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Living Through Local Government Reorganisation

15 May 2026

Author: Tim Farr, Managing Partner What it feels like when the map changes, the organisation chart redraws, and you still have to answer the phone. When “reorganisation” stops being a headline At first, local government reorganisation (LGR) can feel like something happening externally: ministerial statements, consultation documents, acronyms, maps with new boundaries drawn in bold.... Read more

King’s Speech 2026 – Sharpe Pritchard’s Take

14 May 2026

The Government has revealed its legislative plans for the year ahead, with the King’s speech outlining a wide‑ranging programme of proposed laws, focused primarily on modernising public services, streamlining governance, and strengthening economic resilience. There are a number of Bills mentioned in the King’s Speech that will affect Sharpe Pritchard’s clients in the public and... Read more

Why Councils Are Adopting the Leisure “Agency Model” to Unlock VAT Efficiencies

13 May 2026

Author: Tim Farr, Managing Partner With budgets under pressure and leisure services still expected to deliver health, wellbeing and place-based outcomes, more local authorities are revisiting their operating models. One approach gaining momentum is the “agency model”, where the operator runs the facilities but does so as the council’s agent for specified customer-facing supplies—helping to... Read more

Local Elections 2026: What the Results Mean for Councils – and How Sharpe Pritchard Can Help

11 May 2026

Author: Tim Farr, Managing Partner The local elections this week have delivered a striking set of results: significant churn in council leadership, a clear trend towards multi‑party competition, and a growing number of authorities operating with no overall control. For council leaders, chief executives and monitoring officers, the politics is important—but the operational implications matter... Read more

Permission for Take Off: £205m Cardiff Airport Subsidy Authorised by the CAT

10 April 2026

Authors: Beatrice Wood, Sophie Read, and Oliver Slater This week saw the Competition Appeal Tribunal (“CAT”) hand down judgment in the case of Bristol Airport Limited v Welsh Ministers [2026] CAT 30. It’s a subsidy control case of particular interest, as it is the first to interrogate the level of detail required from the assessment... Read more
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