In early November, local government lawyers will be assembling in Blackpool – not for the world famous illuminations, but to attend their annual governance conference. Many of the lawyers will be the monitoring officers (MO) for their authorities who are charged with advising members on issues of ethics and have responsibility for their authority's governance arrangements.

As well as providing an excellent opportunity to network and share good practice, the conference will highlight the many developments over the last year that have impacted upon the role of MOs and their legal departments.