REUTERS | Sharif Karim
01/06/2016

Issues to bear in mind when drafting a report for a decision-maker

In R (Hill) v Cornwall Council and another [2016] EWHC 1264 (Admin), a judicial review challenge in which the claimant sought to quash the grant of planning permission for a synthetic pitch on land within sports fields belonging to a community college, the court referred to the approach that should be adopted towards the reports of planning officers.  Although the legal principles set out below were made in the context of a planning officer’s report and the planning regime contained in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA 1990), they serve as a useful reminder of the relevant principles that those preparing a report for a public body taking a decision that they are required to take should have in mind. Continue reading →

REUTERS | Eric Gaillard
25/05/2016

Public procurement policy review: March to May 2016

This post sets out the key developments in public procurement legislation and policy that lawyers need to be aware of and covers the period from March to May 2016. The post does not consider case law as this is covered in our monthly public case digest. For a summary of the latest cases, see Public Procurement case digest (April 2016).

Subscribers to Practical Law can keep up to date with the latest public procurement developments by signing up to the Practical Law Public Law or Practical Law Local Government email updates (available weekly) or the Practical Law Competition updates (available daily). Updates are also tweeted on the @PracLawProcure Twitter feed. Continue reading →

REUTERS | John Kolesidis
17/05/2016

Regulation 53 and the definition of “procurement documents”

“Do we really need to publish all our procurement documents before we go to market” is a question we are frequently asked by our clients. Regulation 53(1) of the Public Contracts Regulation 2015 requires contracting authorities, by means of the internet, to offer unrestricted and full direct access free of charge to the procurement documents from the date that a notice is published in the OJEU commencing a procurement. Continue reading →

REUTERS | Ricardo Moraes
11/05/2016

Adult social care quarterly digest (February – April 2016)

This is the latest in our series of quarterly adult social care update blogs, giving readers a snapshot of the most important cases, issues and developments in adult social care. This post looks at developments from February 2016 to April 2016.

Please feel free to submit a comment below or send us an Ask query if you have any views on the cases, issues, or legal developments covered or if you think we have missed something that should be brought to the attention of adult social care practitioners.

In this post we look at:

  • New legislation and guidance.
  • Care Act 2014: developments.
  • Mental health.
  • Health.

Continue reading →

REUTERS | Tobias Schwarz
04/05/2016

Public procurement case digest (April 2016)

April’s case digest includes ECJ rulings on relying on the capacity of other providers, lots and electronic auctions, and on actions for review of tender awards. Also included is a High Court judgment striking out a claim on the basis that the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 did not apply to the procurement exercise in question.

Please feel free to submit a comment below or send us an Ask query if you have any views on the cases covered, or think that we have missed a case that should be brought to the attention of public procurement practitioners. Continue reading →