News & Events

Listed below are the national news items and national events.

Trustee vacancies - Lawcare
Publish date: 10/08/2020
LawCare are recruiting up to four new trustees to strengthen the board and develop work in supporting and promoting mental health and wellbeing in the legal community. It is an exciting time to join the LawCare board as the engagement about mental health in the legal community is significantly growing.
LLG Legal Training Looking For New Speakers
Publish date: 07/08/2020
Are you passionate about your area of law? Do you want to share your expertise with your colleagues and peers? Are you interested in advancing your online presentation skills, whilst also contributing to the professional development of your peers?
LLG Publish Guidance on the Annual Canvass and Data Sharing with the ERO
Publish date: 03/08/2020
LLG have produced the guidance with the cooperation of the Association of Electoral Administrators and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives for the purpose of assisting each organisation's memberships and their authorities with data sharing between any given department and the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) in respect of the Annual Canvass and the ERO’s duties generally.
LLG & ADSO Issue Joint Guidance on THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES AND POLICE AND CRIME PANELS (CORONAVIRUS) (FLEXIBILITY OF LOCAL AUTHORITY AND POLICE AND CRIME PANEL MEETINGS) (ENGLAND AND WALES) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS 2020
Publish date: 03/08/2020
The Secretary of State has issued the above revised regulations relating to the extension of the remote meeting provision to certain authorities – namely Mayoral Development Corporations, Transport for London, Urban Development Corporations and parish meetings. These Regulations: • extend the definition of ‘local authority’ under the Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 to those bodies • remove the existing requirements on them to hold annual meetings and • allow their meetings to be held remotely using video or telephone conferencing or by other remote means.
The LLG Grapevine Podcast - Week 12
Publish date: 28/07/2020
Talking Law in Local Government
LLG Contributes to New Guidance for Taxi Licensing
Publish date: 22/07/2020
The Department of Transport has this week (21st July 2020) published the long overdue Section 177 Guidance for Taxi Licensing, entitled ‘Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards’.
The LLG Grapevine Podcast - Week 11
Publish date: 21/07/2020
Talking Law in Local Government
LLG issue Joint Press Release with CIPFA & SOLACE on the Draft Model Code of Conduct
Publish date: 21/07/2020
LLG, CIPFA and SOLACE have jointly written to the Chief Executive of the Local Government Association (LGA), Mark Lloyd, to advise they will work together in response to the draft model code of conduct, currently open for consultation.
LLG seeks your views on the LGA's Draft Code of Conduct and other lobbying opportunities
Publish date: 16/07/2020
LLG is seeking your views on the LGA's Draft Code of Conduct and other lobbying opportunities and welcomes your response to the survey.
The LLG Grapevine Podcast - Week 10
Publish date: 15/07/2020
Talking Law in Local Government

Blog

14 August 2020

Publish date: 14/08/2020

Engagement with external stakeholders is a key theme of my presidency. Collaboration is at the heart of what we do at LLG. If we share our voice and listen to the views of others, trusting and working openly with those in the sector, seeking to find consensus and shared approaches, the proposals we form translate easily into successful outcomes.

Within local authorities, the lawyers work alongside the s151 officers and the finance team, the Chief Executives and the leadership team, and the democratic services officers. They talk to Parish and Town Council Clerks. They interact with councillors across the tiers.

So, at LLG it is imperative that we debate positions with SOLACE and CiPFA, ADSO, SLCC, the LGA and NALC to see things from every perspective. It turns out that what works best for the lawyer also benefits the democratic services officer – guidance for virtual meetings was an ideal example of this. What worries the lawyer also worries the s151 officer – they are just as concerned at Monitoring officers slipping down the management tiers in some local authorities as we are, not least because a similar problem is being seen with s151 officers.

For the development of our position on the draft Code of Conduct, we have spoken at length to SLCC and ADSO about the impact on local council meetings. Will the code be adopted at parish and town council level if it remains voluntary? Could training be mandatory? Will councillors be asked to sign the code? It goes without saying that there remains concern around the management of bullying and harassment at local council level, and there are questions being asked as to whether the Code goes far enough in that respect. Consequently, a priority for me as President is to push for wide adoption of the code to ensure consistency across all tiers. Otherwise there seems to be little point. Why have a model code that just sits in a drawer? Why continue with a system where dual or triple hatted councillors have different rules for different meetings? Why continue with a system where some councillors aren't trained, or may not even have read the code that binds them?

We debated governance issues with CiPFA and SOLACE, such as statutory protection for statutory officers – both CiPFA and SOLACE support cast iron protection. But most importantly, for every stakeholder, the issue is all about sanctions. It is a red flag for us all. We can hope for compliance, we can cross our fingers and hope for improved behaviour, but without sanctions, it's just a wish list.

As your President I will do all I can to secure consistency and adoption of the new Code, and proper sanctions.

Quentin Baker

LLG President