The High Court has ordered the Education Secretary to pay the costs of a judicial review brought by the Free Speech Union, after finding that the proceedings caused or significantly accelerated a change in the Government's position regarding free speech protections in higher education. In a costs order made by the Administrative Court, Mr C... 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
As the government pushes ahead with the biggest overhaul of local government in a generation, a growing list of councils, including Essex, Norfolk, Hampshire and Suffolk, are testing whether the courts will intervene. Our experts, Simon Kiely, Olivia Peake and Oliver Dickie go through what you need to know. Background In December 2024, the government... Read more
The NEC Annual Conference 2026, themed "Scaling Excellence in a New Age of Delivery", brought together public sector clients, project leaders and industry specialists to discuss the future of infrastructure and project delivery. Attended by Sharpe Pritchard's Rachel Murray-Smith, Helen Batter and Jane Crees, the conference explored the challenges and opportunities facing major programmes, from... Read more
Watch our webinar with procurement experts at Eunomia, where we dive deep into Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and its impact on the delivery of waste services. Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) proposes replacing England’s two-tier council system, where county and district councils share responsibilities, with single-tier unitary authorities. Timelines for implementation vary between areas, with some authorities... Read more
This session examines reforms relating to discrimination and workplace equality. We explore the enhanced employer duties around preventing sexual harassment, the introduction of gender pay gap and menopause action planning requirements, and the updated position on third‑party harassment. As part of this session we also cover changes to the use of NDAs and settlement agreements, along... Read more
