Trusted advisors to Local Authorities

At Blake Morgan we specialise in local authority leisure, housing, education, waste and social care.

Headed by Penny Rinta-Suksi, a Leading Individual in the Legal 500 and industry name in local authority leisure, our ambition is to support unitary, district and county councils, as well as funders and contractors working in this market. Our mission is to aid our clients to achieve their vision and strategy through well planned and scoped, efficiently implemented, successful projects. We don’t just have experts who advise on the law – our team focuses on outcomes for our clients, and ensures we provide the most up-to-date, real-world solutions for our clients, at the right price for the job, whilst protecting their reputation and budget in a manner to withstand scrutiny.

Main Areas Of Practice

Blake Morgan's local authority legal experts specialise in a number of areas such as leisure, libraries, housing, education, waste and social care.

Leisure Projects

The team is particularly well known for its expertise in unitary and district council leisure projects with varying degrees of capital investment to include design, build, operate and maintain (DBOM) projects and local authority leisure contracts and leisure trust structures. The team has expert knowledge of the Sport England Standard Form documentation.

Local authority procurement

Our expert lawyers advise on complex, innovative and high profile procurements for a range of public sector clients.

Related Expertise

Our Clients

Our clients range from significant unitary councils in prominent city centres to small district councils in the furthest flung corners of the country. We also work with private sector providers and both charitable and non-charitable trusts – which gives us an edge in understanding this market. Our clients include Exeter City Council, North Norfolk District Council, Surrey County Council and Chiltern District Council.

Local Authority Matters

Download our Magazine

The support we have received from Blake Morgan, particularly you [Penny Rinta-Suksi] and Rob [Jefferies], has been incredible and we simply wouldn’t have arrived at this point without your expert advice and input.
- David Evans, Mansfield District Council


"The team we work with at Blake Morgan act as an extension of our team rather than a separate legal firm. They take time to understand our mission, vision and objectives and therefore give legal advice which is relevant and collaborative, making red lines very clear rather than leaving it for us to interpret the law."
- Legal 500, 2022


We would also like to extend our thanks to you and your team for getting us to the point where we can transform leisure services in Reading and improve health outcomes for our communities. Your team are brilliant. I really appreciated the patience, clarity and understanding of our ambitions for this project from everyone who worked with us.
- Donna Pentelow, Assistant Director of Culture, Directorate of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services, Reading Borough Council


"Blake Morgan has always understood the needs of the local authority and responded accordingly. They provide clear advice and are willing to engage with all levels of the council."
- Legal 500, 2022


"I must say thank you to you (Penny RInta-Suksi) and your team for your invaluable support and advice on this procurement. I found the whole team at BM to be knowledgeable and responsive. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you to other clients."
- Sue Markham, Principal Solicitor of Chiltern and South Bucks Joint Legal Services


"I enjoyed working with Penny and the team at Blake Morgan. I found the service both proactive and responsive, with my team's questions being answered in a positive way, providing us with practical solutions and advice. We had a number of complex issues along the way that needed a quick turn around and we found that Blake Morgan really helped us, with the turnaround in pieces of work astonishingly fast and communication top."
- Phil Hughes of Fenland District Council


"Penny is great at focussing the team on providing me with a solution and easily picks up and demystifies complex issues."
- Christine Parsloe of London Borough of Merton


Awards and Accolades

Highlights

We are supporting Reading Borough Council on a Design, Build, Operate and Maintain leisure project covering four sites. The project involves a mixture of new and existing wet and dry leisure facilities spread across multiple sites with design and construction, maintenance and operational issues. We have been retained by the client to provide legal support on all stages of the project from issue of the ISDS through to award, finalisation and commencement of the contract.


Our expert lawyers supported North Norfolk District Council on a large leisure project covering up to seven diverse sites (including one replacement new build, one new build and three dual use sites), utilising a Leisure Operating Contract.


We acted as critical friend to Basingstoke and Deane & Hart District Council on the procurement of a significant waste project.


Our Experts

Penny
Rinta-Suksi
Partner

Oxford

View Profile
Edward
McMullen
Partner

Southampton

View Profile
Simon
McCann
Partner

Cardiff

View Profile
Rajiv
Joshi
Partner

Reading

View Profile
Gillian
McCue
Legal Director

Cardiff

View Profile
Eve
Piffaretti
Partner

Cardiff

View Profile
Ben
Brice
Legal Director

Reading

View Profile
Arrange a Call With One of Our Experts

Awards and Accolades

BM Insights

Articles

Charging orders: the pros, the cons and the obstacles

When a debtor owes money to a creditor, there are different routes that a creditor can take to recover the debt that is owed to them and these are available...

Read More

Articles

First Employment Tribunal decision on pandemic related protected disclosures claim

It is no surprise that many pandemic related Employment Tribunal claims have been brought over the past 18 months. We have now had the first decision relating to a claim...

Read More

Articles

Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 provisions brought into force

A quick guide on the changes coming into force on 1 September 2021, by the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018. Commencement Orders From 1 September 2021,...

Read More

Articles

'Ordinary residence' determination update

What determines ordinary residence? We look at a recent case that gives an update on determination.

Read More

Articles

Sport England template contract interpretation

Commercial expert Penny Rinta-Suksi examine Sport England template contracts.

Read More

Newsletters

Local Authority Matters - October 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have significant adverse effects on individuals, businesses and public bodies, the UK Government is reviewing and revising its measures aimed at mitigating the financial...

Read More
Click here for more Insights

Need Advice?
Call 0238 085 7047
Or Fill in The Form

Our Experts are here to help

  • Privacy Notice

    Blake Morgan Privacy Policy

    We do not use any enquiries to the [email protected] email address or any completed forms for marketing purposes.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Change your cookie consent