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“HELLO” – as your new President of LLG!.
I’m conscious that many members won’t know an awful lot about me. I have been quietly working as a local government lawyer since July 1992 – very nearly 33 years! As a few of you might recall, the year I started was the same time that the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992 came into force. That’s a fact I like a lot, but I suppose I really should have a reason for saying that. Why? - you might ask. Well, those regulations remain highly relevant to the practice of local government law today, even though they have been knocking around a bit and have been changed by life. A bit like me, I suppose!
During my career, I have mainly worked in the East, but I have held roles in the North East, North West, and the Midlands. The smallest council I worked for served a population of about 31,000, and Essex County Council, my current employer, serves a population of 1.5m. I definitely haven’t seen it all – or even most of it - but I’ve certainly seen enough to realise that every employer and employee is unique and to celebrate the diversity of both our members and our councils.
Helen Bennett has helpfully told me that it’s all very well talking about myself, but I really should get on and say what I want to achieve during my Presidential year. There’s so much happening, it’s certainly going to be a busy and interesting year for LLG, and that’s just LLG! I’m also, of course, working as one of the 16 Essex MO’s and as you will have read, as we have all been given the amazing gift of the devolution priority programme.
Anyway, mindful of Helen’s words, here are some things I think we need to do:
The LLG board realises that we need to crack on with this important work, which came out of the recommendations from the 2023 LGIU report. LLG has always aimed to support its members, but we have to increase our offer. Speaking to members at conferences and elsewhere, it’s clear that this is something that people really, really, want, and we need to be ready to launch it by the end of the year. That’s the target. We need to do it without having a detrimental effect on members who aren’t monitoring officers. I think that all our members will gain from this, because pretty much all our members who are not monitoring officers work in a department which is led by the MO. If your MO is better supported, then so are you. That’s my theory anyway.
If you’d like to be involved in this or have any ideas about how it could work, please do reach out.
This is important. There are lots of councils, of course, who aren’t affected by this, but for people who are going through it, it has a huge impact. I don’t think there will be less work for lawyers – in fact, there will probably be more work. Sadly, it’s an uncertain time for many, and LLG needs to provide information and support to members as they go through the process. As a LLG member, you have a crucial role in ensuring that the ‘old’ councils end well, and the newly created councils can start well, at a time when it’s probably harder to maintain a good system of internal controls.
Those transitioning who haven’t worked in a unitary before are likely to find things very different in the new world – the new councils won’t be a big district or a small county. We recognise we need to help members with that transition.
Although no new unitary councils will be created in the next year, LLG needs to start thinking about how reorganisation will affect its operations. At the moment, most of our income from members comes from councils’ corporate membership. We don’t think there will be fewer lawyers working for authorities, but obviously there will be many fewer councils, and we need to find a fair way of covering our (modest) costs, whilst delivering an array of services and products to support our members.
You will have noticed that the Government elected in 2024 has a very busy agenda of things they want to do, and there have been a huge number of consultations on a variety of areas. Some of them will be really good for local government if done well – e.g., strengthening the members' standards regime. The Government has other ideas where the benefits are perhaps a little less obvious. We have been working hard to tell civil servants and ministers about the impact on our members, with a view to ensuring that changes are positive for our members and the authorities. LLG is one voice amongst many, but I believe we are seen as an important group to speak with, and indeed, we are very much included in opportunities to provide feedback, and we take every opportunity to do so.
A huge advantage of working in local government is that councils work together rather than competing with one another. We want everyone to have the opportunity to be part of a specialist group. If you don’t feel connected and want to be, please get in touch, and I am sure we can work something out. Please do remember the ‘national lead meetings’ which happen across a number of specialist areas and which you can attend, and of course our ‘regional meetings’. There may be specialist groups operating in your region, too. If there aren’t and you want to create one, please get in touch. We can provide some practical support and guide you through the process of becoming more involved.
I am particularly excited by the current pilot in the Midlands Region at the moment on a mentoring and buddying scheme. Later this autumn, we will be reviewing the scheme with the aim of rolling it out across all the regions to better support our members.
It’s really important that members tell us what they want from LLG and what they think. Thanks to the tireless work by the LLG team, our membership has expanded to around 5,500, which is brilliant to see.
Obviously, we can’t grant 5,500 wishes, but it’s important to me that we are accessible. You’re very welcome to reach out to me directly, but every member is covered by a regional director whom you can speak to – most of them put on regular events and meetings for their region. Indeed, any board member would be interested in anything you have to say about LLG – we all realise that we only exist because you want us to.
Being involved with LLG can really open your horizons, help you on your career path, and provide a support network like no other. There really is a reason we talk about the ‘family’ of local government lawyers. There’s always something to do, and if you want to get involved, you can. The more people who are involved, the stronger the LLG is – which is better for everyone. Deborah, our amazing Chief Executive, tells me that she can usually find a role if people want to get involved and are prepared to invest the time. Sounds like a win, win to me.
I am really looking forward to the year ahead, and I certainly have plenty to be getting on with, I think!
Hopefully, I will see you at an LLG event over the next year
Best wishes
Paul Turner
LLG President
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