Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Local authority definition

What does Local authority mean? In legal practice, a local authority is the elected council that provides local government for a defined area, exercising statutory functions including planning, housing, social care, education, highways, environmental health, licensing, and the collection of council tax or rates. The expression appears widely in legislation and case law; its precise scope is set by the relevant statute. England: county councils and district councils (including metropolitan boroughs), unitary authorities, London Boroughs and the Common Council of the City of London; parish and town councils are local authorities at the most local tier. Wales: unitary county and county borough councils. Scotland: the...

England: Local authority duties to looked-after children, including section 20, placements, care planning and corporate parenting under the Children Act 1989 and Children and Social Work Act 2017

Published by a LexisNexis Local Government expert

Practice notes

This Practice Note examines the obligations on a Local authority towards children in their care, encompassing those subject to care orders, interim care orders, as well as children accommodated voluntarily by the Authority pursuant to section 20 of the Children Act 1989 (ChA 1989). It explains the local authority’s duty to safeguard and promote a child’s welfare and to make such services available for children as are reasonable, particularly in relation to placing the child in suitable accommodation and preparing a care plan. Please note, the information in this Practice Note concerns the law as it currently stands in England. The position in Wales is addressed by the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and the related statutory instruments. For further reading on Wales, see Practice Notes: Local authority powers and duties to provide accommodation for children in Wales, Local authority duties to looked after children in Wales, and Local authority duties to children in Wales—child protection. This Practice Note has been developed to assist practitioners in navigating local authority duties to children looked after by them...

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Matthew Fletcher

1GC Family Law

Matt is a children’s law specialist and practises in Administrative Law and in the Court of Protection. He has appeared in all levels of court save for the Supreme Court. His practice spans all aspects of private law children’s proceedings with an interest in international and immigration issues. His public law practice specialises in the most serious cases often with complex international, jurisdictional or factual issues. He acts for and against local authorities in Administrative Court matters and in the Court of Protection on behalf of the Official Solicitor, family members and for the local authority. He is recommended in Chambers and Partners, is an advocacy trainer for Lincoln’s Inn and has written widely on family law matters....

Rebecca Davies

Field Court Chambers

Rebecca works across all areas of family law, including child abduction, relocation, matrimonial finance, and public and private children law. Before coming to the bar, Rebecca worked on death-row cases as an intern for the Gulf Region Advocacy Centre in Houston, Texas. She has worked in different jurisdictions, including as an intern in Vietnam, and a judicial marshall in Hong Kong.Rebecca enjoys travelling and watching all forms of sport, and loves to combine the two!...

Web page updated on 26/05/2026

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