"provide a good all round service"
"approachable, knowledgeable and helpful"
"a strong client base attracted to the set by its competitive fees."
(Chambers and Partners)
Cornerstone Barristers understand local government and how it works. We act for the majority of local authorities and local government bodies in England and Wales, both over individual service matters and on “corporate” and governance issues applying across the authority.
Because we are closely in touch with local authorities, and with developments affecting them, we are familiar with the demands on them - to maintain services while reducing budgets; to combine services and support functions, where possible; to seek new forms of organisation and provision, including by out-sourcing and co-operative working; to encourage new forms of community engagement; and, to act transparently, always within tight deadlines and with scarce resources.
The Localism Act 2011 will mean major changes for local authorities in areas such as governance, member conduct, community rights to involvement, planning and housing; as well as the new general power of competence for English authorities.
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 also creates significant new public health responsibilities for local government, as well as altering the regulation of adult social care and the NHS.
The increasing move to common services leads to questions over the way in which authorities structure their delegations, contractual liabilities, and data sharing.
Members of Cornerstone Barristers are at the edge of change and innovation in local government. We have already been advising on the use of the new general power, and mapping the changes affecting authorities through seminars and presentations.
We have extensive experience of representing and advising local authorities and residents in most fields of local government, including planning, housing, highways, waste management, environmental services, adult social care, education and children’s services, property, compulsory purchase, immigration, licensing, cultural services, consumer services and trading standards, and human rights.
We advise extensively on corporate issues, including governance, constitutions and executive arrangements, the use of general and incidental powers, conduct, complaints, tendering and procurement, information law and data sharing, and charging and trading.
Seminars and training for local authorities
We also run regular seminars for local authorities on corporate and service issues. On governance issues, members of chambers have recently led or participated in seminars on governance for the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors (ACSeS) (November 2011) and the Local Government Training Partnership (LGTP) (January 2012).