Local government

We do things a bit differently at Anthony Collins Solicitors. We have a proud tradition of supporting the public sector and unlike purely commercially driven law firms we are able to mix our technical excellence with a genuine social conscience. The ethos and ethics of our practice and desire to help transform our communities into thriving places means that we are ideally placed to support and understand our local authority clients.

Local government is facing the biggest set of challenges for many years. With much reduced budgets and staffing levels, pressures to generate income, the need to work more efficiently and collaboratively with neighbouring authorities and the private sector, the lawyer’s lot is becoming even more difficult.

That’s why the Anthony Collins Solicitors approach to providing true partnering-based legal support works so well for our local authority clients. Our work with local authorities is wide and covers a lot of areas, from employment matters to acquisitions and mergers. Whether you need support with a judicial review, commercial litigation, or the tendering of a process (or of documentation) we have experts on hand to help. Our flexibility means that we can provide tailored and cost-effective support. Some clients prefer us to take total control of a project and liaise directly with client teams for instructions. Others, especially when there is a larger in-house resource, want us to be a second pair of eyes to support the in-house legal team. That means that the in-house team retain political credit but still have the benefit of external legal support.

This method of working helps clients to maximise the support given to the council whilst minimising the external legal spend. We have a range of pricing options depending on how much involvement we have and how much work is carried out collaboratively with the in-house legal team – whether we are working on a fixed-, capped-, value-based or hourly rated fee. 

We can support you with resolving procurement challenges, integrating health or social care, or acquisition of land, you can rest assured we can add value. We have also helped authorities with bulk conveyancing, social-value projects, community benefits, alternative delivery models and procurement policies. These are all areas where we have designed processes to make them simpler. We are here to ensure that you have peace of mind, knowing that your matter is being dealt with correctly, efficiently, and in the strictest confidence.

Administration is a core and vital part of local authority management. We offer advice and guidance over the freedom of information act, councillor’s conduct, constitutions and decision-making, internal procedures and employment. Our expertise also covers energy projects, front-line services, social enterprise, state aid, asset management, anti-social behaviour, property litigation and joint ventures. We can help you with any and all issues involving local government.

Our dedicated team is focused on finding a swift and satisfactory conclusion to your query and is devoted to doing what is best for the community. This, combined with over 40 years’ experience, makes us the ideal candidates to solve your legal needs.

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