittan LLP

The local government team at Bevan Brittan LLP continues to act for local authorities all over the country, with offices across the UK giving the firm a strong national reach. The main work themes for the team this year have been the commercialisation agenda, growth and place agenda, governance, contract management, disputes and the response to climate change from local authorities. Virginia Cooper advises clients on powers and jurisdiction, as well as supporting them with investigations and judicial reviews, while Steven Smith leads on high profile local authority development work and Olivia Carter has defended a number of high profile judicial reviews and procurement challenges. The last year has seen the team grow with the arrivals of public & regulatory law expert Melanie Carter from Bates Wells, commercial specialist Ash Woodcock from Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP and pensions head Nigel Bolton from Freeths LLP.

Autres avocats clés:

Virginia Cooper; Steven Smith; Olivia Carter; Ash Woodcock; Melanie Carter

Les références

‘Very knowledgeable and a safe pair of hands on leases and easements for infrastructure.’

‘They have a unique understanding and specialism in loan facility/advice and contract drafting.’

‘Responsive to client requests and instructions.’

Principaux clients

London Borough of Newham

London Borough of Barnet

Hackney London Borough Council

Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council

London Borough of Brent

London Borough of Enfield

London Borough of Sutton

City of London Corporation

Royal Borough of Greenwich

Royal Holloway University of London

Hampshire County Council

Welsh Government

Cardiff Council

Birmingham City Council

Sheffield City Council

Public Sector Audit Appointments

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO)

Local Government Association on behalf of 52 Fire & Rescue Authorities

Portsmouth City Council

Kent County Council

Oxfordshire County Council

North Yorkshire County Council

Sunderland City Council

London Borough of Newham

London Borough of Barnet

Hackney London Borough Council

Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council

London Borough of Brent

London Borough of Enfield

London Borough of Sutton

City of London Corporation

Royal Borough of Greenwich

Royal Holloway University of London

Hampshire County Council

Welsh Government

Cardiff Council

Birmingham City Council

Sheffield City Council

Public Sector Audit Appointments

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO)

Local Government Association on behalf of 52 Fire & Rescue Authorities

Portsmouth City Council

Kent County Council

Oxfordshire County Council

North Yorkshire County Council

Sunderland City Council

London Borough of Newham

London Borough of Barnet

Hackney London Borough Council

Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council

London Borough of Brent

London Borough of Enfield

London Borough of Sutton

City of London Corporation

Royal Borough of Greenwich

Royal Holloway University of London

Hampshire County Council

Welsh Government

Cardiff Council

Birmingham City Council

Sheffield City Council

Public Sector Audit Appointments

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO)

Local Government Association on behalf of 52 Fire & Rescue Authorities

Portsmouth City Council

Kent County Council

Oxfordshire County Council

North Yorkshire County Council

Sunderland City Council

Principaux dossiers

  • Advising the City of London Corporation on its partnership with the Museum of London, for the £600m redevelopment of former Smithfield Market to provide a new, state-of-the-art facility for the Museum.
  • Advising the London Borough Newham on the establishment and funding of a wholly owned registered provider and separate housing company to facilitate the investment and development of housing in the borough as part of £1.5b in investment.
  • Advising the London Borough of Haringey on the delivery of its Decentralised Energy Network (DEN) programme.

Browne Jacobson LLP

Browne Jacobson LLP‘s local government team offers a broad range of services to local government clients, including corporate, regulatory, health and safety, data protection, real estate and tax. The firm also has a significant presence in the local authority housing and regeneration market, working on the two billion pound Central Winchester Regeneration project. Members of the team are involved in high profile, complex procurements and have strong credential in energy and sustainability. Peter Ware heads up the government sector of the firm with a particular specialism in commercial and procurement matters pertaining to local government. Consultant Stephen Matthew is highly experienced in advising public bodies on major procurements, development schemes and joint ventures, while Ros Foster has developed a strong regulatory practice. Craig Elder takes a leading role on major projects and procurements and providing advice in relation to PFIs and PPPs.

Responsables de la pratique:

Peter Ware

Autres avocats clés:

Ros Foster; Stephen Matthew; Anja Beriro; Craig Elder; Richard Barlow

Les références

‘The practice delivers on the promise of a well rounded team, mixing experience at different levels of tenure and over different specialties. They are able to bring to the team the scope to provide advice over significant project areas.’

‘Very approachable, able to deal with officers within a council at different experience levels – CEO, senior officers and junior in professional and not condescending way. They come over as authoritative.’

Principaux clients

Folkstone and Hythe District Council

Kent County Council

London Borough of Croydon

London Borough of Ealing

Watford Borough Council

Winchester City Council

Otterpool Park LLP

Chichester District Council

Surrey Heath Borough Council

Harlow District Council

Local Partnerships LLP

Barking & Dagenham Trading Partnerships

Herefordshire Council

London Borough of Enfield

London Borough of Tower Hamlets

London Borough of Sutton

Rushmoor Borough Council

West Sussex Property Development LLP

South London Waste Partnership

Elmbridge Borough Council

London Borough of Havering

City of Lincoln Council

London Borough of Bromley

Principaux dossiers

  • Advising Winchester City Council  in relation to the £150m Central Winchester Regeneration – an important mixed-use scheme covering 3.688 acres in the centre of Winchester.
  • Acted for the London Borough of Croydon (the Council) in a judicial review challenge to an alleged failure to provide suitable accommodation for a claimant with complex medical and housing needs in performance of the Council’s main housing duty under s.193 of the Housing Act 1996.
  • Continue to act for the Council on Otterpool Park, a flagship Garden Town project with an estimated gross development value of £2.8bn. This proposed new garden town in East Kent, to be developed on a 770 hectare site adjacent to the M20, has the long term potential to deliver up to 10,000 new homes, plus employment space that could support up to 8,000 jobs.

Pinsent Masons LLP

Pinsent Masons LLP's local government team includes lawyers from a range of different disciplines, including real estate, planning, regulatory, governance, disputes and information law, all of whom have a specific expertise in handling local government matters relating to those sectors. It is well regarded for its expertise in advising local authorities on development, regeneration and planning matters including CPOs. Notably, the team is advising the council for the London Borough of Wandsworth on their billion pound regeneration projects. This project is led by the team's national head Anne Bowden, who is involved in some of the biggest local authority led regeneration projects in the country. Scot Morrison is an expert in structuring public sector joint ventures and partnerships, while Didar Dhillon is highly experienced in energy and housing developments, as well as leading the Birmingham practice.

Responsables de la pratique:

Anne Bowden

Autres avocats clés:

Scot Morrison; Didar Dhillon; David Meecham

Les références

‘Strong expertise. Wide range of resources. Personable staff. Good service’

Principaux clients

London Borough of Wandsworth

London Borough of Lambeth

London Borough of Islington

Westminster City Council

London Borough of Brent

London Borough of Southwark

London Borough of Hounslow

London Borough of Redbridge

London Borough of Harrow

London Borough of Barnet

London Borough of Ealing

London Borough of Waltham Forest

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Leeds City Council

Birmingham City Council

Sunderland City Council

Manchester City Council

Oxford City Council

Principaux dossiers

  • Advising the London Borough of Wandsworth on their two largest Council estate regeneration projects, delivering 3500 homes with an end value of over £1bn.
  • Creating the structure for a groundbreaking public sector body – the Midlands Engine – to deliver nationally significant regeneration projects in the Midlands.
  • For Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, acting on two flagship projects – a brand new Peterborough University, and a new transport system, the Cambridge Autonomous Metro.

Trowers & Hamlins LLP

Trowers & Hamlins LLP advises a number of local authorities across the country on a wide array of matters, especially those relating to income generation, regeneration projects, housing developments and commercialisation matters. The team also advises on a range of pandemic related issues, including support on commercial arrangements, adjustments to long term regeneration projects and governance and sustainability. Notably, the firm was appointed as the sole legal advisor to Birmingham City Council on all matters related to the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Scott Dorling is the national head of the public sector group, leading on large scale regeneration projects and the establishment of new commercial vehicles. Consultant Helen Randall specialises in pathfinder transactions, joint ventures and PPPs, while Paul McDermott advises on high profile regenerations and housing projects. Associate Victoria Thornton advises on public sector commercial arrangements, including vires and State aid. Experienced public sector housing specialist Ian Doolittle continues to work with the team as a consultant.

Responsables de la pratique:

Scott Dorling

Autres avocats clés:

Amardeep Gill; Paul McDermott; Victoria Thornton; Helen Randall; Lucy Doran

Les références

‘Scott Dorling understands a lot of what we are trying to achieve and even if the right questions has not been asked Scott makes the effort to get to the heart of the issue and provide excellent and thorough advice.’

‘Paul McDermott: his practical suggestions based on experience are greatly appreciated by my team.

Henna Malik’s hard work and attention to detail when reviewing documentation are are greatly valued by my team.’

Principaux clients

Birmingham City Council

Urban Growth Company and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

London Borough of Hillingdon

Kent County Council

West Midlands Combined Authority

Warwickshire County Council

Bath & North East Somerset

Stoke on Trent City Council

Belfast City Council

Central Bedfordshire Council

Gravesham Borough Council and Rosherville Property Development Limited

Southwark Council

Westminster City Council

Gloucester City Council

Guildford Council

Bury Council

Wirral Council

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Principaux dossiers

  • Advise Birmingham City Council in its capacity as Host City for the Commonwealth Games, replacing an existing provider.
  • Working with HS2, Dept for Transport, the “Arden Cross” landowner consortium and public funders to develop the site.
  • Played a “trusted advisor” role for London Borough of Hillingdon across the built environment portfolio: appointed on an ongoing basis to providing strategic procurement, delivery and risk advice across Hillingdon’s portfolio of real estate, procurement and delivery transactions.

Ashfords LLP

The public sector team at Ashfords LLP features a wide range of specialists in employment, construction and infrastructure, planning, real estate, procurement and dispute resolution. Over recent years, the team has been busy assisting clients with their legal and financial obligations relating to the pandemic, and the subsequent lockdown and social distancing restrictions. Team leader Lucy Woods has extensive experience in procurement and local government matters, while Bristol-based Paul Butterworth focuses on major real estate regeneration and development projects. Robin De Wreede has recently joined from Davitt Jones Bould, bringing with him an expertise in handling real estate projects for public sector clients.

Responsables de la pratique:

Lucy Woods

Autres avocats clés:

Paul Butterworth; Robin De Wreede; David Richardson; Jessica Taylor

Les références

‘Collaboration is very clear – they work well on complex matters between teams. The people are excellent, personable and interested in our priorities.’

‘Robin de Wreede has been a particular pleasure to work with – he feels like an in house lawyer with his approach and grasp of local authority work. I should also mention David Richardson for his planning expertise and sheer speed of response to advise on a very individual complex matter.’

‘At all times they have been professional and a pleasure to be in a meeting with.’

Principaux clients

Wandsworth Borough Council and Richmond Upon Thames London Borough Council

London Borough of Newham

Watford Borough Council

Chichester District Council

Mendip District Council

Maidstone District Council

Cornwall Council

North Devon District Council

Devon County Council

Principaux dossiers

  • Advised Watford Borough Council on all property related matters across its Croxley Park estate.
  • For Wandsworth Borough Council and Richmond Upon Thames Borough Council, covering a wide range of legal specialisms, including Procurement and contracts; Planning; Residential; Employment; Commercial litigation and Dispute resolution; and Construction.
  • Advised Maidstone Borough Council in connection with a multi-million point leasehold acquisition of a multi-let office premises as an investment.

BDB Pitmans

BDB Pitmans advises a large number of local authorities on the authorisation of major new transport infrastructure, promoting major transport schemes across roads, railways, airports and harbours. The team is also highly experienced in the creation of new government entities like Midlands Connect and England's Economic Heartland. Practice head David Mundy is one of the firm's four parliamentary agents advising on local authority powers, public procurement and State aid. Nick Evans is highly experienced advising on public law and major infrastructure projects, while associate Rahul Bijlani is a leading expert on Clean Air Zones. Duncan O’Connor has recently joined the team from Pinsent Masons LLP.

Responsables de la pratique:

Mark Challis; David Mundy

Autres avocats clés:

Nick Evans; Duncan O’Connor; Tom Henderson; Rahul Bijlani

Les références

‘Duncan O’Connor is an excellent addition to BDB Pitmans’ team with a wealth of experience in infrastructure projects.’

‘BDB Pitmans are consistently thorough, dedicated and impressive.’

‘My work with Duncan O’Connor showed him to be an excellent solicitor. He has excellent interpersonal skills and works very hard but with a light touch. He is calm and measured and always looking for solutions.’

Principaux clients

Transport for Greater Manchester

Manchester City Council and other authorities affected by HS2

East Suffolk Council and Coastal Partnership East

Bristol City Council and North Somerset Council

Transport for London

Northumberland County Council

Oxfordshire County Council

Sheffield City Council

Bath and North East Somerset Council

London Luton Airport Limited

Trinity House

Principaux dossiers

  • Advising East Suffolk Council and Coastal Partnership East (made up of Great Yarmouth, North Norfolk and East Suffolk Councils) on their proposed Flood Risk Management Scheme for Lowestoft involving the installation of a tidal barrier across the mouth to Lowestoft Harbour.
  • Advising Manchester City Council, Leeds City Council, Trafford Council, Wigan Council, and the Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire Combined Authorities on all aspects of the High Speed 2 railway project.
  • Advising Transport for Greater Manchester on behalf of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and all 10 Greater Manchester local authorities on their Clean Air Plan, which will involve implementation of a single Clean Air Zone for the conurbations covering all 10 authorities, the biggest CAZ in the UK.

Burges Salmon LLP

Burges Salmon LLP‘s local government team provides full service advice to local government but is particularly adept at advising on energy related matters. The firm has a net-zero services team working for local governments, underscored by a strong renewable energy practice. Beyond net zero, the team also handles innovative matters like the outsourcing of children’s services and modern transport systems. Team leader Gary Soloman is an expert in handling the planning and compulsory purchase aspects of regeneration projects, as well as being an experienced planning inquiry advocate. Bristol-based John Houlden consistently advises on complex local authority matters.

Responsables de la pratique:

Gary Soloman

Autres avocats clés:

John Houlden; Matt Ramus; Emma Andrews; Amy Simpson; Sarah Sutherland

Les références

‘Excellent for heavyweight or commercial litigation in the local government sphere (e.g. pensions and procurement issues).’

Principaux clients

The Wales Pension Partnership

Birmingham City Council

Bristol City Council

Cornwall Council

Greater London Authority

Isle of Anglesey County Council

Kent County Council

London legacy Development Corporation

Northamptonshire Children’s Trust Limited

North Somerset Council

Slough Children First Limited

Stratford on Avon District Council

Torbay Council

West Northamptonshire

Principaux dossiers

  • Advising Bristol City Council on its ‘City Leap’ initiative, which has received national and international interest along with significant support from central government.
  • Advising the GLA and Transport for London on a series of major regeneration projects in the Royal Docks Opportunity Area, the Limmo and Beam Park developments in East London, alongside a number of smaller development projects across London.
  • Advising Isle of Anglesey County Council in relation to major energy and regeneration proposals in the area, including a tidal energy demonstration zone and in relation to the council’s port health authority requirements, resulting from Brexit.

Davitt Jones Bould

Specialist real estate firm Davitt Jones Bould's public sector team advises on a broad range of legal issues for local authorities, covering transactional, litigation, commercial and public law issues. The firm has also acted for the central government department in charge of local authorities and the ministry for Levelling Up on a number of regeneration projects. The firm's co-founder and senior partner Madeleine Davitt focuses on high profile land and development projects, while Malcolm Iley is an expert in public and government law. The last year has seen a raft of new names join the firm, including planning specialists Nigel Hewitson and Stephanie Hall from Gowling WLG and Manchester City Council respectively.

Responsables de la pratique:

Madeleine Davitt

Autres avocats clés:

Nigel Hewitson; Malcolm Iley; Yohanna Weber; John Qualtrough; Sean Bulman; Maeve Bonner; John Adam; Stephanie Hall

Les références

‘Nigel Hewitson is a real star. He is incredibly smart, understands local government, is fast in his response and a joy to work with. He is enormously useful to us as a local authority. He works brilliantly with officers and understands local government. He simply gets it! His work is exemplary.’

‘The team at DJB is very accessible and easy to work with. The level of client care, expertise, practical focus and advice is always structured in a way that is suitably adapted to the client’s business needs. Also, DJB is a high-quality firm. I have found their understanding of local authority issues to be sound and well-tailored to resolve issues that arise which are specific to local authority practice.’

‘I worked with Maeve Bonner and her advice and help was superb in helping the local authority deal with its property litigation cases.’

Principaux clients

Surrey County Council

Woking Borough Council

Brighton and Hove City Council

Runnymede Borough Council

Southampton City Council

Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP)

Bath and North East Somerset Council

Watford Borough Council

North Somerset Council

Wiltshire Council

Reading Borough Council

Chichester District Council

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council

Forest of Dean District Council

Craven District Council

Slough Borough Council

Surrey Heath Borough Council

Quorn Parish Council

Adur and Worthing Council

Bradford City Council

Test Valley Borough Council

Huntingdonshire District Council

Hertfordshire County Council

Principaux dossiers

  • Advised Woking Borough Council on the multi-million-pound regeneration of Sheerwater.
  • Advised a local authority on two investment acquisitions totalling over £250million.
  • Successfully overcame a Judicial Review challenge made against North Somerset Council and their development of a new special needs school.

Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP

Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP's government and infrastructure team regularly advises on transformational projects, procurements, regeneration developments, governance and collaborations between the private and public sectors. The firm's inquiries and investigations team has acted on major public inquiries involving local authorities and the procurement team advises on contentious and non-contentious matters across all major sectors. Huw Jones is the firm's head of local government and acts as the main employment lead on all public sector matters, advising extensively on TUPE and restructuring issues. Sarah Jones leads the public inquiries and investigations team, leading the team appointed as the commissioning body in the independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation on Telford.

Responsables de la pratique:

Huw Jones; Sarah Jones

Autres avocats clés:

Ian Baker; Michelle Moss; Matthew Storer

Les références

‘Working with the team at Eversheds has been a delight. They understand the scope and what is expected and provide the right guidance and support to ensure all requirements are met.’

‘Simply first class practical legal advice. Excellent customer service. Eversheds quickly understand the root of any problem and are really responsive in coming back to the client quickly with advice. The breadth of specialism within the firm means that no matter how obscure the issue raised by us, they had an expert on-hand who could tackle it. Seriously impressive.’

‘Professional, pleasant and customer focused staff, all with an incisive grasp of public sector legal matters. They are practical and down to earth in their focus and work hard to deliver quickly.’

Principaux clients

Housing Ombudsman

Thurrock Council

The London Borough of Barnet

Eastleigh Borough Council

The University of Manchester

Gloucestershire County Council

Freeths LLP

Freeths LLP's local authorities team is spread across a number of offices across the country, giving the team a national reach that allows them to act for local councils all over the UK. The team regularly provides strategic advice to councils on property issues, regulatory matters, property issues and city centre regeneration projects. Nathan Holden is the team leader, specialising in property projects and advising on investments, local authority powers and commercial contracts, as well as acting for local authorities in defending judicial review claims. Duncan Tringham leads the South West team as an advisor to local governments on real estate projects and public/private collaborations.

Responsables de la pratique:

Nathan Holden

Autres avocats clés:

Duncan Tringham; Dan Cuthbert; Philippa Dempster; Clive Pearce

Les références

‘The team I have worked with have always been extremely professional and explained legislation in a practical and easy to understand method. They have always collaborated with us to provide a good service. I have worked with several members of the team on various projects and have found everyone I have dealt with very helpful, knowledgeable, trustworthy and professional.’

‘The individuals I have worked with have gone the extra mile to support me in the issues we have faced; explaining processes at every stage and were available whenever necessary to discuss through issues. Dan Cuthbert, Duncan Tringham and Ella Carroll  have been extremely helpful and supportive in dealing with wayleaves, leases and tribunal issues.’

Principaux clients

Royal Borough of Greenwich

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Milton Keynes Development Partnership

Buckinghamshire Council

Cherwell District Council

Solihull MBC

Mansfield District Council

Enfield Council

Nottinghamshire County Council

Cambridge City Council

Leicester City Council

Derby City Council

Milton Keynes Council

Telford and Wrekin Council

Walsall Council

Kettering Borough Council

North West Leicestershire District Council

Broxtowe Borough Council

London Borough of Ealing

Lincoln City Council

West Northamptonshire Council

North East Lincolnshire Council

Nottinghamshire Police Authority

London Borough of Bromley

Kent County Council

Corby Borough Council

Merton London Borough Council

Hertfordshire County Council

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council

Nottingham City Council

East Northamptonshire District Council

Cheshire East Council

Rugby Borough Council

Huntingdonshire District Council

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council

Luton Borough Council

Rushcliffe Borough Council

North Lincolnshire Council

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Authority

Newark & Sherwood District Council

Oxford City Council

Worcestershire County Council

Central Bedfordshire Council

Harborough District Council

Bolsover District Council

High Peak Borough Council

Charnwood Borough Council

East Lindsey District Council

Leicestershire County Council

Old Bolsover Town Council

Rushmoor Borough Council

Shropshire Council

South Cambridgeshire District Council

Gloucestershire County Council

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Comb

York City Council

Principaux dossiers

  • Represented the London Borough of Havering in relation to the forward purchase/forward funding of an important residential development in Romford for £28 million.
  • Provided senior contract/procurement lawyer support to the Royal London Borough of Greenwich to both manage and supervise the in-house team and to deal with a wide range of commercial contract; procurement and local authority governance advice.
  • Advising the London Borough of Enfield on the roll out of fast fibre network infrastructure across the borough to provide connectivity to its portfolio of properties which include more than 10,000 tenanted homes.

Sharpe Pritchard LLP

Sharpe Pritchard LLP advises local councils on a range of matters including education, construction projects, procurement, administrative and public law, IT and electoral law. The team also has a strong track record in handling contentious matters for local government clients in the Court of Appeal. Public procurement is a particular specialty for the firm, providing specialist advice to clients on an array of complex procurement issues. Rob Hann leads the firm's local government team, having experience working for a number of local authorities and as leader of the development and roll-out of the local government PFI programme in England and Wales. Roseanne Serrelli is head of strategic projects and innovation with a special focus on procurement strategies and complex environmental infrastructure projects relating to energy, waste and sewage.

Responsables de la pratique:

Rob Hann

Autres avocats clés:

Emyr Thomas; Julia Rudin; Roseanne Serrelli; Justin Mendelle; Alastair Lewis

Les références

‘Sharpe Pritchard provides an excellent service in relation to electoral law, defending election petitions and advising returning officers and local authorities on issues relating to elections law and election petitions, which is a very niche area of law which is covered by very old statute law. Sharpe Pritchard provides an excellent service in relation to corporate governance and local government law.’

‘Emyr Thomas has an extensive and encyclopaedic knowledge of elections law and he is the go to person when a local authority / returning officer receives an election petition. Emyr will ensure that a returning officer will go through the legal process involved in defending an election petition with minimum fuss.’

‘Julia Rudin’s style is open and inviting and I have enjoyed working with her and Charlotte Smith, who does a lot of the drafting and close questioning, again ensuring the contract she is writing meets our needs. Our relationship with SP has continued to grow and I have to say that I trust her (and Charlotte) completely’

Principaux clients

Hertfordshire County Council

Cambridgeshire County Council

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

Milton Keynes Council

London Borough of Southwark

Gloucestershire County Council

Suffolk County Council

East Sussex County Council

London Borough of Wandsworth

Southend-on-Sea Borough Council

Cheshire East Council

London Borough of Lewisham

Buckinghamshire Council

Wakefield Council

London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

Derby City Council

Principaux dossiers

  • Acting for Hertfordshire County Council connection with various big-ticket projects, including in connection with its procurement of a master developer partner for its North Baldock Urban Expansion Project using the EU Competitive Dialogue procedure, a project valued at c.750 million.
  • Advised Cambridgeshire County Council in connection with the Swaffham Prior district heating scheme.
  • Acted for a number of local authorities, led by Barking and Dagenham in relation to the most significant ruling of the Court of Appeal on “persons unknown” injunctions for a number of years and has widespread ramifications on all types of injunction proceedings, including against protesters.

Weightmans LLP

Weightmans' local government team is known for its expertise in handling matters relating to public service transformation, devolution, regeneration projects and large employment projects. As well as a growing social care team, the team also works on investigations, commercial agreements and property transactions. Liverpool-based team leader Simon Goacher leads on a number of significant housing projects and frequently advises clients on governance and vires issues including independent reviews on sensitive and high profile issues. In Leeds, Stephen Johns' practice encompasses a range of sectors, with a particular expertise on PPP and PFI projects.

Responsables de la pratique:

Simon Goacher

Autres avocats clés:

Stephen Johns; Lee Gordon; Jane Marshall; Clive Beasdale; Vincent King; Peter Wake

Les références

‘Specialist understanding of local government law and procedure.’

‘Simon Goacher – sharp mind, helpful and constructive.’

‘Very experienced and local practice which has very dedicated and able lawyers who go the extra mile. they provide an excellent service.’

Principaux clients

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

West Yorkshire Combined Authority

York City Council

Liverpool City Council

LLG (Lawyers in Local Government)

Rutland County Council

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council

Rotherham MBC

EM Lawshare

North West Legal Consortium

St Helens Borough Council

Principaux dossiers

  • Acted on behalf of a local authority (LA) in two sets of proceedings before the Court of Protection, one relating to a husband and the other to his wife in a case where there is no previous authority on the issue of whether a single judge can determine the best interests of two connected persons
  • Acting for Liverpool City Council in relation to disputes with a tenant concerning delays and additional costs allegedly due under an agreement for lease and deed of variation in connection with the construction and occupation of a substantial facility in the Knowledge Quarter.
  • Advising Hertford County Council in the drafting and procurement of their £150m, five year Smart Highways framework.

Winckworth Sherwood LLP

Winckworth Sherwood LLP‘s local government team is at the forefront of a number of major local government projects and advises private sector organisations on high value joint ventures within the sector. The multi-disciplinary team contains specialists in real estate, planning, regeneration, procurement, parliamentary agency, infrastructure and finance. Practice leader Joanna Bussell is particularly adept at handling local government outsourcing projects and advises both central and local government agencies in regards to partnerships within the private and third sectors. As well as this, she is especially known for her experience with leisure and culture outsourcing projects. Simon Randall has over 40 years of experience advising local and central government agencies, with a particular expertise in housing issues.

Responsables de la pratique:

Joanna Bussell

Autres avocats clés:

Simon Randall; Colette McCormack

Les références

‘Joanna Bussell is the lead partner for us on local government matters. She is one of the leading practitioners in the field and has outstanding expertise and knowledge in this practice area. She is also able to call on her colleagues in other practice areas, such as HR and Property to provide a high quality all round service.’

‘Joanna Bussell is knowledgeable, helpful, precise and swift in all the work, and brings high quality, authoritative insight and advice. She also has a thorough understanding of other related fields, such as charity and not-for-profit, commercial, and other related sectors.’

‘The local government team are also leisure and culture charitable trust specialists. They have a national reputation for being the number one legal experts in the sector and have been for over 10 years. There broad range of experience means there has never been a scenario I have described to them they have not come up against before. From ad hoc informal advice to retendering and writing new and complex contract documentation they are the leaders in the field and I would only use them.’

Principaux clients

Braintree District Council, Council

East Sussex County Council

Epping Forest District

Chelmsford City Council

East Staffordshire District Council

Canterbury City Council

Lancaster City Council

London Borough of Ealing

London Borough of Hounslow

Lichfield District Council,

Slough Borough Council

East Staffordshire Borough Council

Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

East Suffolk Council

Suffolk Coastal Council

London Borough of Wandsworth

Waveney District Council,

Worthing Borough Council

London Borough of Hounslow

Braintree District Council, Council

East Sussex County Council

Epping Forest District

Chelmsford City Council

East Staffordshire District Council

Canterbury City Council

Lancaster City Council

London Borough of Ealing

London Borough of Hounslow

Lichfield District Council,

Slough Borough Council

East Staffordshire Borough Council

Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council

East Suffolk Council

Suffolk Coastal Council

London Borough of Wandsworth

Waveney District Council,

Worthing Borough Council

London Borough of Hounslow

Principaux dossiers

  • Appointed by Lancaster City Council to explore options to improve service delivery at Lancaster City Council’s flagship facility, Salt Ayre Leisure Centre.
  • Assisted Lichfield District Council implement a major redevelopment of its sports complex, including a ground-breaking approach to maximising VAT recovery in relation to capital works. The works included a state of art energy efficiency system.
  • Advised West Lancashire Borough Council on the design and build of two new leisure centres in West Lancashire. The two leisure centres are critical to the Council’s objectives to improve the health and wellbeing of the local community.

Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP

The dedicated local government team at Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP offers a full council service across governance, property, construction, regeneration, planning, litigation and employment. In particular, reorganisations are a growing area of importance for the firm. Matthew Gregson has recently taken over as team leader, advising on all aspects of employment law, especially senior level departures and disciplinary issues. Mark Cook advises on a range of joint ventures and income generation matters, while Sandy Munroe is highly experienced in land transactions and complex asset rationalisations.

Responsables de la pratique:

Matthew Gregson

Autres avocats clés:

Mark Cook; Sandy Munroe; Richard Brooks; Ramjeet Kandola; Douglas Mullen; Stuart Evans

Les références

‘Their experience in dealing with councils regarding governance and audit was extremely useful. They were able from experience to be able to advise what would work better for our council.’

‘Mark Cook was professional, and always met deadlines. He also gave practical advice not just the legal position.’

Principaux clients

Coventry City Council

Shropshire Council

Worcestershire County Council

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

Northamptonshire County Council / North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire Council

Leicester City Council

Borough Council of Kings Lynn & West Norfolk

Mid Devon District Council

Somerset County Council

Newark and Sherwood District Council

Principaux dossiers

  • Instructed by Somerset County Council in respect of the reorganisation of local government in Somerset
  • Acting on the procurement of Northamptonshire County Council / North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire Council’s £1.1bn highways asset management contract.
  • Provide a wide range of legal support to Coventry City Council including support in relation to infrastructure agreements to two large sites allocated in Eastern Green and Keresley for urban expansion.

Bates Wells

Bates Wells' local government practice is made up from a cross-departmental team that includes specialists in the fields of public sector mutuals, public law, procurement, State aid, employment and property. In particular, the firm does a significant amount work relating to external audits. Augustus Della-Porta is a charity and social enterprise lawyer with particular expertise in spinning out services from local authorities.

Responsables de la pratique:

Augustus Della-Porta

Autres avocats clés:

Erica Crump; Alistair Williams; Suhan Rajkumar

Principaux clients

Achieving for Children

National Audit Office

Audit Wales (formerly Wales Audit Office)

Grant Thornton

KPMG

Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd (PSAA)

Smaller Authorities Audit Appointments Ltd (SAAA)

Mazars LLP

Deloitte

Croxley Green Parish Council

Achieving for Children

National Audit Office

Audit Wales (formerly Wales Audit Office)

Grant Thornton

KPMG

Public Sector Audit Appointments Ltd (PSAA)

Smaller Authorities Audit Appointments Ltd (SAAA)

Mazars LLP

Deloitte

Croxley Green Parish Council

Principaux dossiers

  • Advised Achieving for Children on its governance and management.
  • Advised Grant Thornton on local government law and on its powers and duties as statutory auditor.
  • Appointed to the Audit Wales panel.

Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP

Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP's local government team is part of a wider national public sector offering that is particularly well known for its work in procurement, real estate, planning, regulatory work and complex litigation. The team also takes on a significant amount of work around energy and waste, with a strong presence in the heat networks sector, led by Charles Robson  from Bristol. In Newcastle, Iain Greenshields leads the firm's public sector group, with a diverse practice that encompasses waste projects, property development and leisure contracts. Meanwhile, London partner Martin Stacey leads the real estate practice and Jonathan Bower heads up planning and infrastructure from Bristol.

Responsables de la pratique:

Iain Greenshields

Autres avocats clés:

Martin Stacey; Jonathan Bewer; Charles Robson; Sarah White

Les références

‘Considerable expertise in infrastructure projects.’

Principaux clients

Hampshire County Council

Durham County Council (waste projects)

City of York Council

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council

South Tees Development Corporation

North Somerset Council & West of England Combined Authority

Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership

Lee Valley Regional Park Authority

Durham County Council (Milburngate project)

Sedgemoor District Council, Somerset West and Taunton Council, North Somerset Council & Somerset County Council

Fareham Borough Council

London Borough of Sutton

Tees Valley Combined Authority

Northumberland County Council

Newcastle City Council

Cleveland City Council

Hartlepool Borough Council

Sunderland City Council

Darlington Borough Council

Middlesbrough Council

Bristol City Council

Greater London Authority

South Gloucestershire Council

Kirklees Council

Portsmouth City Council

Broxbourne Borough Council

Hertfordshire County Council

London Borough of Lewisham

West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

Dover District Council

Folkestone and Hythe District Council

Somerset West and Taunton Council

City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council

Medway Council

Liverpool City Council

Plymouth City Council

Havant Borough Council

The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff

London Borough of Bromley Council

Watford Borough Council

North Somerset Council

Eastleigh Borough Council

London Borough of Brent

Copeland Borough Council

Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council

New Forest District Council

Sedgemoor District Council

South Hams District Council

Leeds City Council

Mole Valley District Council & Merton College

Three Rivers District Council

Worthing Borough Council

West Berkshire District Council

East Hampshire District Council

West Lancashire Borough Council

South Holland District Council

Eastbourne Borough Council

London Borough of Southwark

Gloucester City Council

Maldon District Council

Cheshire East Council

Guildford Borough Council

Sedgemoor District Council

Padstow Town Council

South Somerset District Council

Haringey Council

Westminster City Council

Oxford City Council

Worcestershire County Council

Hull City Council

North East Combined Authority

Staffordshire County Council

Isle of Wight Council

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Teignbridge District Council

Bath & North East Somerset Council

Broxbourne Borough Council

Medway Council & Medway Development Company Limited

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council

Barrow Borough Council

North East Lincolnshire Council

Cheltenham Borough Council

London Borough of Newham

Cumbria County Council

East Riding of Yorkshire Council

Herefordshire Council

Sedgemoor District Council and West Somerset Council

Sheffield City Council

Swindon Borough Council

Telford & Wrekin Council

Tewkesbury Borough Council

Thurrock Council

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council

Cambridgeshire County Council

Principaux dossiers

  • Appointed to advise on the procurement of a significant heat network project in Solihull town centre for Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council in order to help it achieve its net zero carbon targets.
  • Advising Lee Valley Regional Park Authority on their leisure operating contract in relation to the operation and maintenance of six leisure facilities. The contract includes several high profile facilities owned by the Authority including London 2012 Olympics facilities.
  • Advised the London Borough of Sutton on the promotion of a Compulsory Purchase Order to deliver highway improvements as part of the Beddington North Transport for London Major Scheme.