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ARTICLE · 08 SEPTEMBER 2026

Public Matters: August 2026

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This comprehensive roundup examines critical legal and regulatory developments reshaping the UK public sector landscape, from the government's ambitious National Planning Policy Framework 2026 to sweeping employment law reforms and local government reorganisation. How will these interconnected changes affect public bodies navigating construction contracts, procurement obligations, and workforce management in an era of structural transformation?

United KingdomGovernment, Public Sector
Peter Ware
Peter Ware

This month's edition of Public matters covers key legal, regulatory, and policy developments affecting UK public sector bodies: including local government reorganisation, construction and procurement, employment rights, and wider public law reform, set against a backdrop of continued structural change across central and local government.

National Planning Policy Framework 2026 published

The UK government has announced changes to planning policy in England as part of its ambition to ramp up new housing and infrastructure developments. Our team of planning lawyers, which works with both public and private sector clients, respond to the new NPPF.

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Firm named on Government Commercial Agency’s legal panel for public sector

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