Local access meaning

Coronavirus (COVID-19): This Archived Practice Note provides guidance on areas that were temporarily modified to aid the handling of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. For more detail, refer to Practice Notes: Local authority meetings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic [Archived], and Coronavirus (COVID-19)—governance tracker [Archived]. Elements of accessibility The table below outlines the position within a standard authority. Certain authorities extend further rights to councillors and to the public in some cases...

This Checklist This Checklist sets out essential, hands-on advice for criminal practitioners who need to take part in hearings held via live audio or live video links. Read it alongside the Practice Note: Practical guide to remote hearings in the criminal courts, which contains fuller step-by-step assistance on, for example, preparation in advance, technology considerations, and participation in the hearing itself through platforms including the dedicated Cloud Video Platform (CVP) and the Video Hearings Service (VHS). Be aware that VHS is not yet fully rolled out across England and Wales. It was withdrawn from service in July 2024 to resolve stability problems, and HM Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) has stated it plans to reinstate it after completing a scheduled handover to a new service provider. When back in use, local courts will notify users of the start of VHS hearings, and access details will arrive from an ‘HMCTS.reform.net’ email address. The Lord Chief Justice has issued guidance on advocates’ remote attendance in the Crown Court, and every practitioner...

How are section 278 and section 38 agreements revealed? Check the outcome of the local search and the seller’s replies to enquiries. A section 278 agreement will only be registrable as local land charges if: it has been entered into pursuant to an obligation in a s 106 agreement; or the highway authority (HA) has declared that there has been a financial default under the agreement. Section 278 agreements Section 278 agreements are used where a developer requires off-site work (other than simple access) to be carried out to a highway. The HA may design and construct the highway works at the developer’s expense. Alternatively, the agreement can appoint the developer as the HA’s agent to undertake the works, in which case a bond must support the agreement. If the developer carries out the works, a certificate of practical completion is issued once the HA engineer is satisfied that the works are complete. Following successful completion of a 12-month maintenance period,...

In this issue A review of key cases in 2025 Decision to prosecute and alternatives to prosecution Criminal procedure and evidence Proceeds of crime Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Local authority prosecutions Money laundering Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information A review of key cases in 2025 Headline corporate crime matters in 2025 included the UK Supreme Court overturning the convictions of two traders jailed for rate manipulation; the anti-fraud agency deploying a seldom‑used legal power to recover criminal cash; and the first conviction for sanctions breaches. See News Analysis: The biggest financial crime cases of 2025. Decision to prosecute and alternatives to prosecution SFO compliance guide highlights early remediation is key On 26 November 2025, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO)...

In this issue: Criminal procedure and evidence Proceeds of crime Appeal and judicial review Sentencing Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Cybercrime and data protection offences Environmental offences Financial services and pensions offences Food safety and hygiene offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Local authority prosecutions Money laundering International LexTalk®Corporate Crime: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Criminal procedure and evidence Court delays soar as backlogs break records Between April and June 2025, the criminal courts in England and Wales amassed an unprecedented caseload of almost 440,000, with incoming matters exceeding disposals and a system hampered by long-standing funding shortfalls. In response, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), together with The Rt Hon David Lammy MP, confirmed extra resources to accelerate outcomes for...

In this issue: King’s Speech 2024 Criminal procedure and evidence Sentencing Bribery, corruption, sanctions and export controls Cybercrime and data protection offences Environmental offences Food safety and hygiene offences Fraud, forgery, tax and theft offences Health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences Local authority prosecutions Corporate Crime in Scotland Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information King’s Speech 2024 King’s Speech 2024—criminal justice and law enforcement His Majesty the King outlined the government’s priorities and intended policies for the forthcoming parliamentary session at the State Opening of Parliament on 17 July 2024. As in November 2023, public safety was central to the address, and the new Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, pledged to clamp down on anti‑social behaviour, reclaim our streets and protect our borders. To achieve this, he set out plans to bolster policing and the criminal justice...

National policy 25-Year Environment Plan —the 25-Year Environment Plan outlines the government’s commitments to enhance the environment within a generation. The Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 (EIP 2023) for England was the first statutory update to the 25-Year Environment Plan under the Environment Act 2021 (EA 2021). On 1 December 2025, it was replaced by the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 (EIP 2025), now the current environmental improvement plan for EA 2021 purposes. EIP 2025 renews the long-term framework for achieving environmental outcomes, revises the interim targets in EIP 2023 and adds two new interim targets. EIP 2025 is pertinent to waste planning as part of the broader policy to improve resource efficiency and drive the move to a more circular economy, complementing the Resources and Waste Strategy and the Waste Management Plan for England (see below). Resources and Waste Strategy The Resources and Waste Strategy sets out how the government intends to conserve material resources by cutting waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a circular economy in...

The right to roam over open land shares traits with the ability to move from A to B that defines a public highway, yet it exists solely by statute. It is chiefly contained in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRWA 2000). Unlike highway rights, roaming requires no fixed origin or destination in either use or definition. CRWA 2000 was brought in to clarify and broaden the public’s right to walk across open countryside. The legislation’s assorted regulations and restrictions make plain that walking is allowed, while walkers must respect the rights of other countryside users. CRWA 2000 was brought in to clarify and broaden the public’s right to walk across open countryside. The legislation’s assorted regulations and restrictions make plain that walking is allowed, while walkers must respect the rights of other countryside users. Access land CRWA 2000 provides and defines access solely on access land. Many exceptions and restrictions apply to the right to roam on access land...

What is a design and access statement? A design and access statement (DAS) is a succinct document that accompanies particular applications for planning permission and for listed building consent. It sets out the thinking and design principles behind the scheme, and explains how matters of access to and within the development have been addressed. Regulations prescribe specific components that every DAS must contain. As a tool, DASs give applicants and their design teams a structure to show their dedication to high-quality design and to securing accessibility within their schemes. They describe why the proposal is an appropriate response to its site and surroundings, and to statutory duties and policy requirements. A carefully prepared DAS can support decisions by helping local planning authorities (LPAs) and consultees grasp the assessment that informed the scheme’s design. In principle, this should smooth negotiations and determinations, and raise the overall quality, sustainability and inclusivity of a project. They also offer a plain, jargon-free account of the proposal for local communities, access bodies, amenity groups...

2 Access to Local Government Pension Scheme The parties agree that, in accordance with the Best Value Direction [ and any revised Fair Deal Guidance that may apply ], Relevant Employees shall be permitted to remain members of the LGPS (or, in narrowly defined situations, a Broadly Comparable Pension Scheme) for as long as they continue to be [ wholly or mainly ] engaged in delivering the Services. Relevant Employees may enforce the provisions of this Schedule to the extent that such provisions are reflected within the Best Value Direction. ...

This Precedent sets out a practical illustration involving a fictional in-house legal team seeking to refine its contract drafting workflow. Applying the Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control (DMAIC) efficiency framework, several remedies have been surfaced, notably simplifying the workflow and reassessing document storage so internal clients need not ring administrative assistants to chase information, reducing delays and queries. This case study concentrates on putting that discrete change into practice and making it stick. The emphasis is on clarity and access to information within the drafting cycle. Stage: Questions/considerations • Case study scenario responses 1. Create a sense of urgency How will staff recognise the necessity for change? How will they grasp its significance? How will immediate and longer-term gains be made visible across the department? Communications should be clear and specific. Set out clearly: how the current contract drafting approach is straining budgets the effect the process is having now, and is expected to have, on supplier relationships in future how...

Re: [ description ] (the Property) Seller: [ name of Seller ] Buyer: [ name of Buyer ] 1 Extent of the Property 1.1 Boundaries 1.1.1 Kindly supply a plan of the Property identifying the ownership of every boundary. Where the title does not clearly evidence ownership, state who has previously maintained the boundary and set out any contributions made towards its upkeep. 1.1.2 Please confirm there are no inconsistencies in the title deeds concerning the Property’s boundaries and that the physical boundaries exactly match those shown in the deeds. If any discrepancy exists, provide full particulars. 1.1.3 Have any boundaries been moved or re-aligned by the Seller or by any earlier proprietor? 1.1.4 Is there any existing or anticipated liability relating to the maintenance of the boundaries? 1.1.5 If any part of the Property adjoins a river, ditch, or other watercourse, does the boundary sit on the near bank, the far bank, or along the centre of the bed? ...

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FIA 2000) and the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA 1998) are distinct regimes, save for the overlap raised here. They otherwise operate separately from one another as a rule. FIA 2000 contains various exemptions. Those exemptions mean the kind, character or even the presence of the information need not be revealed under FIA 2000. For this scenario, the pertinent carve-out is in FIA 2000, s 40, in particular FIA 2000, ss 40(1) and 40(5)(a). Where the material amounts to personal data and the data subject seeks disclosure via FIA 2000, the exemption applies in absolute terms...

For this Q&A, it is assumed that the lighting apparatus is intended to illuminate the highway, and that the local council is, in addition, the highway authority as well for these purposes...