Paul Turner Appointed President of LLG

LLG Appoints Paul Turner as the LLG President 2025-2026

LLG held its AGM on 24th April 2025 where Paul took over the Presidency from Aneeka Sarwar Muneer with thanks for her hard work over the past year. 

All resolutions were passed including the special resolution to change the articles. 

On becoming President, Paul said:-

"I am honoured to be the new President of Lawyers in Local Government.

My thanks to Aneeka for her service over the past year.

This role carries significant responsibility, and I am eager to work alongside you to advance our profession and reinforce the critical role we play in supporting governance and democracy.

Looking ahead to the next year, my ambitions centre around the following  priorities:

1. LLG needs to create the Professional body for all Monitoring Officers.

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.   

 

2. Re-organisation of Local Government and Devolution

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 council’s won’t be a big district or a small county.  We recognise we need to help members with that transition.

 

3. Representing the interests of the profession to Government etc

 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 have 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 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.

 

4. Ensuring that our members can take part in networking

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.

 

5. Finding out what members think

It’s really important that members tell us what they want from LLG and what they think.  Thanks to 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 who 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 be. The more people who are involved the stronger LLG is – which is better for everyone. Deborah, our CEO 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 hopefully, I will see many of you at an LLG event during my presidential term"

Reflecting on her term, Aneeka said:-

"It seems remarkable that the end of my Presidential Term draws to a close today. It has been my privilege to represent you all.

My journey through LLG has taught me so much about the complex landscape we navigate and the strength and resilience of local government lawyers and governance officers.

The role we play within local government is critical to the rule of law, equitable governance and the success of our authorities. LLG have pushed through an agenda this year which continues to influence at the highest level to demonstrate the value we bring to our communities and the importance of our role in the effective operation of our councils. 

During my presidential term I emphasied the importance of good governance, leadership, and accountability in fostering trust within communities and contributing to local development. That representation at the leadership level is essential for addressing inequalities and ensuring thriving communities.

I spoke on resilience in governance, defined as the ability to anticipate, prepare for, respond to, and adapt to adverse events while maintaining essential services and thriving long-term.

I am particularly proud of my work championing diversity and speaking against discrimination. At the governance conference, I Chaired the Islamophobia Panel which provided a platform for practical discussions on the impact of Islamophobia in workplaces and communities. The panel addressed the shift from overt racism to microaggressions and the riots that highlighted societal divisions and questioned the sense of belonging for many.

For me, my highlight was obtaining Baroness Warsi to speak at the conference.

Baroness Warsi, a tireless advocate for equality and representation, was introduced by me as a keynote speaker. Her work on Islamophobia and her call for systemic change in political leadership, media representation, and accountability for hate speech were particularly inspiring.

My Presidential Year 2024 was marked by a strong commitment to justice, good governance, resilience, and representation. The events and initiatives throughout the year achieved by LLG underscored the importance of addressing inequalities, supporting the legal profession, and fostering a culture of accountability and inclusion.

 I look forward to my continuing involvement with LLG as the Past President. 

I would like to thank the many stakeholders we have worked with over this past year. We have really built and expanded upon the relationships we enjoy with a whole range of organisations and our thanks go to them for a unified effort in attempting to change the local government landscape for the better.  

Thanks also to our Corporate Partners, without whom we would be unable to bring so many varied training programmes and events or indeed embark on the numerous initiatives that we undertake. We really are so grateful for your support!

I must also give a note of thanks to LLG staff members who manage to deliver so much for our membership. So, thank you Deborah and the team for their dedication to LLG.

 

The following Directors were confirmed at the AGM: -

Helen Bradley as the Vice President 

Anita Bradley as the Deputy Vice President 

Emma Duncan as the Eastern Regional Director

John Purvis as the Northern Regional Director

Kelly Byrne as the Welsh Regional Director

Anita Bradley as the Southern Regional Director

Patricia Narebor as the London Regional Director

Nichola Vine as the Midlands Regional Director

Sarah Harriott as the National Lead Board Representative Director

Jordan Hulse as the Junior Director

Deborah Evans CEO

The following National Leads were confirmed: -

Robin Donaldson & Penny Latham as the Adult Social Care National Leads

Jeanette Bloor as the Children Services & Education National Lead

Andrew Brett as the Employment National Lead 

Sarah Harriott as the Information Management National Lead

Helen Bradely as the MO & Governance National Lead

Jessica Lishman as the Junior National Lead

Michael Graham as the Shared Services National Lead

Kevin Carter as the Procurement Deputy National Lead (Kieran McGaughey has stepped down as the Procurement National Lead)

Rachel McKoy as the Planning National Lead

Angela Sharma as the Deputy Planning National Lead

Isabelle Alajooz as the Housing & Regeneration National Lead

Rob Cowan as the Litigation & Licensing National Lead

Stephen Turner as the Deputy Litigation & Licensing National Lead for Licensing

Aneeka Muneer Sarwar as the Deputy Litigation & Licensing National Lead for Criminal Law