Leading the firm’s governance work for local government, Claire acts as a crucial sounding board for all levels of local government, advising monitoring officers and members, helping them to make informed legal decisions.
Equipped with over 20 years of in-house experience, Claire advises local authorities and their companies on regulatory governance matters, reviews constitutions, governance arrangements and decision-making. She is in high demand to undertake standards investigations and is well regarded for providing member training. Her depth of experience across county, district and unitary local councils has shaped her extensive knowledge of local government challenges. Claire is able to guide authorities across the country on what they can accomplish and more importantly how to go about doing it.
Claire takes pride in offering practical and timely advice to officers and working as a team to support their work. For her, Anthony Collins is the perfect workplace, allowing her to fulfil her passion as a local government lawyer again.
My specialisms
- Governance
- Elective member training
- Reviewing consultations
- Standards investigations
My insights
Devolution revolution – Early stage key considerations
The Government is gearing up for a new devolution revolution. Expressions of interest are due from local authorities in...
How could the manifestos reshape local government?
Whilst manifestos do not provide certainty over what change will arise, an election does provide an opportunity to...
Are councils ready for a change of control?
Following the Local Government Elections 2024, many councils in England and Wales are assessing how the changes will...
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Statutory overview and scrutiny guidance
This recent guidance provides an opportunity to assess whether a critical friend is really operating within a council's governance...
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Services reviews and functions – The first step in redesigning council services
Full council has set the budget for 2024/25 after six months of hard work so now what? The decision to agree the budget is an...
Best value – the fundamental duty
As the Government considers the consultation on the latest revision of the statutory Best Value guidance, a look back through the history...
