We discussed how they were using their resources to generate income, which service areas they were best at collaborating in and their experience/role in collaborative ventures.
Together we had a wide-ranging conversation that we have now captured in a findings report, '[media type="link" id=25]'. What is striking is the range of experiences that councils’ Legal Services have in their different parts of the country. Many of the challenges are shared, but the ways of dealing with them vary widely. At the one extreme, just doing the “day job” is a big hurdle, but for others there is a surprising degree of confidence and control over their resources. There were councils that showed that they knew exactly what they were doing and how to respond to these challenging times.
It is this intentionality that holds the key to continued quality service delivery of the legal function in local government. Strong leadership and effective management are essential qualities in senior legal officers and there is encouraging evidence that these continue to be available in councils.
It’s always interesting to look at co-working with others from different ends of a telescope, and there are some things that we have found really valuable when collaborating with our in-house colleagues, with reference to one project in particular.
For the last two years Staffordshire County Council have undertaken a process of creating a joint venture vehicle with the private sector to deliver education support services. The aim was also to deliver economic growth by creating an enterprise building on the council’s expertise and track record. Anthony Collins Solicitors was asked to join the wider project team (including KPMG) to help shape the procurement process and achieve a consensus on how to maintain maximum flexibility within the confines of a clear and consistent framework. In April 2012 the Council launched its OJEU Notice asking for investor partners. At the end of December 2012 the Council signed its joint venture with its chosen partner, Capita, with a view to commencing the partnering arrangement on 1st April 2013.
Working closely with our in-house colleagues effectively as a “unit” coordinated by Jean Evans, the Council’s Head of Legal Services, our role was to prepare and negotiate the legal documentation, guide the council through the procurement process especially in relation to the evaluation of bids and to help future gaze – anticipating and addressing legal concerns likely to develop down the line. We were able to make our contribution fully because the Council did several things really well:
Encouragingly, in these times when people can be full of gloom about the impossible, local government is still at the heart of shaping and delivering the possible. Of course there are plenty of hurdles still to be overcome, but positive engagement definitely can yield opportunity.
Collaboration will be the way forwards increasingly for public services to be sustained. It is a space for all of us to occupy and develop.
Mark Cook is a partner with Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP.
Recent data reports that the financial cost of clinical negligence claims runs to a total of £83bn, but what is the real cost of clinical negligence?
Would you know how to manage an escalating social media storm? Are you confident in your plans and policies for responding to, and managing, a prominent ‘scandal’ in your charity?
The Civil Partnership (Opposite-Sex Couples) Regulations 2019 were made on 5 November 2019 and came into force on 2 December 2019.
HMRC’s approach to underpayment of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) is getting tougher and shows no sign of abating.
HMRC’s approach to underpayment of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) is getting tougher and shows no sign of abating.
Now 2020 is here and we have welcomed in the new decade, it’s time to welcome in changes regards the contents of employee’s statement of particulars.
In December 2019, the Care Quality Commission brought its first prosecution against a local authority
The CIL was introduced under the Planning Act 2008 and the CIL Regulations 2010, which came into force in April 2010. CIL is a non-negotiable tax charged by local authorities on new developments.
The Court of Appeal’s recent decision is likely to be unwelcome news for any cash-strapped councils seeking to fund the costs of taxi enforcement through licence fees.
It is important that trustees are aware of the law relating to people who are transgender and those who identify as non-binary so that they can ensure compliance.
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