News & Events

Listed below are the national news items and national events.

LLG Brief: Virtual Meetings Call for Evidence - The Future of Local Authority Meeting Provision 23rd June 2021 at 12.00pm
Publish date: 15/06/2021
LLG are delighted to welcome LGA Chairman Cllr James Jamieson to speak about the LGA's vision for virtual meeting provision, the government's call for evidence and current position, together with the landscape of effective democratic engagement and participation moving forward. Hosted by LLG and joined by John Austin Chair of ADSO; the important relationship between lawyers, democratic services officers and councillors in governance and decision making will be examined through the collective call for virtual meeting provision.
Notice of Yorkshire and Humber Branch Meeting with Option of Break Out Sessions 24th June 2021 at 12.00pm – 1.30pm
Publish date: 15/06/2021
Join the Yorkshire and Humber Branch Meeting to hear from your Branch Officers Kelly Dawson and Rebecca Ware, with guest attendance from LLG’s President Quentin Baker and Head of Public Affairs Helen McGrath to update on all the National News. Also joining will be Trowers and Hamlins and Weightmans to lead on two break-out sessions. Due to pandemic restrictions, this meeting is open to all LLG members regardless of branch membership. Click to read more and to register.
LLG is Delighted to Announce the Appointment of a New Junior National Lead
Publish date: 15/06/2021
Following a competitive recruitment process, LLG are delighted to introduce Cobi Bonani as our new Junior National Lead for LLG. Cobi will work closely with our current Junior Director, Zabina Bi until her retirement at the October AGM, whereupon Cobi will be nominated for appointment as Junior Director. We will also be holding a further election in October for the appointment of another Junior National Lead. Please click to read more about Cobi and her professional journey to this point as we welcome her onboard.
LLG Webinar: Managing the Supervision of Trainees in a Remote Working Environment
Publish date: 09/06/2021
As we move into a world of hybrid working post-pandemic, with time split between office and home, the supervision of trainees needs careful thought and planning if we are to ensure a rich learning environment. So how does a trainee build relationships, soak up knowledge, and gain practical experience in this new world? How do they ask the quick questions when there is no colleague at the next desk? How do you best scrutinise work?
The LLG Grapevine - Week 48 Available Now
Publish date: 07/06/2021
Talking Law in Local Government
LLG Webinar: Statutory Officer Dismissals – Getting the Process Right
Publish date: 28/05/2021
In England, the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) Regulations 2001 (as amended by the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2015) provide additional protection for statutory officers (Heads of Paid Service, Monitoring officers and s151 Officers) against unwarranted political interference in their roles. These give additional protections which must be followed when disciplining or dismissing these officers. This is essential for anyone advising on the process to understand.
Helen McGrath Pays Tribute to Ian Spafford on behalf of LLG
Publish date: 26/05/2021
A tribute to the life and contribution Ian Spafford made to Solicitors in Local Government and LGG Training.
Guidance on Remote Meetings: What next for Local Authorities?
Publish date: 25/05/2021
Many questions have been raised following the High Court judgment in relation to the application for a declaration that current legislation permits remote meetings, which was brought by Hertfordshire County Council, LLG and ADSO. In particular, members have been concerned about the scope of the judgment, and what steps can be taken now that the Flexibility Regulations have come to an end whilst adhering to the restrictions and guidance currently in place due to the pandemic, and moving forward, if the roadmap becomes interrupted. Our 12 page guidance document produced in association with ADSO and David Kitson from Bevan Brittan is designed to help you navigate the options moving forward for your authority.
LLG AWARDS 2021 NOW OPEN- CLOSING DATE FOR NOMINATIONS 4th JUNE 2021
Publish date: 25/05/2021
Given the unprecedent year we have all faced, LLG are delighted to bring you the LLG Awards 2021 which will be held virtually on 15th July 2021 at 6.00pm. This year, the categories have been specifically developed to celebrate your outstanding achievement, resilience, leadership and agility throughout the pandemic, encapsulating the spirit and professionalism of lawyers in local government. The deadline for submissions is 4th June 2021. Best of Luck!
The LLG Grapevine - Week 46 Available Now
Publish date: 24/05/2021
Talking Law in Local Government

Blog

30 July 2021

Publish date: 30/07/2021

Following a glorious- perhaps too hot for some start to the summer recess, the weather has turned significantly, and the rain has taken on somewhat biblical proportions. I was horrified to watch the water level rise in London, and I know other regions have suffered substantially as well. Germany of course saw a catastrophic event with loss of life, and elsewhere (often unreported), mudslides cause horrendous loss of life and infrastructure damage. The Met Office this month reported on a new study published in the journal 'Climate Change' which found that "the higher level of global warming, the projected increase in frequency or severity or both will be stronger for hot weather, droughts and flooding in the UK". In turn this will cause problems for the health sector, transport, agriculture and energy. The report suggests that days exceeding 25 degrees could increase four-fold; rainfall leading to flooding could increase by 4 days per year, and the severity and duration of droughts (on the level seen in 2010) increasing by 146%. If you are wondering the role local authorities can play in tackling climate change, Friends of the Earth have published 33 individual actions authorities can take covering a broad range of areas including buildings, procurement and transport. LLG will continue to incorporate climate change training modules into our webinar offering and conference programme whilst our corporate partners hold a vast array of information in published articles held on their own websites which are definitely worth a read.

In other news, the Law Commission's 14^th Programme of Law Reform closes tomorrow which seeks to establish which new areas of law should be reviewed in their next programme with the aim of making the law fair, modern, simple and cost-effective. LLG capitalised on the ability to respond by making representations to both evoke a change in the law to extend statutory protections for monitoring officers in line with the Committee on Standards in Public Life's recommendation (number 22) way back in 2019 and seek to require a mandatory legal qualification to be held by a monitoring officer moving forward with the aim of raising the position of legal services within local authorities.

It's worth reminding ourselves here that the Caller report into failings at Liverpool City Council found that "the current delegations to the City Solicitor in the Officer Delegation Scheme are limited and do not reflect the significance of the role and its responsibilities or the work and activities that this officer and their team is, in fact and necessarily, undertaking" (para 8.9), that "Legal Services views were not always heard or were consciously ignored when raising valid concerns with other departments" (para 8.4). Further, "it was common practice for internal Legal Services to be presented with reports for "sign off" seemingly at the last possible moment with emphasis on the political support behind any proposal. This introduced unacceptable pressures on the internal team, impacting on the robustness of scrutiny, and increasing the reliance and trust placed (or potentially/occasionally misplaced) on the information provided by Officers submitting the report" (para 8.8).

The Law Commission report is expected within the first half of 2022.

Best wishes

Helen McGrath

Head of Public Affairs

Helen@llg.org.uk