Local authorities face gaps in the availability of legal advice in key areas as council legal departments struggle to cope with rising demand and diminishing resources, according to exclusive research for the Gazette.

A survey of 124 heads of legal found respondents predicting a rise in volumes of work in 2009/2010 across almost all core areas of local government legal practice.

The most commonly forecast areas for growth (by 67% of respondents in each case) are constitutional and administrative law, employment and social services. Other categories where more than half of heads of legal expect an expanded workload are litigation (55%), and data security/information management and freedom of information (50%).

Legal department budgets are nevertheless set to fall. Some 56% of heads of legal expect their budget to decrease by more than 5%, while one in ten face a cut of more than 10%.

Suzanne Bond, chairwoman of Solicitors in Local Government, warned that many local authorities would have to make a decision about the type of legal service they want and what their priorities are if they insist on making cuts. ‘If the resources aren’t there to cover the whole broad spread [of activity], then a decision has to be made about what you ditch.’

The research also found that local authorities are turning to shared panels of law firms and barristers’ chambers to reduce costs. Almost half (46%) of councils now have a panel in place, with two-thirds sharing them with other local authorities.

  • The research results are covered in a 40-page supplement on local government practice published by the Gazette this week. Go to www.lawgazette.co.uk/supplements to download a free copy.