LLG Awards 2018 Finalists Announced!

Publish date: 23/10/2018

Finalists in the LLG Awards 2018 are announced. Click to view the councils in with a chance of taking home a title on 9th November 2018 in London.

Governance Lawyer/Team of the Year

Emma Duncan, eastlaw

The City of Wolverhampton Legal Team

Litigation Lawyer/Team of the Year

Southampton & Fareham Legal Partnership, Litigation Team

Milton Keynes Council, Litigation Team

Kate Hiller, Warwickshire County Council

People Related Lawyer/Team of the Year

City & County of Swansea, Education Team

West Midlands Combined Authority, People Related Team

Warwickshire County Council, Young People's Legal Service

Milton Keynes Council, Legal (People) Team

Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, Children's Services (Community Law) Legal Team

Public/Private Partnership Lawyer/Team of the Year

Middlesbrough Borough Council, Legal Services Property Team

West Midlands Combined Authority, Legal Services

Gedling Borough Council, Legal Team

Milton Keynes Council, Contracts, Procurement and Governance Team.

Warwickshire County Council, Projects Team

Significant Contribution to Local Government Law and Practice

Jayne Francis-Ward, Retired Nottingham County Council

Paul Cummins, Milton Keynes Council

Dr Paul Feild, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham

Junior Lawyer of the Year

Samantha Amphlett, Warwickshire County Council

Naomi Rankin, nplaw

Nicola Morgan, Blackpool Borough Council

Tracey Sandel, West Midlands Combined Authority

Paige Ferris-Bedward, Milton Keynes Council

Local Government Legal Professional of the Year

Gary Dalton, Warwickshire County Council

Meurig Tiley, Milton Keynes Council

Suzan Yildiz, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham

Emma Duncan, eastlaw

Local Government Legal Team of the Year

eastlaw, North Norfolk District Council

Southampton & Fareham Legal Services Partnership

West Midlands Combined Authority

Milton Keynes Council

nplaw, Compulsory Purchase Order Team, Norfolk County Council

City of Wolverhampton Legal Team

Commercial Law Team, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors for making the LLG Awards 2018 happen!!

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Blog

17 May 2019

Publish date: 17/05/2019

What do I need to know about the Environment Bill?

The first significant piece of new environmental legislation since the Environmental Protection Act 1990 is due to come into force before the end of 2020. The first draft of the full Bill is set to be published shortly. It is set to have a number of significant impacts on local authorities.

The Bill will put environmental principles such as the polluter pays principle on a statutory footing. Local authorities will need to account for these principles in their decision making processes. Draft guidance explaining the role of the principles and how they should be accounted for is to be published for consultation shortly.

The Bill will create the Office for Environmental Protection. The OEP will take on the oversight role previously fulfilled by the European Commission and the European Environment Agency. The OEP will be able to scrutinise the decisions of local authorities in terms of their compliance with environmental law and will be able to hold local authorities to account; either by bringing judicial review claims if appropriate, and/or possibly being able to seek injunctions to prevent any such breaches.

The Bill will also bring forward new frameworks in relation to:

Waste and resources - it will seek to drive a more circular economy approach and will include extended producer responsibility obligations.

Air quality – it will create a new national framework to improve air quality and provide local authorities with greater enforcement powers.

Natural capital – it will reinforce the requirements to avoid habitat loss and introduce a trading system whereby any impacts that cannot be offset must be paid for.

Water – it will introduce a new framework to ensure the preservation of water resources, but also to ensure the sustainable handling of waste water.

The Bill will undoubtedly have a significant impact on local authorities and the way they operate. Ensure you follow the progress of the full Bill once published so you can prepare for the impacts it will have on you.

Simon Colvin

Partner

Weightmans

LLG Corporate Partner