Local Government Lawyer

Reserve below-threshold contracts for UK or local suppliers under the 2026 Order

Juli Lau and Shyann Sheehy look into the impact of the Local Government (Exclusion of Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2026, and particularly how local authorities can now reserve below-threshold contracts for UK or local suppliers.
March 05, 2026
Reserve below-threshold contracts for UK or local suppliers under the 2026 Order

The powers of exclusion panels

On 5 March 2026, the High Court gave judgment in a case concerning two permanent exclusions. The judgment provides detailed consideration of several areas relating to the procedure and discretionary powers of exclusion panels, writes Ben Amunwa.
March 18, 2026
The powers of exclusion panels

Envoys warn Tower Hamlets’ “fragile” golden triangle must improve

Ministerial envoys have criticised the “fragile” state of Tower Hamlets’ golden triangle of statutory officers and called on its monitoring officer to "robustly challenge" senior officers in the lead-up to local elections.
March 18, 2026
Envoys warn Tower Hamlets’ “fragile” golden triangle must improve

News



Must read

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The Procurement Act 2023: One Year On -
How procurement processes are evolving

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Katherine Calder and Sarah Foster focus on changes to procurement
design at selection and tender stage in three key areas of change that
the Act introduced.
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Service charge recovery
and the Building Safety Act 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zoe McGovern, Sian Gibbon and Caroline Frampton set out
what local authorities need to consider when it comes to the
Building Safety Act 2022 and service charge recovery.

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Fix it fast: How “Awaab’s Law”
is forcing action

Eleanor Jones sets out
what "Awaab's Law"
will mean in practice
for social landlords.

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Housing management
in practice

Rebecca Rees provides
key takeaways on six key
challenges in housing
management including
how to tackle anti-
social behaviour.

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Why AI must power
the next wave
of Social Housing
delivery

 

 

For years, national housing policy has wrestled with the tension
between aspiration and delivery. Targets have been set and missed;
waiting lists have grown longer and the most vulnerable people
in our society have been left with fewer safe, affordable places to
call home. Technology has a key role to play to address this
situation writes Andrew Lloyd of Search Acumen.

News


Features

The Local Power Plan: Putting Clean Power in Communities’ Hands

March 18, 2026
Great British Energy and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero have unveiled the Local Power Plan — up to £1 billion in funding for what they describe as the UK’s “largest public investment in community energy”. Sophie Read explains the details.

The powers of exclusion panels

March 18, 2026
On 5 March 2026, the High Court gave judgment in a case concerning two permanent exclusions. The judgment provides detailed consideration of several areas relating to the procedure and discretionary powers of exclusion panels, writes Ben Amunwa.

Removal from kinship care

March 18, 2026
A Family Court judge recently decided that a local authority’s removal of a six-year-old boy from his aunt’s care was wrongful. Eleanor Howard explains why and looks at the judge's decision on naming the council and the professionals involved.

Features

The Procurement Act 2023: One Year On - How procurement processes are evolving

February 27, 2026
In co-ordination with its client webinar on 19 March 2026, DAC Beachcroft will share with Local Government Lawyer readers a series of articles reflecting on the first operational year of the Procurement Act 2023. The firm will take an honest look at what has changed in procurement practice, what challenges are being considered and what is working well.

To lot or not to lot?

February 13, 2026
Rebecca Rees and Jade Divers address a thorny procurement question.

Features

Gender-questioning children under draft KCSIE 2026

March 06, 2026
Miriam Carrion Benitez provides a safeguarding perspective on the important changes in the draft KCSIE 2026 concerning gender-questioning children and outlines steps schools should consider taking.

Book review: “Reforming lessons”

February 27, 2026
Geordie Cheetham and Satnam Virdi review “Reforming Lessons: Why English Schools Have Improved Since 2010 and How This Was Achieved” by Nick Gibb and Robert Peal.

Webinars

SPONSORED

Case study: using enforcement powers for the remediation of buildings

The Government has made funding available, up to £100,000 per building, for local authorities to obtain legal advice on pursuing those responsible for remediating buildings – the Remediation Enforcement Support Fund. (The closing date for local authorities to apply for funding is fast approaching and is currently set for midnight on 28 February 2026.) But how does a local authority effectively…

How Finders International Supports Council Officers

Councils across the UK face a growing number of complex cases involving deceased individuals with no known next of kin, unclaimed estates, and long-term empty properties. These situations demand not only legal precision but also sensitivity, efficiency, and resourcefulness.

Webinars

Leaving care provisions demystified!

Ann Osbourne and Alison Pryor discuss local authority duties under the Children Act 1989 and the Care Act 2014 – when the duties arise, what they encompass, human rights assessments, and the interface with the issues of immigration and homelessness.

Webinars

Public Sector Insights – Disability discrimination in education

Trish D’Souza, a Legal Director in the Education sector, and Jo Corbett-Simmons, a Legal Director in our Commercial Litigation team, delivered a session for schools, local authorities and academy trusts on Disability discrimination – how to recognise potential claims.

More Features

The convergence of DRS, Simpler Recycling and EPR

March 06, 2026
Kirstin Roberts looks at the need to rethink local authority waste systems in light of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), Simpler Recycling and packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).