Legal
Tory-led council given green light to take legal action against Government
Medway Council has been given permission to take legal action against the Government over its refusal to take on any more unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Lawyers to probe ejection of councillors
Harborough DC’s interim chief executive has asked lawyers to review whether the council followed its own constitution correctly when ejecting councillors from the public gallery.
Northumberland chief to step down
The chief executive of Northumberland Council is set to step down on ill health grounds, just weeks after a corporate governance review called for her to go.
EXCLUSIVE: Employers warn against local pay deals
Councils have been warned against undermining the ‘fundamental integrity’ of national talks by agreeing local deals as pressure grows on pay.
Council beset by ‘deep rooted cultural issues’
A local authority has been threatened with statutory recommendations by its external auditor.
Interim chief for troubled Thanet
Canterbury City Council’s former top officer Colin Carmichael has been appointed interim chief executive at troubled Thanet DC.
Preparing for the new social housing regulation
Changes to the way social housing is regulated are coming. Local authorities need to get on the front foot, says Kate Dodsworth
Ombudsman raises role change fears
Questions remain about the future of the Local Government Ombudsman’s long-standing role in the redress system for children with special educational needs and disability (SEND).
EXCLUSIVE: Chiefs make offer to Whitehall amid rising pressures
Council chiefs have offered to co-produce detailed data to persuade the Treasury to ease the mounting pressures facing local government, The MJ understands.
Are MPs right to call for a resignation?
After the education committee asked two chief executives if they considered resigning over child deaths, lawyer Mark Greenburgh looks at the implications of MPs holding officers to account
Ministers savaged as Grenfell Inquiry draws to close
Lawyers representing the bereaved, survivors and residents have used their final submissions to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry to savage former ministers.
Adult social care inspections ahead
Whitehall officials are drawing up a controversial adult social care inspections system after the passing of a new law.
Liverpool failing to improve fast enough
Liverpool City Council is failing to improve fast enough, prompting fears the beleaguered authority will face further intervention.
Call for council to publish legal report into chief's 'political' tweet
Opposition Conservative councillors have called on Tameside MBC to publish a top lawyer’s report commissioned after then-chief executive Steven Pleasant posted a ‘political’ tweet.
Union questions Government severance pay guidance
Government advice that councils should reduce severance payments to bring them into line with the private sector is not based on any real evidence, according to the trade union for local authority chief executives.
Standing up for the Kadens
The tragic story of Kaden Reddick and the court case that followed his death is a sad one. But as Reading Council's Katie Heath explains, it provides a strong example of how local authorities have a moral duty to ensure and uphold health and safety.
'Serious breakdown' in senior relationships, report reveals
A scathing review of executive cultures at Thanet DC has concluded that relationships between senior figures have been dysfunctional – at huge cost to local taxpayers.
Government to strengthen community role in planning
The Government has made clear it intends to strengthen the role of communities in new planning legislation.
Northumberland issues s114 over unlawful finances
Northumberland Council has issued a section 114 notice for unlawful expenditure – including allowances paid to its chief executive Daljit Lally.
Call to deploy legal advisers in council offices
Legal advisers should be deployed in council offices and other public locations to provide access to civil justice, a think-tank has argued.