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!!

News & Events

Free Webinar - Coronavirus and Business Rates: The Legal Implications, Risks and Opportunities
Event date: 04/06/2020
Free Webinar - COVID-19 Weekly Brief: Challenges and Complaints with the LGSCO
Event date: 10/06/2020
Free Webinar - COVID-19 Weekly Brief: Reopening Schools - Understanding Liabilities, Responsibilities, and Practicalities
Event date: 03/06/2020

Blog

22 May 2020

Publish date: 22/05/2020

With my 'other hat' on I attended a school governor's meeting yesterday evening to discuss the plans for reopening alongside the risk assessments, staff feedback and parental surveys which have been carried out over the last week. Many schools in my area have seen a marked increase in the number of key worker parents who now wish to send their children back to school, which is having a knock on effect on the availability of class rooms for the other returning years. At the time of writing this, more than 35 councils in England have stated not all of their primary schools will be ready to reopen on 1^st June.

The Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, made it clear at the last No 10 briefing that the 'governments intention is for England to move forward together' despite calls from the LGA to give local authorities powers to close or open schools in their area based on local information. That said, there is some indication that the government might consider different measures for 'micro-hotspots', so perhaps the LGA is having some effect on this. Certainly it is positive to note that government has switched from not wishing to comment on what action if might take against schools who refuse to open, to (as reported by the BBC) "listening to the concerns of parents and teachers about the plans to reopen schools". It is a small but nevertheless encouraging shift.

For local authorities, many questions are being asked about liabilities in respect of reopening. Whose decision ultimately is it in respect of maintained schools? Where does liability fall and what insurance arrangements need to be considered. LLG understand the LGA are instructing counsel on these matters and will be formulating guidance based on this before the return to school date. We will keep you updated on that but in the meanwhile, we are holding live webinar training together with VWV on education which you can register for at LLG Legal Training. We also have a planning webinar and social media webinar next week, both free to access and of course, our weekly and very chatty LLG Grapevine Podcast will be available for you to catch up on when you get back to work Tuesday morning. To access all on demand training on a vast array of subjects go to https://www.lawyersinlocalgovernment.org.uk/webinars

Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend

Best wishes

Helen McGrath

Head of Public Affairs

Helen@llg.org.uk