Life on the Edge!

This week sees the launch of Sharpe Edge – the home of Sharpe Pritchard on Local Government Lawyer.

We have created Sharpe Edge for local authorities who are looking for ways to help their communities rebuild and regenerate following the devasting impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Sharpe Edge is fronted by me, Sharpe Pritchard’s Head of Local Government. I want Sharpe Edge to become the place to go when local authorities are considering how:

• they can navigate the complexities of the law to generate extra income from charging or trading;
• joint ventures or other partnerships to secure much needed investment might be structured;
• procurement of partners can be undertaken in the light of Brexit and the changes to procurement proposed by the recent Green Paper);
• legacy PFI schemes might be effectively and efficiently managed to full-term and what happens after they come to an end;
• local authorities can help the environment through progressing projects aimed at reducing C02 emissions and other climate change related initiatives;

There is no charge to access Sharpe Edge and to communicate with me. I am also inviting those who are interested to secure free on-line access to one of my law books A Guide to Local Authority Charging and Trading Powers which I hope will help trigger new ideas for generating extra income through charging or trading.

Over the course of my 35-year career in the law, I have been fortunate to work within several major local authorities (both as an employee and as a consultant), two national law firms and, for a significant period, I was head of legal at 4ps/local partnerships (a central body owned by the LGA and HM Treasury whose core objective was to help local authorities and other public bodies with major projects and programmes).  In my latter role, working at the centre of local government, I was privileged to see the sector from a different perspective. My main job then was to try to remove obstacles and barriers to public/private partnerships and to seek to standardise documentation and processes to help develop and deliver major projects. 

Our vision and ambition for Sharpe Edge is that, in time, the platform can become a conduit for best practice and/or for developing knowhow around some of the most difficult areas of the law to navigate, demystifying at least some of the traditional ‘wicked’ issues.

Sharpe Pritchard as a firm, has demonstrated deep commitment to the public sector and local government over the course of its long existence (100 years and counting). I was delighted when the firm invited me to join them to set up Sharpe Edge and to support me to launch Sharpe Edge and to provide the strength and depth of experience to this service which the firm brings.

The new Sharpe Edge platform is also the only place where local government lawyers can get e-access to my two law books: The Guide to Local Authority Charging and Trading Powers (‘LACAT’) and The Guide to Local Authority Companies and Partnerships (‘LACAP’).

Any local authority lawyer or officer can contact me directly to ask questions or else just have a virtual and informal ‘chat’ about issues and projects they might be thinking about or involved in. We hope Sharpe Edge will facilitate a two-way process where local authorities can feel able to pass on new approaches or ideas which might be of help to others doing similar things in the local government environment.

Rob Hann, Head of Local Government, Sharpe Pritchard.

020 7061 5953
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