Partner
Lucy leads the Public Sector & Local Government team. Her local government practice rests on 18 years of experience advising her public sector clients on complex projects to deliver their objectives. Her understanding of the sector and Ashfords’ clients’ needs means that she brings real insight into the delivery of legal services to the firm’s public sector clients. Lucy fields specialist teams from all across the firm to ensure the client receives tailored advice, whilst always maintaining a high standard of client service and a full appreciation of the political, regulatory and budgetary constraints within which our public sector clients work.
Lucy provides structuring advice for her clients to ensure compliance with vires, the PCR 2015 and the subsidy control regime. For example the establishment and ongoing structuring of local authority owned housing delivery vehicles such as Brick by Brick, Homes for Lambeth, Exeter City Living and, most recently, Populo Living. The nature of these entities means that funds and contracts need to be moved between the local authority and the corporate group, as well as inside the corporate groups.
Lucy also continues to advise her local authority broadband clients on the complex subsidy control, procurement, contractual and vires implications of their rural broadband projects, liaising with Government to challenge and agree the interpretation of subsidy control rules to these projects nationally. Lucy also provides training on the procurement regime, for example recently training the heads of legal of the majority of the London Borough Councils on the implications of the new Procurement Bill.
Lucy manages the firms appointments to the LBLA, CCS and NHS SBS framework with her team and has a strong relationship with a large number of the London Borough Councils as well as South West authorities. Lucy is the client relationship manager for many of the firm’s local authority clients, often acting as a ‘critical friend’ for the senior members of the organisations to provide general support.
Lucy is praised for her responsive approach to client relationships, she takes a central role in ensuring our public sector clients receive clear, details and value for money advice, with a full appreciation of the political, regulatory and financial constraints within which our local authority clients operate.
Various Local Authorities: Advising on the compliance and structuring of phosphate credit schemes.
The Royal Parks Limited: Advising on contractual and procurement issues on various matters.
Ashford Borough Council: Advising on the Ashford International Studios Project for the regeneration of a brownfield site and former railway works into a film and TV studios, housing and commercial space which received £14.7 million from the Levelling Up Fund.
Homes for Lambeth: Ashfords was the sole legal advisor to the HFL Group, which is wholly owned by the London Borough of Lambeth and is delivering new homes across its estates and on privately-owned estates.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: Advising the Borough on its £253 million procurement of a consultancy and construction framework for its housing management capital investment programme.
Brick by Brick Limited: Advising this Housing Delivery Vehicle, which is wholly owned by the London Borough of Croydon, in relation to procurement and contractual matters.
London Borough of Newham: Advising the Borough on its corporate outsourcing programme.
Herefordshire Council and Gloucestershire County Council: Advising the Councils on third stage of the Fastershire superfast and ultrafast broadband roll-out, Lucy has been advising on this project since the original pilot scheme in 2011.
London Borough of Lambeth: Advising the Borough across all stages of several outsourcings including the outsourcing of its Revenue, Benefits and Customer Services and the outsourcing of its Facilities Management Services.
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