Finding land for schools is a challenge. We supported the team at every stage of negotiating a new site.

Schools are at the heart of communities around the country, but Shropshire Council was faced with the challenge of securing additional school places due to the rapid increase in pupil numbers from local housing developments, in this case in West Shrewsbury. The council came to us for legal advice in securing land through a S106 agreement, for the provision of two new schools in Bowbrook, Shrewsbury – one mainstream primary school and another for special educational needs, which is being funded by central government through their free school programme.

Taking a pragmatic approach

Shropshire Council had already secured the funding for the two schools but needed legal support with securing land and agreeing a deal with the landowner via an existing S106. They would need our help to negotiate with a private landowner and manage the relevant legal documentation.

Everyone involved knew how important the schools would be for the area. To avoid any unnecessary delays, the Anthony Collins Solicitors (ACS) team were always on hand to advise on the best way to move forward whenever any problems came up.

Open for students in 2022

The council exchanged on the deal just before Christmas 2020. A Trust has been appointed for the mainstream primary school, and the council are awaiting the decision from the Secretary of State for Education on the separate Trust that will operate the special education needs school. By September 2022, the council expects all building works to be completed and the schools opening their doors to pupils.

With the area facing a shortage of school places, this project will be hugely beneficial to the local community, with further extensive housing development planned for the area in the coming years. Sandy Munroe, ACS partner, says;

“For us, it’s always nice to be able to see the finished product. You do all the work in the office and it’s all on paper. But then you see there is a physical building in the end and it really brings you a sense of achievement.”

Sandy Munroe, partner at ACS

To transform underutilised buildings, Rochford District Council turned to our local government property specialists.

Councils are experiencing even more constraints when it comes to financial budgets. Funds from central government are quickly eaten up by essential services. Rochford Council in Essex is no different. But, rather than focussing on generating income, they are looking to avoid future costs and team up with developers to revitalise the local area.

From procurement to construction

The council had many buildings that were falling into disrepair. Civic buildings and council offices were sitting empty and underused. The council had agreed a deal with a private developer – who would turn the buildings into homes, as well as commercial and community spaces. In return, the council would transfer some of their surplus land to the developer. This meant the council didn’t need to find any cash upfront.

Rochford District Council has its own legal team. But to help this ambitious project run smoothly, they asked our local government property specialists to advise on different aspects of the regeneration. In 2019, we were involved in the full procurement process, from invitation to tender, bidder responses, competitive dialogue through to appointment of the successful bidder. Once the procurement was complete, the team provided ongoing property and construction advice, and the deal was signed off in September 2020.

“Anthony Collins Solicitors (ACS) quickly formed a strong working relationship with the programme team of council staff and advisors. Thanks to their expertise, we navigated the path to appointing our development partner. Crucially for me as SRO, they understood the objectives of the programme strategy and shared the vision of what the council was seeking to achieve.”

Matt Harwood White, assistant director, commercial services at Rochford District Council

Supporting local communities

Around the country, we’re seeing the demise of town centres. There’s a need to increase footfall – and this project will help do exactly that in Rochford. The local community will also benefit from new homes and modern spaces where they can grow their businesses.

Sandy Munroe, ACS partner and local government property team lead, says;

“I feel a sense of pride being involved in something that will not only add value but also help the local community. We know that fees are a big concern for councils, so we work alongside them as if we’re part of their in-house team. This was no different for Rochford. We fulfilled our brief and sought to keep legal spend to a minimum by recommending which elements of the project could be taken forward by the internal team.”

Sandy Munroe, partner at ACS

With a shared goal of improving people’s lives, we help leisure provider, Everyone Active, invest and manage the centres that keep people active.

If ever there was a year that underlined the necessity for keeping healthy, 2020 was it.

For our client, Everyone Active, who promote healthy lifestyles through their gym, swim and children’s facilities, having to close their doors was bad enough. Managing the financial consequences was even tougher.

Like Anthony Collins Solicitors (ACS), Everyone Active is a purpose-led business. Their aim is to encourage everyone to manage 30 minutes of exercise, five times a week. Everyone Active have been remarkably successful, increasing participation by 18% in the facilities they manage – with notable successes in high-risk groups.

Even in normal times, the local authority leisure sector is financially challenging for providers. Managing centres with reduced capacity, or having no income during periods of closure, has caused a significant shock throughout the leisure sector. 

“ACS provide us with a full range of legal support and give us advice on different aspects of what we do. In between lockdowns, we had 10 million visits to our centres. The team were there to help with everything – they’ve helped to keep us going and continued to support the business as a whole.”

Stephen Round, director and general counsel at Everyone Active

Reacting quickly and efficiently

We knew immediately that Everyone Active would want a collaborative legal partner for a challenging and fast changing environment. Some leisure operators adopted a strict contractual and hard-nosed attitude towards their local authority clients, but we knew that Everyone Active would want to work in partnership with their clients through the pandemic. This approach has proved very effective.

We helped renegotiate contracts rapidly with local authorities that were robust but fair, striking the right balance between recognising the financial pressures on local authorities and the cash flow requirements to ensure Everyone Active’s sustainability. The impact was that Everyone Active was the provider best able to open their centres quickly and safely, allowing people to exercise for their physical and mental wellbeing.

Growth and the challenge

We support Everyone Active on competitive bids to win leisure contracts with local authorities and help them manage risk. We understand their business, purpose and risk profile, allowing our advice to be tailored to each bid, helping maximise the chance that Everyone Active will be successful.

We help Everyone Active manage risk particularly in the areas of construction and pensions. Growing the business means taking over leisure centres which are in need of investment and employing transferring colleagues who have local authority pension arrangements. Helping Everyone Active manage these risks inherent in construction and pensions allows them to focus on the key drivers of increasing activity and participation, which is all the more important bearing in mind the devasting impact of the pandemic on communities where there has traditionally been under-investment in health and wellbeing.

Shared values

For Alice Kinder, a solicitor in the ACS team managing pension risks, the shared goals of Everyone Active and ACS in improving lives for individuals and communities make the two organisations a natural fit;

“I’ve always been a big advocate for well-being and mental health. So to be able to work on these contracts which enable more people to see the benefit is fantastic. It makes it much more interesting to think of the wider impact as we work with Everyone Active on these challenges.”

Alice Kinder, solicitor at ACS