Posted on
31-01-12
Welcome to our Local Authority Employment Review
In this review we take a look at current employment issues facing local authorities, including the most significant decisions in relation to Equal Pay litigation in 2011; the current position on recovering costs in the Employment Tribunal; issues around the right to legal representation at disciplinary hearings under the Human Rights Act; clarification on the ‘Johnson exclusion area principle’; and a guide to whistleblowing claims.
We also introduce our Local Authority Employment team.
I hope you find this review useful. If you would like to discuss any of the articles please do not hesitate to contact me or another member of the local authority employment team.
Rena Magdani
Partner
0845 272 5715
rena.magdani@freethcartwright.co.uk
Posted on
21-11-11
In short….
This quarter, we look at contractual disputes and highlight a couple of cautionary tales for parties wanting to develop land that is subject to restrictive covenants. For landlords and tenants, the AGA/GAGA saga seems to have come to an end (for now) and service charge provisions are still a cause of disagreement. There is a round-up of the latest planning developments and we also include links to information on green issues.
Posted on
16-05-11
Local authorities often deal with vulnerable service users. They may be of limited means or under the care of social services. But if a relative of the service user dies, and leaves him or her with no inheritance, can this be challenged?
Posted on
13-05-11
Our dedicated Education team has a thorough understanding of the operational challenges you face and includes individuals who have been working in Education institutions both delivering legal advice and contributing to the management.
In this issue we look at the Bribery Act 2010; look ahead to proposed changes to the student immigration system; and we consider the open Government Licence and what this means for the Education sector.
Philippa Dempster
Head of Education Group
0845 274 6901
philippa.dempster@freethcartwright.co.uk
Posted on
15-11-10
RED SKY - A WARNING FOR SUPPLIERS
We have advised on a number of disputes involving public sector clients and IT suppliers seeking to enforce their standard terms.
A recent case in the High Court has shown that such suppliers not only need to take care with what their standard terms say, they also need to make sure that those terms are not compromised by their sales practices, such as statements made within the tender process.
Posted on
24-09-10
STANDARDS REGIME
There has been some speculation over the last few months in terms of what will happen with the abolition of the Standards Board for England - in particular there has been some discussion in terms of whether the Standards regime would remain with the Standards Board itself being abolished. This has been clarified by a press release issued this week by Communities Minister, Andrew Stunell which can be found on the Standards Board for England or DCLG websites. He has confirmed that the Government are very unhappy with the whole Standards regime, saying it had become a “vehicle for malicious and frivolous complaints”.
Posted on
20-09-10
A Battle Cry!
Trade unions have rattled their metaphorical sabres in anger at the annual TUC conference in Manchester. Union delegates overwhelmingly backed a motion to support the so called “winter of discontent” by co-ordinating a campaign of local and national industrial action.
Posted on
18-12-08
IT’S CRUNCH TIME
The ripples of the credit crunch continue to spread across the country. A number of local authorities who might have felt themselves relatively immune from the crisis within the banking sector found themselves suffering substantially with the failure of Icelandic Banks. These include East Midlands Authorities with a total exposure in excess of £50m or even dubious “hedge” funds. In these troubled times, what steps can local authorities reasonably take to minimise their exposure to the potential insolvency of third parties with whom they have legal relationships?
