Recent years have seen local authorities struggle to come to terms with a wide range of changes to policy affecting corporate governance and standards including further proposed changes to the members' code of conduct and the introduction of an employee's code of conduct.
All these changes require a breadth of corporate governance expertise to enable members and officers to take on these new responsibilities and to learn how to operate new systems in a manner which protects their authorities from the threat of judicial challenge.
Bevan Brittan is recognised as the clear market leader on vires, governance and standards issues in local government. The team, lead by Peter Keith-Lucas and Bethan Evans, have undertaken some of the most high profile standards investigations in recent years including accusations of alleged misconduct by Mayors Livingstone and Johnson and racist conduct by BNP councillors in the West Midlands. In addition to standards investigations, our team undertakes extensive training for councillors and officers on conduct and governance issues.
Our wider local government team includes colleagues with skills in areas such as employment, property, pensions, finance and insurance to enable us to provide a complete service providing practical answers and recommendations, rather than merely listing the problems.
We can provide advice and support on:
- corporate governance reviews of Council and Executive procedures and processes to improve the efficiency and accountability of decision-making
- development and drafting of local protocols and procedures on such issues as gifts and hospitality, conflicts of interest and the conduct of local initial assessment and hearings
- investigation and advice on corporate dysfunction
- reviewing and advising on the validity of decisions affected by alleged member misconduct
- advice and training to authorities on how to deal with allegations of member misconduct
- conduct of local investigations of allegations of member misconduct
- monitoring officer services to support the conduct of local standards hearings
- accountability and scrutiny arrangements for partnering organisations
- powers of local authorities and certification under the Local Government (Contracts) Act 1997
- arrangements for the joint discharge of functions between authorities, including joint scrutiny arrangements
- advice on local authority companies, finance and prudential borrowing
- officer conduct, including disciplinary investigations and severance
Please also see our judicial review section under commercial dispute resolution.