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R (Greyhound Board of Great Britain Ltd) v Welsh Ministers [2026] EWHC 670 (Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The ruling reinforces the constitutional divide between the courts and the legislature. It explains that the scheme and framework of the Government of Wales Act 2006 (GWA 2006) embody that separation of powers, and that any judicial attempt to recognise and enforce a common law obligation on Welsh Ministers to consult prior to introducing legislation in the Senedd would trespass upon that boundary. This is not a departure from established principle; case law has already upheld comparable rules for lawmakers in Scotland and at Westminster. However, this is the first express confirmation of the position for Welsh lawmakers, and the first time this dimension of the GWA 2006 has been analysed in such depth. The court examined earlier
The solution arrived through the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC), a quasi‑judicial body handling mass claims, created under UN Security Council Resolution 687. By addressing environmental harm—most notably via its ‘F4’ claim class—the UNCC set a seminal benchmark shaping how international law and contemporary arbitral panels allocate financial responsibility for wartime ecological devastation. With present-day wars in areas such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East bringing dam breaches, strikes on chemical facilities, and the burning of farmland, the UNCC’s legacy endures as an essential reference point for states, global investors, and companies engaged in post‑conflict arbitration. The F4 claims: Quantifying the unquantifiable Prior to the 1990s, mechanisms in international law for war reparations overwhelmingly favoured property loss, foregone earnings, and bodily injury. The natural world was commonly treated as a mute, non-compensable victim of armed hostilities...
Understanding the farming business as a business Many farms still use long-standing structures that arose by habit, not strategy. Sole traders, informal partnerships and outdated partnership deeds are common. While once effective, such setups can cause major issues around succession, tax planning and involving the next generation. A corporate team can take a fresh, business-led view of the farm, asking: Who owns the land and other critical assets? Who manages daily operations? Who carries the risk and who enjoys the return? What is the enduring plan for succession? From this review, the team can confirm whether the current setup is fit for purpose or if an alternative — for example an updated partnership agreement, a company, a limited liability partnership, or a blended model — would better meet the family’s aims. Tax efficiency through joined-up advice Tax sits at the centre of most
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Technical guidance concerning England’s Local Growth Fund has been issued by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government ( MHCLG) for recipient Mayoral Strategic Authorities ( MSAs)......
The UK Home Office issued guidance on the intended application of facial age estimation ( FAE) for disputed-age asylum claims...
In this issue: Local government reorganisation ( LGR) Education Governance Social housing Children's social care Adult social care Pensions Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Local government reorganisation ( LGR) MHCLG outlines Surrey unitary transition and debt support framework plans bid The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ( MHCLG) has written to the Leaders Elect of East and West Surrey to offer congratulations and to outline what is expected for the shift to new unitary councils by 1 April 2027. Alison Mc Govern MP, Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness, said the reorganisation aims to build stronger local government, raise the quality of public services and underpin economic growth. She recognised that, although notable groundwork has already been undertaken, a substantial amount of further preparation is still needed. The...
R (on the application of AA) v Waltham Forest London Borough Council [2026] EWCA Civ 626 What was the background? This appeal addressed the extent of the obligation in HA 1996, s 189A to draw up a personalised housing plan for an applicant who was homeless. AA, a refugee with acknowledged mental health vulnerabilities, sought housing assistance from the London Borough of Waltham Forest under HA 1996, Pt VII. The authority accepted that it owed the main housing duty pursuant to HA 1996, s 193(2) and provided temporary accommodation. A dispute then arose as to whether appropriate long-term housing could include private rented sector accommodation (with adjustments if needed) or whether only social housing allocated under HA 1996, Pt VI would be suitable. AA’s personalised housing plan, prepared under HA 1996, s 189A, set out steps the authority would take to locate suitable private rented...
A summary of the latest updates from the Care Quality Commission ( CQC) highlights a home care provider judged inadequate, together with an NHS trust’s mental health crisis services and health-based places of safety assessed as requiring improvement. Services rated inadequate the CQC has judged Curant Care Maidstone in Kent inadequate and placed the service into special measures......
The Local Government Association ( LGA) has unveiled a fresh guide, ‘ Attracting investment for inclusive growth: A guide for councils’...
The Department for Education ( Df E) has issued a delivery plan for local partners, outlining the forthcoming phase of reform to children’s social care in England for 2026–29, building on the Keeping Children Safe, Helping Families Thrive policy paper and implementation of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026......
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government ( MHCLG) On 21 May 2026, MHCLG issued its response to the technical consultation on the draft Local Government Pension Scheme ( Pooling, Manag…). On the same day, the two final statutory instruments were published, laid before Parliament, and are due to take effect on 30 June 2026 - the Local Government Pension Scheme ( Pooling, Management and Investment of Funds) Regulations 2026, SI …, and the Local Government Pension Scheme ( Amendment) ( Governance) Regulations 2026, SI 2026/545 (together, the regulations). Notwithstanding commencement, LGPS administering authorities and asset pool companies are expected to meet the minimum asset pooling standards from 1 April 2026, with a minimum expectation that new shareholder agreements are signed by that date. In the meantime, the government said it would continue working with the sector to ensure compliance across all funds and...
In this issue: Local government reorganisation Public procurement Judicial review Education Social housing Adult social care Healthcare Governance Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Local government reorganisation House of Commons Library releases maps of planned unitary councils in England The House of Commons Library has issued briefing maps outlining new unitary authorities proposed by government across Essex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Norfolk and Suffolk. The briefing distils the proposals announced on 25 March 2026. See: LNB News 10/04/2026 4. District Councils’ Network rebrands as the Local Councils Network The District Councils’ Network has confirmed a rebrand as the Local Councils Network ( LCN). This shift reflects the restructuring of local government, under which district and county councils will be replaced by new unitary bodies. LCN will continue as a...
R (on the application of East Riding of Yorkshire Council) v Bowers [2026] UKUT 31 ( AAC) What are the practical implications of this case? First, Section F of an EHC Plan must be demonstrably tied to the child or young person ( CYP)’s identified needs. Labelling provision as generally ‘educational’ will not suffice; one must be able to trace a clear line from the needs listed in Section B to the specified provision in Section F. Practitioners should, accordingly, map each item in Section F to discrete needs in Section B and be ready to explain that correspondence. Second, provision aimed at areas of existing strength is open to challenge. Here, the UT concluded that the golf and gym elements addressed strengths recorded in Section B. Although developing a young person’s strengths can be valuable and educational, that does not, of itself, render such support...
R ( Greyhound Board of Great Britain Ltd) v Welsh Ministers [2026] EWHC 670 ( Admin) What are the practical implications of this case? The ruling reinforces the constitutional divide between the courts and the legislature. It explains that the scheme and framework of the Government of Wales Act 2006 ( GWA 2006) embody that separation of powers, and that any judicial attempt to recognise and enforce a common law obligation on Welsh Ministers to consult prior to introducing legislation in the Senedd would trespass upon that boundary. This is not a departure from established principle; case law has already upheld comparable rules for lawmakers in Scotland and at Westminster. However, this is the first express confirmation of the position for Welsh lawmakers, and the first time this dimension of the GWA 2006 has been analysed in such depth. The court examined earlier...
What are the practical implications of this case? The ruling chiefly affirms that the Eq A 2010, s 20 duty to make reasonable adjustments extends to disciplinary decisions and school behaviour policies. The UT held that this obligation covers the terms of a school’s behaviour policy and how it is applied, embracing sanctions up to permanent exclusion, and can oblige a school to take sensible measures to avert exclusion, by arranging alternative provision or choosing a milder penalty. Crucially, the drafting of behaviour policies and decision‑making about sanctions are captured, up to and including permanent exclusion, with reasonable steps potentially involving alternative provision or a reduced sanction. That approach departed from the narrower view the FTT had taken at case management. The appeal further addressed representation under the FTT Procedure Rules, for legally qualified and lay...
Munemo v The City of Wolverhampton Council [2026] EWCA Civ 329 What are the practical implications of this case? This ruling narrows and elucidates the framework on intentional homelessness where the loss of accommodation follows eviction for securing social housing by fraud. Practitioners should be alert to several consequences. First, Chishimba is limited to situations in which the applicant never enjoyed any lawful right to occupy the dwelling. The Court of Appeal emphasised that Ms Munemo, unlike Ms Chishimba, held a fully secure tenancy, terminable only by court order and surviving until execution. That point fundamentally changes the approach: even if the tenancy was procured through deceit, the occupier retained a legal entitlement to remain unless and until the court held it reasonable to order possession under ground 5. Second, the court restated the Denton principle from Denton v Southwark LBC [2007] EWCA Civ 623: when...
In this issue: Local government reorganisation Public procurement Social housing Education Children's social care Adult social care Governance Planning Licensing Healthcare Pensions Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Local government reorganisation Local government reorganisation ( LGR) explained The UK government is advancing a nationwide programme of local government reorganisation ( LGR), intended to replace two-tier arrangements with unitary councils and align structural change with wider devolution aims. This overview sets out core legislation, key resources and reference points on LGR, together with the latest legal developments, plus market insights from Amardeep Gill, partner at Trowers & Hamlins, Laura Hughes, partner at Browne Jacobson, Claire Ward, partner at Anthony Collins Solicitors, and Philip Mc Court, legal director at Bevan Brittan LLP. See News Analysis: Local government...
What is LGR? Government data indicates that roughly one third of England’s population—about 20 million people—live in areas run by a two-tier arrangement, with duties divided between county and district councils. According to the government, this set-up can introduce complexity: decision-making is spread across several bodies, services are delivered in a less integrated way, and effort is duplicated. It can also leave residents uncertain about who is responsible for local services. LGR describes the reorganisation of local authorities and may involve moving from a two-tier system (separate county and district councils with different remits) to a unitary model, where one authority undertakes all those functions. The government’s current LGR plans are closely connected to its devolution agenda, aligning council restructuring with the creation of combined authorities or combined county authorities, often with directly elected mayors. The objective is to rationalise current...
In this issue: Local government reorganisation Public procurement Planning Education Governance Social housing Healthcare Children's social care Adult social care Pensions Lex Talk®Local Government: a Lexis®Nexis community Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Local government reorganisation MHCLG publishes implementation letters for unitary local government reorganisation The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ( MHCLG) has issued implementation correspondence to council chief executives in Suffolk; Norfolk; Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton; and Essex, Southend-on- Sea and Thurrock. The letters outline precise expectations for delivering the agreed shift to unitary local government, setting out required actions for councils, funding provisions, and the forthcoming steps in the programme. See: LNB News 31/03/2026 17. If G insight paper examines mismatch between public service reform aims and...
What was the background? The claimant, Huda Ammori, a co-founder of Palestine Action, issued judicial review proceedings contesting the Home Secretary’s move to proscribe Palestine Action under section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Proscription followed the statutory scheme, concluding in the Terrorism Act 2000 ( Proscribed Organisations) ( Amendment) Order 2025, SI 2025/803, which criminalised membership of, and support for, the group. The claim targeted the decision to seek proscription rather than the Order itself. The permitted grounds comprised alleged procedural unfairness, failure to take into account relevant considerations, breach of the published policy governing the exercise of the proscription discretion, and incompatibility with Convention rights under Articles 10, 11 and 14 ECHR, contrary to section 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998. A prior issue was whether judicial review should be declined because of an alternative statutory remedy via the...
Titchfield Festival Theatre Ltd v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and another [2026] EWCA Civ 368 What was the background? Titchfield ran a theatre across three linked units ( Areas A, B and C). In 2023, Fareham Borough Council, as local planning authority, served an enforcement notice alleging an unauthorised material change of use to theatre use in Areas B and C, and associated engineering works. The notice required cessation of use and reinstatement works. Titchfield appealed under TCPA 1990, s 174. During the appeal it was agreed that, before the breach, Areas A and B had lawful theatre use, while Area C had lawful storage use. Titchfield’s case relied in part on a fallback under TCPA 1990, s 57(4), contending it was entitled to revert to those former uses and that steps required by the enforcement notice, on a ground (f)...
Barbican Quarter Organisation Ltd) v City of London Corp [2026] EWHC 687 ( Admin) What was the background? The claimant, Barbican Quarter Organisation Ltd, sought to overturn a planning permission issued by the City of London Corporation for the London Wall West scheme. A striking aspect was that the Corporation featured on both sides of the fence: it was the defendant as local planning authority, yet also the interested party as landowner and developer. That dual role meant the case raised a self-grant planning permission issue. The impugned decision was the permission dated 11 December 2024, following the authority’s 17 April 2024 resolution. The primary ground relied on regulation 64(2) of the Town and Country Planning ( Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017, SI 2017/571, which obliges an authority to put in place suitable administrative measures to secure functional separation where it is both promoter and...
In this issue: Local government reorganisation Public procurement Planning Social housing Adult social care Children’s social care Education Governance Local government finance Healthcare Highways Environmental law and climate change Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Local government reorganisation MHCLG publishes decisions on local government reorganisation The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government ( MHCLG) has issued an update letter confirming that no determination has yet been reached on proposals for local government reorganisation in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove, with further assessment ongoing before arrangements are finalised. MHCLG has also released consultation findings and letters confirming implementation in devolution priority areas to create: five unitary councils in Essex, Southend-on- Sea and Thurrock, five unitary councils (option 1A) in Hampshire, Isle of Wight,...
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When evaluating a general damages claim, the practitioner ought initially to refer to the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG)...
This Practice Note This Practice Note reviews mechanisms used in settling litigation. A Tomlin order consists of a consent order paired with a schedule. It operates to stay proceedings on terms that have been agreed. The provisions contained in the schedule may remain confidential. This Practice Note describes the scope of confidentiality attaching to the schedule and sets out how it differs from a standard consent order. Sample wording for a Tomlin order is included, alongside links to precedents, as well as guidance on court approval. It also addresses varying, setting aside and enforcing a Tomlin order, including the considerations the court will take into account when handling applications for each. Further guidance is provided on interpreting and applying the relevant provisions of the CPR; however, some courts and divisions impose very specific requirements for both drafting and approval, and for approaching the schedule and confidentiality issues. Accordingly, you must consider the particular rules and court guide provisions in the forum where your claim is proceeding when drawing up the Tomlin order...
Date [ date ] Parties [ name of Landlord ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Landlord) [ name of Tenant ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Tenant) [ [ name of Guarantor ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Guarantor) ] [ [ name of Mortgagee ] [ of OR incorporated in England and Wales (company registration number [ number ]) with its registered office at ] [ address ] (Mortgagee) ] Definitions Within this Deed, the terms below shall be interpreted as follows: [ Annual Rent • the annual sum reserved under the Lease; ] [ Insurance Rent • the Tenant’s share of the Landlord’s costs of insuring the Property (as set out in the Lease); ] Lease • the lease of the Property dated [ date ], entered into between (1) [ the Landlord OR [ name ...
I, [ name ], of [ address ], solemnly and sincerely state that: [ Matters to be verified, set out in numbered paragraphs ] I make this solemn statement in good conscience, believing it to be true, and pursuant to the provisions of the Statutory Declarations Act 1835. DECLARED at [ details ] this [ day ] day of [ month and year ] Before me ................................................................................ [ signature of the person before whom the declaration is made ] A [ commissioner for oaths OR [ solicitor OR [ insert other qualification ] ] authorised to administer oaths ]...
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