Welcome to this month's edition of Local Government Matters. Across the local government landscape the pace of change is accelerating, and few developments better capture the scale and ambition of what’s underway than the first formal decision under the new unitary re-organisation regime in Surrey. On 28 October 2025 the Secretary of State confirmed that Surrey’s plan to streamline into two unitary authorities (East Surrey and West Surrey) will proceed, with the new councils expected to take effect on 1 April 2027.
That milestone marks a watershed. It signals that reform of two-tier systems is no longer just a paper ambition under the English Devolution White Paper but now becoming operational in England.
For local authorities, combined authorities and sector stakeholders the implications are manifold: governance redesign, asset and liability transfers, electoral timing adjustments, service continuity planning and staff transitions all need to be squared up. For central government and the regulator side, the challenge now turns to how to assess, approve and monitor the dozens of proposals expected to follow. The Surrey decision implicitly puts the clock on other areas - scrutiny of whether they can build the evidence, engagement and transition plans required is now sharpened.
In this edition we include our most recent updates to our Devolution Dissected podcast series with Inner Circle Consulting where we discuss changes at MHCLG, the role of AI in public service redesign, the future of fiscal devolution and other aspects of the devolution and LGR agendas. We include webinars on the duty to prevent sexual harassment and how to prepare a site for regeneration. Our articles cover issues on the Procurement Act 23, cyber attacks and recent planning case law.
Click the links below to access the full articles:
Hosted by Amardeep Gill, Partner and National Head of Trowers & Hamlins' Public Sector team, our Devolution Dissected podcast series delves into the key themes of the Devolution White Paper, offering insights into its implications for public sector transformation and regional governance.
Daylight/sunlight material consideration for planning purposes
In our first article Rory Stracey and Philip Coates look at Mr Knight's success in his application for judicial review in the case of the King (on application of Paul Knights) v South Norfolk District Council [2025].
Public listed company, Capita, fined £14m by the ICO for a data breach
A data breach in 2023 by Capita plc and Capita Pension Solutions Limited, affecting 6.6 million individuals, has led to fines of £14m across both companies by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in October 2025.
Charlotte Clayson and Madeleine Harper look at the breach, Capita's response to the incident and the key takeaways from the decision.
On 22 October, we hosted our final webinar in the series that discussed why the site setup matters, talked through the key information that is needed and examined common issues including with conveyance plans.
M&S Cyber attack – a cautionary tale
In this article Helen Briant looks at what can be learnt from the M&S incident and sets out some thoughts and suggestions in a series of key themes and the lessons learned.
Webinar: Trowers Tuesday: The duty to prevent Sexual Harassment - one year on
On Tuesday 21 October we marked one year since the introduction of the employer duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
Rebecca McGuirk was joined by Vikki Cunliffe and Jennifer Barnett, and they discussed the key challenges, practical insights and lessons learned over the past year.
On 15 October, we hosted the third webinar in the series that explored
the purpose of Section 106 agreements and discussed common features of affordable housing obligations within them.
We covered topics including purpose of section 106 agreements and what type of obligations are capable of being planning obligations.
How useful is Section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023 in practice?
A common question for procurement lawyers is to what extent a contracting authority can switch from a competed procedure to a direct award if the outcome was not of a suitable standard, or little interest is received from the market? Section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23) seeks to clarify this point.
Rebecca Rees and Jade Divers explore how useful Section 43 PA23 is in practice.
Cyber Attacks: more than just data
Over recent years, the news has been full of headlines about cyber attacks and the havoc they have caused businesses large and small, across a range of sectors.
Charlotte Clayson and Sanchita Agrawal look at cyber attacks and the impact on supply chains and operations, and what businesses can do to better protect themselves.
Framework Agreements and Insurance Requirements
As the dust settles following the implementation of the Procurement Act 2023 (the Act) in February of this year, contracting authorities are getting to grips with some subtle changes to the laws governing frameworks.
A key question is whether local authorities are now prohibited from requiring suppliers to have specified insurance levels upon entry into a framework agreement.
In this article, we look at why this is important, consequences for non-compliance and compliance going forward.
Empowering communities, reshaping governance – our perspective on the English Devolution Bill
An interesting and significant development in the UK capital markets space is the recent publication by the Financial Conduct Authority (the FCA) of its Policy Statement PS25/9 (the Policy Statement) (link set out below) in July 2025, setting out the final rules for the admission of securities to trading on UK regulated markets under The Public Offers and Admissions to Trading Regulations 2024 (POATRs). This will usher in a new UK prospectus regime that is expected to come into effect on 19 Jan 2026.
What does the For Women Scotland case mean for service providers?
In the recent Supreme Court decision in For Women Scotland Ltd v Scottish Ministers it was held that, for Equality Act 2010 (EqA 2010) purposes, the definition of "woman" refers to a biological woman and the definition of "sex" refers to biological sex.
Rebecca McGuirk and anna Scott look at the EHRC interim update and it's implications.
UK Government’s 10-year infrastructure strategy: a blueprint for growth and stability
The UK government unveiled its ambitious UK Infrastructure: a 10-year strategy (strategy), a comprehensive plan designed to transform the nation’s economic, housing, and social infrastructure.
Amardeep Gill and Paul McDermott look an at overview of the 10-year infrastructure strategy and the implications for UK Local Government.
Devolution and Local Government reform hub
With the publication of the English Devolution White Paper and the new English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, it’s clear that government is reshaping the governance framework across England. The shift to Strategic Authorities, combined with moves towards unitarisation, signals a period of major transition for regional and local authorities and their partners.
Our dedicated hub brings together expert analysis, guidance and practical tools to help you navigate this landscape with clarity. From understanding the legislative detail to managing its practical impact, our leading public sector team is on hand to support authorities and partners through every stage of reform.
