LLG LGR National Lead Meeting - Governance Issues

Philip McCourt, Legal Director

Philip specialises in local authorities’ corporate law and decision making. He joined his first local authority in 1988 as a trainee Chartered Secretary and then Solicitor. Philip was first made an authority’s Monitoring Officer and a member of the senior management team in 2000. Since then he has acted on governance, standards and monitoring officer issues for a wide range of local authorities, combined authorities and central government through both consultancy and direct employment.

One of his roles prior to joining Bevan Brittan was as Corporate Director for Law and Governance at Wirral MBC. He was also a past president of the Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors (now LLG), where he was the national spokesperson on local authority powers and regulatory matters for several years.

Philip has led on a number of national projects on governance and standards, including:

• the model Members’ Planning Code (described by the Supreme Court as offering sound practical advice);
• the LLG example Code for the Governance of Council Interests in Companies;
• materials and training products that make up the LGA Ethical Governance Toolkit; and
• the Parish Council Governance Toolkit.

Philip has extensive experience in constitutional matters and have advised on their drafting for a variety of local authorities, which has included leading on governance for the creation of the West of England CA and drafting the inaugural constitution for the Liverpool City Region CA. He has, at various times chaired the national groupings on council constitutions (England), new committee system authorities and on parish council governance.