Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

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authorities definition

What does authorities mean? Authorities are the legal sources a lawyer relies on to justify a proposition of law in submissions, skeleton arguments and judgments. The term is descriptive and widely used across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, rather than being defined by statute. Authorities typically include: primary legislation and subordinate legislation; binding appellate case law within the relevant jurisdiction; and, as persuasive material, decisions from other UK or foreign courts, tribunal rulings, EU and ECHR jurisprudence where applicable, and reputable academic commentary. In Scotland, the writings of the institutional writers (e.g. Stair, Erskine, Bell) may carry particular weight. Textbooks and...

Political balance: independent councillor on planning committees?

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Proportional representation of political groups

authorities and committees must apportion seats to mirror the proportional make-up of political groups. The issue is whether an independent member, meaning one not belonging to any party group, can be placed on the planning committee. The position depends in part on the facts and the Authority’s constitution, but where the authority is organised into political groups and no statutory exceptions apply, an independent would need to form a group with at least one other member to gain representation and thus a seat on the planning committee. In some authorities, several independents join to create an independent group, sometimes called ‘the independents’, and are therefore entitled to representation on the planning committee. This rule does not extend to area committees, and authorities may disapply it if unanimously approved alternative arrangements are adopted. This all proceeds on the basis that the authority is a ‘relevant authority’ as defined in section 21 and Schedule 1 to the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (LGHA 1989)...

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