Legal
Council to spend £250,000 on leisure centre inquiry
Dumfries & Galloway Council’s £250,000 investigation into the failings of a sports and leisure centre is expected to start after a meeting next week.
Councils win right to challenge hospital downgrade
Four Oxfordshire councils have won a fresh hearing over plans to downgrade services at a local hospital.
Council left with £20m bill after legal battle
Cumbria CC has been landed with a £21m bill after a disastrous dispute with its former highways contractor, Amey.
Rotherham was alerted to taxi-CSE link - report
Rotherham MBC officers did not have ‘sufficient resources, systems or policies’ to adequately investigate concerns about taxi licensing, a report has found.
Rotherham officers 'missed opportunities' to uncover CSE
Senior officers at Rotherham MBC between 1997 and 2013 missed opportunities to uncover the scale of child sexual exploitation (CSE), a report examining their roles and performance has found.
Birmingham officers in warning over bin deal
A row is brewing between Birmingham City Council’s management and senior councillors over how to end the long-running industrial dispute with bin men.
Putting together a workable business plan
Rebecca Hazeldine outlines the key components in translating objectives and funding strategies into a workable business plan.
Councils urged to review homelessness procedures
Councils have been urged to ensure their homelessness procedures are ‘fit for purpose’ after faults were found with the treatment of a disabled woman.
Power of attorney system 'deeply flawed'
One of Britain’s foremost experts on safeguarding the elderly has warned that the power of attorney system is deeply flawed.
Authority denies abusing legal powers
A council has hit back at a government watchdog after being accused of abusing legal powers to halt the publication of complaints against it.
Council apologises for court order breach
Gloucestershire CC has apologised to the parents of a child after a judge ruled the council breached a court order when it took the youngster into care.
Council accused of abusing legal powers to gag complaints
A council has hit back at a government watchdog after being accused of abusing legal powers to halt the publication of complaints against it.
Councils win legal battle with health boards
Health boards in Wales ‘misinterpreted’ the law over who is responsible for paying for nurses to deliver social care in residential homes, a court has ruled.
LGA mounts legal challenge over excessive credit card fees
More than 100 councils have joined a fully-funded legal challenge against MasterCard and Visa amid claims the companies unlawfully charged excessive interchange fees on transactions.
Grenfell residents face 'slow and painful' journey for justice
Grieving residents and families could be left disappointed by ‘slow and painful’ legal processes in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy, local government lawyers have warned.
Growing pains
Diary will not rest until Chelsea FC are playing their home matches on a small patch of Astroturf inside the gardening section of Homebase.
A more volatile environment for senior managers
Sam Clayden reports on the alarming rise in dismissals and suspensions of chief executives and the fallout it creates.
Appeal granted over ‘unlawful’ boycott of Israel
The Government has received permission to appeal a court ruling that found its attempt to prevent councils boycotting Israel through their pension schemes was ‘unlawful’.
Council wins battle with sex shop chain over licensing
Westminster City Council has won a key victory in its five-year battle over the level of fees that councils can charge licenced premises.
Ombudsman report prompts fresh DoLS reform calls
Fresh calls have been made for urgent reforms to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) system after people were found waiting for proper assessments for years.