The world of local government lawyers is a dynamic one. With the General Election only weeks away, monitoring officers will be making preparations for that election and in some authorities, local elections.

The ‘purdah’ period prior to the elections will commence at the end of this month, once Parliament is dissolved. It will impact upon the activities and publications of local authorities, restricting what decisions or policies can be made which will have significant impact and are politically contentious.

The Budget announcements of changes in the areas of property, planning and housing will present future legal issues about implementation and compliance while legal departments are still recovering from judicial review challenges on the financial cuts to services, particularly around the obligation to consult and when that arises, who should be consulted and which options should be included on the consultation.