Alex Madden, Head of Planning and Environmental and a member of the Rail team at Hugh James, looks at the key considerations affecting local authorities involved in rail modernisation projects, such as the Western Gateway Rail Deal. On 28th of January, stakeholders from the private and public sectors gathered at law firm Hugh James’ office…
While councils in Wales generally know the scale of their funding gaps, they do not have longer term plans in place to address them, the Auditor General has warned. In a report, Financial sustainability of local government, Adrian Crompton said: “This leaves them vulnerable to short term decision making that may not represent value for money…
Eight out of 10 councils have said that current information sharing agreements between agencies cause delays in taking action against perpetrators of anti-social behaviour (ASB), according to a new report. The joint survey, commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) and charity Resolve, found that incidents of ASB are taking longer to tackle due to “inconsistent…
Welsh housing associations could face bills totalling £50m after a Divisional Court ruled that rents need not have been paid during a period in which landlords withheld electrical condition reports from tenants, known in Wales as contract holders. Law firm Winckworth Sherwood’s housing management team, which acted for the defendant tenants, said the case focused…
Councils told to favour wheeled bins due to injury risk The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has urged councils to consider the “whole range of powers” available to them when tackling waste disposal issues, after finding examples of councils taking an “overly zealous approach” to enforcement. Household waste offences take place when someone…
Councils in England and Wales are sitting on more than £8bn of infrastructure contributions, including over £6bn from section 106 agreements and almost £2bn raised through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), research by the Home Builders Federation (HBF) has claimed. The HBF, which based its findings on responses to Freedom of Information requests from 208…
The Education team at barristers’ chambers Civitas Law has launched a guide to Additional Learning Needs (ALN) law in Wales – offering legal guidance for parents, educators, local authorities, and legal professionals navigating what they describe as an “evolving legal landscape”. Titled the ‘Nodi Guide’, the publication mirrors the successful English ‘Noddy Guide’, authored by…
A survey of more than 500 victims of anti-social behaviour has found that 63% still face unresolved issues despite reporting their case to a responsible agency such as the police, local authority or housing association. The survey, carried out by the Victims’ Commissioner, also found that two in five cases have been ongoing for more…
Few of Wales’s 22 councils put service user perspective information at the core of their reporting and tend to focus on outputs rather than outcomes, the Auditor General for Wales has said. Adrian Crompton said it was consequently hard to see whether councils knew if they used public money well, and said he expected to…
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales has reported a 37% increase since 2019 in the number of new complaints received about public services and the behaviour of local councillors. In its annual report and accounts for 2023/24, the watchdog added that it had received 1,110 complaints about local councils, a 28% increase over the last five…
