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Legal Services

• Client feedback form - legal services
  Enabling clients to submit their opinion of the service they received.
  
  
• Data protection policy
  Information about our data protection policy and information requests.
  
  
• Regulation of investigatory powers guide
  Ensuring we comply with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000)
  

About the Legal Service

This is a support service covering the following:

• The provision of on-demand legal advice to the Council, committees and colleagues on all aspects of the Council’s work.
• The carrying out of the legal aspects of the Council’s property transactions
• The undertaking of litigation and prosecutions in the courts and advocacy in the courts, public inquiries and other tribunals. Some of this work is done for other Councils.
• The carrying out of property transactions and litigation on behalf of Fosseway Housing Association
• The provision of free legal advice to town and parish councils.

The Council considers it important to have expert legal advice on hand at all times.  Counsel and private sector solicitors are used when specialist advice is needed or when a task can be carried out more effectively by that means. The services provided to Fosseway Housing Association were won through open competition.

The Head of Legal Services is also the Monitoring Officer to the Council and to Parish Councils throughout the District which involve servicing the Council’s Standards Committee and giving advice and guidance on the conduct of individual Councillors.  Complaints about the conduct of Councillors can be made to the Standards Board for England.

The Head of Legal Services is also the Council’s point of contact for the Local Government Ombudsman (www.lgo.org.uk ). Citizens who are dissatisfied with the way in which a matter has been handled by the Council should complain to the Council directly using the Council’s Internal Complaints System but can go to the Independent Ombudsman if the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction. See related link below to make a complaint about a Council service.

This section is also responsible for the Council's Data Protection Policy under the Data Protection Act. See further information in the left menu.