About Local Government Law
Local authorities are facing a period of unprecedented change and uncertainty. Lawyers are required to guide elected officials, council workers and the public through this process often with little support or guidance.
Social housing
This gold standard content set covers all aspects of social housing from homelessness, tenancy management, shared ownership and right to buy together with regulating housing provision.
Education
Education is central to the governments skills agenda to drive innovation and growth. Every aspect of education law is covered from early years foundation stage to further and higher education with a dedicated special educational needs topic.
Public procurement
Public bodies are subject to the provisions of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. We give full coverage of public contracts, from issues to consider before procurement, to dealing with contract award challenges.
Local authorities
Local authorities are facing unprecedented financial challenges, inevitable rationalisation and prioritisation of service provision. Lawyers are key in ensuring that difficult decisions are taken and implemented lawfully
Topics We Cover
Latest Local Government News
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Education (DfE) have announced that care leavers will receive free NHS...
A round-up of the latest news from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), including enforcement action against seven adult social care providers and two...
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has published a recent report from December 2025. This round-up covers highlights of the...
The Welsh Government has published the outcome of its consultation on the national strategy for preventing and responding to child sexual abuse in...
Practice Directions for the UK Supreme Court (UKSC) and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) were amended on 22 December 2025. The...
Latest Local Government Practice Notes
Contractual damages—general principlesThis Practice Note considers the general principles of recovering damages for contractual breach, starting with...
Interim injunctions—the American Cyanamid guidelinesThis Practice Note considers the American Cyanamid guidelines or test, used by the courts for the...
Injunctions—guiding principlesThis Practice Note considers when a court has the power to grant an injunction and explains the variations in forms of...
Introduction to the EU GDPR and UK GDPRThis Practice Note provides an introduction to both the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, Regulation...
Commercial development—VAT issuesThis Practice Note is about the VAT issues that arise in commercial developments. It first considers a...
Latest Local Government Precedents
Lease of whole—long at a premium of commercial premises [Archived]A new version of this lease has been published and is available here: Long lease of...
Assured Shorthold Tenancy (England)FORTHCOMING CHANGE: The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025. For guidance regarding...
Letter rejecting a bidder during dialogue phase—competitive dialogue procedure—pre-PA 2023 [Archived]ARCHIVED: This Precedent has been archived and is...
Letter rejecting a bidder following negotiation—competitive procedure with negotiation and innovation partnership procedure—pre-PA 2023...
Confidentiality agreement—one-way—pro-recipientThis Agreement is made on [date].Parties1[Insert name of party] [of [insert address] OR a company...
Latest Local Government Q&As
Featured Local Government content
What is the purposive approach to statutory interpretation?
Housing disrepair for local authority landlords—a practical guide
Housing disrepair for local authority landlords—a practical guideThis Practice Note discusses disrepair claims in relation to social housing, setting...
What are the grounds for judicial review?
Obstruction of highways
Obstruction of highwaysThe fundamental public right upon a highway is to pass and re-pass, and the obstruction of a highway is usually a criminal...
School land and premises
School land and premisesOwnership of school land and premisesThe ownership of school sites and playgrounds, school buildings and school playing fields...
If a person owns land which abuts a public highway are there any statutory or other provisions which deal with that landowners right to gain access onto the highway?
Structure of local government
Structure of local governmentCoronavirus (COVID-19): This Practice Note contains guidance on matters that have temporarily been altered to assist in...
Teachers and staff in maintained schools
Teachers and staff in maintained schoolsWho is the employer?The employer will depend upon the status of the school. The employer is:•the local...
Collaborative procurement in the public sector—a short introduction
Collaborative procurement in the public sector—a short introductionThis Practice Note is a short introduction to the legal considerations that arise...
The standstill period
The standstill periodWhat is the standstill period?When a contracting authority reaches its decision on the award of a public contract subject to the...
Maladministration—complaints
Maladministration—complaintsSection 23 of the Local Government Act 1974 (LGA 1974), creates the role of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman...
Arms length management organisations (ALMOs)
Arms length management organisations (ALMOs)An arms length management organisation (ALMO) is a not-for-profit company that provides housing services...
Abandoned vehicles
Abandoned vehiclesAbandoned vehicles offencesSection 2 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 (RD(A)A 1978) makes it a criminal offence to abandon,...
If a restrictive covenant is expressed to be made pursuant to section 33 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982, can a council as covenantee release a covenantor from the said restrictive covenant at any time using the usual standard deed of release of covenant?
Public procurement—private sector considerations
Public procurement—private sector considerationsPublic procurement is a buying process essentially similar to its private sector counterpart. However,...
Tattoos, sunbeds and minors
Tattoos, sunbeds and minorsTattooing of minorsIt is an offence to tattoo a person under the age of 18 except where the tattoo is performed for medical...
Use of consultants in public procurement
Use of consultants in public procurementThere are basically two types of consultants that are used in public procurement:•consultants with technical...
Highways, street works and statutory undertakers
Highways, street works and statutory undertakersStreet works at common lawAt common law it is a nuisance to interfere with the surface of a highway....
Associated legal terms
Code of conduct
The ethical standards framework governing the conduct of local authority members as laid down by the Localism Act 2011, s 27(1), (2), the Local Government Act 2000, Part III and the Local Authorities (Model Code of Conduct) Order 2007 (SI 2007/1159).
Mayor
There are two completely separate roles of mayor: (1) a person directly elected as mayor of the authority by the local government electors for the authority's area as one of the forms of local authority executive under the Local Government Act 2000, pt II; and (2) the person appointed under the Local Government Act 1972, s 3 as chairman of an authority that has been granted a Royal Charter conferring borough or city status.
Two-tier area
Under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 s.23(2), a two-tier area is either: a district for which there is a district council and in relation to which a county council has the functions of a county council; or a county for which there is a county council and in which there are districts, all of which have district councils.
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