“To secure for the workers by hand or by brain the full fruits of their industry and the most equitable distribution thereof that may be possible upon the basis of the common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange, and the best obtainable system of popular administration and control of each industry or service”
When faced with the reality of huge cuts in public services and a retrenchment of the state from some of the services that are core to a community’s and individual’s wellbeing, here we find ourselves in 2015, searching once again for those solutions.
A key message from the recent report from the Warwick Commission “Enriching Britain: culture, creativity and growth” was “that the government
and the Cultural and Creative Industries need to take a united and coherent approach that guarantees equal access for everyone to a rich cultural
education and the opportunity to live a creative life. There are barriers and inequalities in Britain today that prevent this from being a universal human
right. This is bad for business and bad for society.”
Despite us knowing the importance of these services, facts posted on the Public Libraries News website indicates that since 1st April 2015: 9 libraries have been confirmed closed, 3 mobile libraries have been confirmed closed, 8 libraries have been passed to community groups and 47 static and 16 mobile libraries have been put under threat. This summer Historic England announced the listing of 8 libraries in a conscious effort to preserve the built environment of libraries. Meanwhile, some libraries have been asking for donations of books. These concurrent news items not only highlight the drive to protect our libraries, but also the ongoing challenges faced by those delivering the services.
We are presently working with a number of local authorities to help them arrive at innovative solutions for their library and cultural services. Our aim is to help them ensure that these vital services are not forever lost.
In doing so, we are able to provide advice in relation to:
We also work closely with Locality and have provided input into some of their recent reports on libraries, their asset transfer toolkit and produced a webinar on Legal Considerations for Library Transfers which can be accessed here.
If you would be interested in benefiting from our experience and arranging a workshop for your local authority to assess all of the above and other key issues relating to your leisure, library or cultural services please do not hesitate to contact Mark Cook, David Alcock or Tracy Giles.
On 23 July, trainees from Anthony Collins Solicitors will host an ‘experience day’, which will involve various activities and presentations, with lawyers and non-lawyers from across the firm.
In the second part of our series on contract management pitfalls, we look at the risks and opportunities presented by payment mechanisms in construction contracts.
Under most construction contracts, the contractor takes on the ground conditions risk. However, a recent case has demonstrated that the risk can fall on the employer.
The UK Government has been consulting on how it should promote social value in its procurements. Here is our response that we submitted to the consultation...
The Tenant Fees Act 2019 came into force on 1 June 2019.
A recent case in the Court of Appeal will no doubt bring a sigh of relief for employers, but a corresponding sigh of disappointment may be uttered for equality and gender balance in the workplace.
This briefing assists response to the consultation paper by outlining the consultation questions, providing some background information and prompting some thoughts and potential answers.
A report published on 29 May by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found that since 2009-10, local government spending on services has fallen on average by 21% in real terms.
A long-awaited decision of the Court of Appeal has clarified that a lower standard of proof should apply than previously thought before an Inquest can return a conclusion of suicide.
New regulations come into force on 1 June 2019, amending the Section 21 (s21) prescribed form template for use with assured shorthold tenancies.
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