Removing a mentally incapable trustee
All individuals are presumed to have the mental capacity to make their own decisions unless proved otherwise. An assessment of capacity is matter specific, with reference to the Mental Capacity […]
Top-up troubles – providing a genuine alternative where social care costs increase
The complaint The individual (Ms C) was placed in residential care before the Care Act 2014 came into force, and her relatives agreed to pay a £50 weekly top-up fee […]
The end of the Golden Era: The Regulation of Social Housing (Influence of Local Authorities) (England) Regulations 2017
These regulations are part of a suite of measures introduced over the last 12 months to reverse the Office of National Statistics’ decision to reclassify housing associations as ‘public non-financial […]
Food, glorious food: how to get more for the pound
I am looking forward to the next piece it runs on “Category management: a simple guide for our readers”. And so it was that the Department for Environment, Food and […]
Tackling Teckal decisively (1)
The ‘Teckal test’ was best summarised as a two part test: the ‘control test’: the parent must exercise over the subsidiary a control that is equivalent to the control it […]
Changes to the right to buy, the preserved right to buy and the right to acquire (England only)
Following the changes to the right to buy (and applicable to the preserved right to buy) on 21 July 2014), the following increase to the maximum discount has taken place: […]
Delivering the Standards – a collective staff effort
There is no doubt that the new Regulatory Framework places greater responsibility on boards, expecting them to think strategically and to scrutinise the RP’s performance, compliance with standards and adherence […]
2016 – time for a new economy?
Last year Assemble, an architecture collective, and Granby 4 Streets Community Land Trust, a client that we had worked with on the transfer of properties from Liverpool City Council, won […]
Birmingham Conversation: Faith and The Arts
Those involved explored questions including: Can art be a positive influence on interfaith dialogue? How can art create new spaces for conversations between people of different faiths? How can an […]
Register of people with significant control (‘PSC Registers’): guidance for local authorities and their companies
What do we need to do now? The legislation imposes obligations on the company that is required to maintain a PSC Register, rather than on any person or entity that […]
Contracting authorities should ignore incorrect PPN guidance that all contracts valued over £25,000 should be advertised in Contracts Finder
Crown Commercial Service (“CCS”) Public Procurement Action Note (“PPN”) 07/16 says that: “Contracting authorities must ensure that any procurement opportunities and contract awards above certain low value thresholds are published […]
Trading – can you avoid the tensions?
This “independence” tension can be caused by different personalities, misunderstandings or a lack of constant or consistent communication, particularly about the authority’s expectations. Strangely, this tension also manifests itself with […]