Welcome to the Eastern Region of LLG
We cover local authorities in:
Here you will find information on what is happening in the Eastern area.
To join any of the regions go to "My LLG" hub and "My regions" tab where you can also see the regions that you are a member of.
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LLG wish to provide meetings and events which reflect the wants and needs of our membership. Please click the link below and complete the short survey to give us an insight into our Eastern Region. Thank you.
Board update
The Board met on the 26th July just before the summer break to conduct the board business but also to hear the initial findings and recommendations from the governance review which we have been undertaking internally.
Amongst discussion as to the arrangements and location of the Governance Conference (of which you will hear more of in September) and Spring Conference, I am also delighted to announce the appointment of Isabelle Alajooz, Legal Manager & Deputy Monitoring Officer at North Herts Council as the new Housing & Regeneration National Lead for LLG. Many congratulations to Isabelle who I welcome to the team with grateful thanks. Housing is of course high up on both the central and local government agenda and the Lead role is incredibly important as a result. The Board also determined to formally adopt the Shared Services Group as a formal National Lead group and advertisements for that position will go live in September. Of course, all National Leads are currently eligible to stand for the National Lead Board Director position when it becomes vacant in 2026.
In terms of the governance review, it was both pleasing and reassuring to hear that our governance is good, but we are presently considering some recommendations to determine how we move from good to great. Its vitally important as with your own authorities that governance is never taken for granted; and this temperature check was really welcomed. We will be considering options at our strategy day in the autumn, and we then be in a position to involve you, the membership, in a period of consultation to help shape our trajectory and future ambitions.
May I take this opportunity to wish you a lovely summer. Whilst the work doesn’t stop, we all need to take time to look after ourselves and recharge where possible. I very much hope you are able to take the time to do just that,
Best wishes
Eastern Regional Update
Dear Eastern Members
The Board met on 26th April and was kindly hosted by Weightmans at their London office.
The day started with a training session by William Sharpe from Weightmans on the Roles and Responsibilities of LLG Board Directors which was extremely informative not only for our new directors, but as a useful reminder for existing directors.
The LLG Board then heard from CEO, Deborah Evans, on the operational activities at LLG. This included the Monitoring Officer roundtable, the Code of Governance, the Statutory officer development programme, the expansion and impact of Work Experience Week 2024 and the finalists for the LLG Awards 2024(click for shortlist).
Board members were presented with a summary of feedback received on the Code of Practice on Good Governance for Statutory Officers consultation. LLG have discussed the main themes from the feedback with Solace and CIPFA and hope to launch the Code at the Spring Conference in June. Incidentally the Board also received the programme for the Spring Conference and you can read about the impressive line-up here. Additionally, if you are a Junior (less than 5 years PQE), applications are open for LLG’s Junior Bursary Scheme, which you can apply for here.
The Board went on to discuss the establishment of a professional body for Monitoring Officers. This continues from initial discussions at previous meetings. We can happily share that progress is being made and the working group have reached agreement on the fundamental principles of the professional body. We will be sharing our thoughts through consultation with the membership in the coming months.
Following on from the success of LLG’s Inspire programme, LLG are now turning its attention to how it might assist Junior lawyers or those new to local government law to develop more fully in their understanding of the legal landscape. This is an exciting new development, and I will report more as this workstream progresses.
If you are interested in getting involved in the work of LLG – please do contact me via the membership email – membership@llg.org.uk
Best wishes
Nylah Clarke-Mills
Executive Assistant Regions
Dear All
Eastern Regional Update
Here’s my update from the LLG Board meeting on 23 February.
The meeting received the quarter end finance report for 2023 together with the budget update.
Following on from the previous Board meeting in December 2023, the finalised version of the strategic plan for 2024-2027 was shared, which was supported by the Board. The five agreed strategic objectives are as follows:
LLG’s CEO, Deborah Evans, reported progress against these strategic objectives along with an operational update which was welcomed by the Board. The operational update covered further work on the role and responsibilities of the Monitoring Officer following on from the LGIU & Browne Jacobson research paper on the changing role of the MO, guidance published to members within LLG’s position statement on practicing certificates, publication of the Members Planning Code of Good Practice , the launch of Work Experience Week 2024 and LLG’s upcoming LLG Awards.
We considered a report about progress with LLG becoming a professional body. That’s certainly a lot of work and we have now set up a sub-committee to consider it.
Leadership Conference
LLG will be hosting their Leadership Conference on 19th April 2024. This interactive event will run from 9:30-4pm and you will hear from leading speakers who delve into what good leadership needs to look like and current issues faced by those currently in senior and leadership roles in local authorities, as well as more.
For more information and booking, click here.
LLG Board update
There will be a vote for next year’s Deputy Vice President and I would encourage you all to exercise your vote to make sure you get the people you want to represent you on LLG.
I’d also encourage you to attend the LLG AGM which will be held online 12 Noon on 17 April which you can register for here. It would be good to have as many of our members as possible there.
Finally, I am writing to say that (subject to governance) I will become LLG Vice President at the AGM. This means that, to give someone else an opportunity I will be stepping down as Eastern Region Director. Only one person put their name forward to replace me and I am delighted to say that Emma Duncan at Cambridgeshire CC will (also subject to governance) be taking over from me at the LLG AGM.
Kind Regards
Paul Turner
Eastern Regional Director
Scheduled meetings for Eastern region:
Regional Communications from LLG's latest Board Meeting
Dear All
I thought I would update you following the LLG Board meeting last week in the heart of London.
The Board adopted LLG’s 2024-2027 strategy and workstreams, emphasising our commitment to promoting exemplary governance, building a sustainable profession, fostering an inclusive and welcoming community, encouraging regional engagement, and using our voice to shape national debate.
We also the LLG budget for 2024. Finding the right balance between maintaining affordability for our members amidst challenging financial times for councils, and ensuring LLG’s long-term viability to continue delivering the benefits of membership and a strong national voice was a key focus of the discussion.
We also had a discussion about whether LLG should seek to expand its offering to become some form of professional body for monitoring officers. This was generally supported by the Board and it is a really exciting idea, but it will need a lot of work to see how it will develop - if you have any ideas, please let me know. This comes out of the LGIU research which LLG commissioned and which was published last month. The role of the monitoring officer - LGiU. I recommend you read it if you haven’t already - it is quite thought provoking.
Like many of our members, elections at LLG happen every year and I can hardly believe it’s a year since I had to stand for election as the Eastern Regional Director. 2024 will see elections held for:
Whilst I am able to stay on as Eastern Regional director, next year I will be Vice-President and it seems right to allow someone else from the East to take over the regional role. If you’re interested in exploring any of these roles, please feel free to contact Helen McGrath, LLG Executive Director of Policy & Governance, for an informal and confidential discussion. Helen@llg.org.uk
I’m also happy to speak to anyone as the current Deputy vice President and Eastern Regional Director! Please do consider standing.
I’ve also been to the two LLG conferences this year. It was lovely to speak to so many people from across the region and beyond. Both conferences were well received by those attending. The conferences are one day in person (with a remote option) and one day fully remote the following week. Although it was quite a way to travel I was really pleased to go in person. Next year’s spring conference will be in Leeds and we are looking at options for the 2024 Governance Conference which will be in Leeds. I hadn’t been to either conferences for ages and I really enjoyed them this year.
The Board meeting was held in the same place as the LLG Juniors Day and it was great to meet colleagues, including someone I hadn’t met from Basildon BC. The Junior day was well attended and seemed to have quite a buzz – so please do look out for this year if you are eligible to attend (apparently I’m not ☹).
LLG would like to extend our thanks to Womble Bond Dickinson for hosting both events, especially in such spectacular offices with a view of Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.
Anyway, it only remains for me, on behalf of everyone at LLG, to wish you a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to reconnecting with you in the new year. I hope you have a good break!
Best wishes
Paul
Regional director - Eastern
Emma Duncan - Eastern Regional Director
PLP SIG Leads
LLG East and the Public Law Partnership ('PLP') have a local arrangement which allows LLG Eastern members to access PLP SIG training sessions for free. Below you can find key contacts for PLP SIG Leads:
Legal Practice Managers
Karen Sykes
Basildon Borough Council
karen.sykes@basildon.gov.uk
Prosecution SIG
Laura Austin
Suffolk County Council
Laura.Austin@suffolk.gov.uk
Junior Professionals SIG
Louise Mascall
Epping Forest District Council
lmascall@eppingforestdc.gov.uk
Housing & Regeneration SIG
Lyndsey Smith
Basildon County Council
Lyndsey.Smith@basildon.gov.uk
