With the opportunity to adopt new supplementary planning documents now over and a new National Planning Policy Framework in force, local planning authorities face a fundamentally changed landscape. In this article, James Goldthorpe, Rachel Lee and Emily Knowles from our planning team consider the implications for local planning authorities seeking to secure developer contributions through... Read more
With the NPPF 2026 now in force, the planning rulebook has shifted decisively. Rebecca Stewart takes a first look at what some of the changes mean for LPAs and developers. On 17 August, the Government published its much-anticipated new National Planning Policy Framework (“NPPF 2026”), introducing a suite of changes to national planning policy. Through... Read more
The CMA published its first periodic monitoring report on the UK's subsidy control regime at the end of June this year - a weighty 168 pages of it. Following that, BIST (the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) has now had the chance to digest the report and respond. Its verdict, in short: the... Read more
The Court of Appeal has dismissed Westminster City Council’s appeal in Westminster City Council v GEMS House Residences Chiltern Street Ltd and another [2026] EWCA Civ 937. Rebecca Stewart considers the implications of the recent decision. The case concerned 16 flats which had been secured as affordable housing under a section 106 agreement linked to planning... Read more
We have been thinking a lot recently about what local authorities need from their highways maintenance contracts, particularly after working with several authorities on the procurement of their long-term arrangements. Here, Partner Jane Crees breaks down what local authorities need to know. These contracts are the quiet work-horses of public life: they rarely get much... Read more
Council-owned companies, joint ventures and corporate vehicles can be easy to overlook during local government reorganisation. From wholly owned subsidiaries to housing companies and regeneration LLPs, councils should identify key legal and governance risks before vesting day to avoid problems later. Partner and expert, Peter Collins, explains all you need to know. Contents Why council-owned... Read more
Sharpe Pritchard has successfully represented a local authority in High Court proceedings concerning the closure of a nursery, securing the dismissal of a judicial review brought by a group of parents. The claim arose following the local authority's decision to agree to a proposal by the service provider to terminate its service contract early. The... Read more
