Bevan Brittan LLP‘s team capably handles corporate, commercial, contentious, employment and pensions matters as well as transactions, clinical risk matters and inquests for numerous local authorities. It has a strong track record in tenders, and also advises on modern challenges such as climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic. David Kitson has knowledge of administrative and governance topics as well as information law, while Judith Hopper is a contact for commercial litigation.
Local government in Yorkshire And The Humber
Bevan Brittan LLP
Other key lawyers:
David Kitson; Judith Hopper
Testimonials
‘Technical knowledge and strength.’
Key clients
Stratford District Council and Warwick District Council
Welsh Government, Welsh Local Authorities and Welsh Further Education Institutions
Various local authorities in Yorkshire and London area
Leeds City Council
Worthing Borough Council
Public Sector Audit Appointments (PSAA)
Local Government Association on behalf of 52 Fire & Rescue Authorities
Portsmouth City Council
Work highlights
- Appointed by the Welsh Government to advise 29 Local Authorities and Further Education Institutions on the £1.5bn Welsh Education Partnership.
- Advising Stratford District Council and Warwick District Council on collaboration, governance framework, and joint working arrangements.
- Advising Portsmouth City Council in relation to state aid and subsidy control issues and its PFI arrangements.
Walker Morris LLP
Walker Morris LLP acts for local authorities throughout the UK and public and private sector stakeholders operating in the sector including government departments and agencies, NHS bodies, registered providers, utilities companies, funders and major contractors. Areas of expertise encompass public procurements, governance work, subsidy control issues, and freedom of information matters; the group also covers real estate, construction, employment, corporate and finance work. Ben Sheppard handles PPP, PFI and outsourcing contracts, while Chris Woodthorpe is a real estate specialist; the pair jointly lead the group.
Practice head(s):
Ben Sheppard; Chris Woodthorpe
Other key lawyers:
David Kilduff; Lynsey Oakdene
Key clients
Homes England
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Kier Property Developments Limited
Hambleton District Council
Berneslai Homes Limited
Kier Construction Limited
Eveleigh LINK Academy Trust
Winchester City Council
Lancashire County Council
Harrogate Borough Council
Cumbria County Council
Oil and Pipelines Agency
Work highlights
- Advised Barnsley Council in connection with a range of decarbonisation and energy efficiency measures, grant funded in part through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, helping the council to achieve its net-zero target.
- Acted for Homes England on over 50 grant funded housing infrastructure development schemes.
- Advised Barnsley Council in connection with Barnsley’s £180m ‘Glass Works’ town centre redevelopment involving a state-of-the-art library and community facility, refurbishment of Barnsley Market, together with a brand new retail and leisure offering.
Addleshaw Goddard
Addleshaw Goddard has considerable experience in transactions, development option appraisals, state aid work, and procurements, acting for local government clients. Its services are sought out by clients in the PPP/PFI, energy, transport, public infrastructure and public services sectors. In Leeds, key contacts include Ian Smith and Anna Heaton who are both well versed in the real estate space. Paul Hirst
specialises in transport infrastructure projects, operating concessions and franchises, and rolling stock procurements. Practice head Andrew Pettinger is based in Manchester.
Practice head(s):
Andrew Pettinger
Other key lawyers:
Ian Smith; Anna Heaton; Paul Hirst; Mark Bramley
Key clients
West Midlands Combined Authority
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Manchester City Council
Cheshire East Council/Connecting Cheshire
Cumbria County Council
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
Burnley Borough Council
Cheshire West & Chester Council
York City Council
Luton Borough Council
Reading Borough Council
Derby City Council
Somerset County Council
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Salford City Council
City of Stoke Council
Connexin Limited
Warrington Borough Council
Kirklees Council
Greater London Authority / Transport for London
Merseytravel/Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
Work highlights
- Advising the West Yorkshire Combined Authority on all elements of legal advice relating to its station’s development programme.
- Advising Merseytravel on the development of its bus franchising assessment.
- Advising London Luton Airport Limited on its airport expansion programme.
DLA Piper
DLA Piper provides a ‘high degree of collaboration and very positive support‘ to clients and is particularly active in the transport, regeneration, housing and waste industries. It advises on projects and procurement work, real estate and planning issues, local government powers, and financing, employment and pension matters. Robert Smith leads the practice, which also includes legal director and transport sector specialist Carla Hancock.
Practice head(s):
Robert Smith
Other key lawyers:
Carla Hancock
Testimonials
‘We have a long-standing relationship with DLA going back a number of years. This allows us to have positive conversations about our requirements with a supplier who is sensitive to our needs and objectives. It also means that although DLA provide specific specialisms, there is a high degree of collaboration and very positive support wherever we need it.’
‘We find Carla Hancock an invaluable support to our own internal project team because of the excellent understanding that she has of our needs.’
‘Broad knowledge of public transport sector and associated procurement law issues; good commercial know-how; offers clear & pragmatic advice; helps us to plan ahead for issues that may arise and develop strategy and solutions to challenges. Team is diverse, accessible and highly responsive.’
Key clients
City of London
Tyne and Wear Passenger Transport Executive
Merseytravel
Transport for Greater Manchester
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Transport for the North
Nottingham City Council
Voi
Gett
Leicester City Council
Transport for Wales
South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive / South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
Urban Transport Group
Rutland County Council
Lincolnshire County Council
Transport North East
Work highlights
- Advising TfGM and Greater Manchester Combined Authority on the introduction of bus franchising across Greater Manchester, the first such scheme introduced outside London.
- Advising on TNE’s Bus Service Improvement Plan and Enhanced Partnership Schemes to support its bid to government for £805m of funding for bus improvements across the North East of England.
- Advising Transport for Wales and Welsh Government on their response to the Covid-19 pandemic including funding and partnership arrangements with all local authorities and bus operators in Wales to support continued operation of bus services.
DWF
DWF is regularly instructed by local and central governments and distinguishes itself with a strong public funding and insurance practice. Jonathan Branton divides his time between Leeds, London and Manchester, and focuses on competition, subsidy control and procurement matters. He leads the practice with Manchester-based Colin Murray. Planning specialist Andrew Batterton joined the group in May 2021; he was previously at DLA Piper.
Practice head(s):
Jonathan Branton; Colin Murray
Other key lawyers:
Andrew Batterton; Andrew Flounders; Alexander Rose
Key clients
Crown Commercial Services (Central Government)
Leeds City Council
The Arts Council
Advance Northumberland
Royal Borough of Greenwich
The National Lottery (Community and Heritage) Funds
Wakefield Metropolitan Borough Council
City of Bradford Council
Manchester City Council
Cornwall Council
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Newcastle City Council
South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority
Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Scarborough Borough Council
North of Tyne Combined Authority
Durham Council
Hull City Council
Gateshead Council
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
University of Leeds
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
North Yorkshire County Council
Homes England
Serco Plc
CEG
Caddick Group
Wykeland
Work highlights
- Advising the Royal Borough of Greenwich on all of its major regeneration matters including the delivery of a masterplan for Charlton Riverside (8,000 new homes and 4,400 new jobs) and several multi-million pound grant-funded schemes.
- Advising Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council on several of its major regeneration projects including the Wirral Waters One project leading to the delivery of 500 new homes, Hind Street Regeneration project involving the delivery of a comprehensive mixed-used scheme and a £22m Maritime Knowledge Hub.
- Advising Transport for Greater Manchester on the competitive procedure with negotiation procurement process for the selection of a bike hire supplier for the entire Greater Manchester region, forming a key aspect of TfGM’s Clean Air initiative.
Pinsent Masons LLP
Pinsent Masons LLP fields a sizeable, nationwide practice which is often instructed by local and central government bodies. The scope of the practice encompasses real estate, planning, regulatory and governance work, disputes, commercial structuring issues and matters involving the education, health, energy and information sectors. Team leader Anne Bowden is a highly regarded housing and regeneration schemes specialist, and Jonathan Riley focuses his practice on planning matters.
Practice head(s):
Anne Bowden
Other key lawyers:
Jonathan Riley; Nick McDonald
Testimonials
‘Always prepared to go above and beyond, doing their best for clients in a pragmatic, commercially-savvy and realistic way.’
Key clients
Leeds City Council
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
South Tyneside Council
North Tyneside Council
Durham County Council
Manchester City Council
Sunderland City Council
London Borough of Wandsworth
London Borough of Lambeth
Birmingham City Council
Oxford City Council
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Westminster City Council
Bristol City Council
Tees Valley Combined Authority
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Work highlights
- Advising the London Borough of Wandsworth on its two largest council estate regeneration projects, delivering 3500 homes with an end value of over £1bn.
- Advising the Leeds City Council on its major East Leeds Orbital Route.
- Advising IAMP LLP on delivery of the 150ha International Advanced Manufacturing Park.
Freeths LLP
Freeths LLP acts for a multitude of local government clients and is well-positioned to advise on all aspects of property transactional work including construction, tax, property litigation, contractual, planning and environmental issues. Key contact Liz Banks covers investment acquisitions, portfolio management issues, land disposals and developments. Practice head Nathan Holden is based in Birmingham.
Practice head(s):
Nathan Holden
Other key lawyers:
Liz Banks
Key clients
Royal Borough of Greenwich
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council
Milton Keynes Development Partnership
Buckinghamshire Council
Cherwell District Council
Solihull MBC
Mansfield District Council
Enfield Council
Nottinghamshire County Council
Cambridge City Council
Leicester City Council
Derby City Council
Milton Keynes Council
Telford and Wrekin Council
Walsall Council
Kettering Borough Council
North West Leicestershire District Council
Broxtowe Borough Council
London Borough of Ealing
Lincoln City Council
West Northamptonshire Council
North East Lincolnshire Council
Nottinghamshire Police Authority
London Borough of Bromley
Kent County Council
Corby Borough Council
Merton London Borough Council
Hertfordshire County Council
Work highlights
- Advising Leeds City Council in connection with its continued disposal of a number of brownfield land sites for development.
- Acting for Kirklees Council in the Right to Buy process for 200 properties.
Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP
Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP‘s client portfolio includes central government departments, agencies and public bodies, as well as third sector and private sector clients. The practice covers a range of matters, from procurement, real estate, planning and project mandates, to regulatory work and litigation; the team also has specific knowledge of energy matters. In Leeds, the key contact is Andrew Hirst, who is well versed in leisure projects and the waste sector, while Vicky McCombe covers transactional construction work. Newcastle-based Iain Greenshields leads the team.
Practice head(s):
Iain Greenshields
Other key lawyers:
Andrew Hirst; Vicky McCombe
Key clients
Hampshire County Council
Durham County Council
City of York Council
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council
South Tees Development Corporation
North Somerset Council & West of England Combined Authority
Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership
Lee Valley Regional Park Authority
Sedgemoor District Council, Somerset West and Taunton Council, North Somerset Council & Somerset County Council
Fareham Borough Council
London Borough of Sutton
Tees Valley Combined Authority
Northumberland County Council
Newcastle City Council
Cleveland City Council
Hartlepool Borough Council
Sunderland City Council
Darlington Borough Council
Middlesbrough Council
Bristol City Council
Greater London Authority
South Gloucestershire Council
Kirklees Council
Portsmouth City Council
Broxbourne Borough Council
Hertfordshire County Council
London Borough of Lewisham
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
Dover District Council
Folkestone and Hythe District Council
Work highlights
- Advising the City of York Council on its Community Stadium project.
- Advising Durham County Council on the re-procurement of its haulage contract and appointed to advise on a number of linked procurements including for its household waste recycling centres and materials recycling facility.
- Advising the Hampshire County Council on a wide range of matters related to its waste service treatment PPP contract and HWRC contract with Veolia.