Our work for Parish and Town Councils is based on many years of experience inside Local Government. Nicholas Hancox worked in-house for various local authorities for 23 years and he was the Director of Legal Services with Norfolk County Council from 1992 to 1996.
Our service to Local Councils is now strengthened by the appointment of Solicitor Debbie Ashton as the National Legal Advisor of the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC).
The National Association of Local Councils invited Nicholas Hancox to speak at their National Training Strategy meeting on 17 February 2009. The subject was "The Power of Well Being - Applications and Uses" and Nick discussed the new power given to "eligible local councils" in the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.
It was the 2007 Act which brought the 2000 Local Government Act Power of Well-Being to local councils for the first time. The DCLG Guidance was published on 17 February and launched at the NALC meeting.
Nicholas Hancox gave (anonymised) examples of his Parish and Town Council clients, which had come to him for advice in the past and which could now (if they become "eligible councils") solve their local issues by the careful use of the new Power of Well-Being.
Here are some examples of work our lawyers have done with Parish and Town Council clients over the years:
| Highways | Footpaths | Village Greens |
| Commons | Allotments | Cemeteries |
| Burials | Recreation Grounds | Local Charities |
| Staithes | Leisure Centres | Contracts |
| Employment Law | Clerks | Staffing |
| Dispute Resolution | Council Members | Ethical Standards |
| Compulsory Purchase | Supporting Schools | Bus Shelters |
| Property Development | First Registration of Land | Boundary Disputes |
| Village Halls | Audit Problems | Planning Matters |