Local Government

Chambers is highly ranked by the leading independent legal directories for its work across a broad spectrum of local government work including in particular for planning, licensing, local government finance and compulsory purchase.
 

Chambers is highly ranked by the leading independent legal directories for its work across a broad spectrum of local government work including in particular for planning, licensing, local government finance and compulsory purchase.
 

The Legal 500, 2024 notes that FTB is "one of the leading local government sets with experience across the board in local government law" and a "fantastic set to work with." Chambers and Partners 2023 comments that Francis Taylor Building has "very good level of expertise across the board" and "good-quality work". 

Chambers' expertise includes all aspects of local government law and procedures:

  • Local government powers
    • Planning
    • Licensing
    • Local government finance including rating and the Council Tax
    • Compulsory purchase
  • Highways, Commons and Open Spaces
  • Election law
  • Education
  • Assets of Community Value
  • Public Procurement
  • Public health and environment
  • Maladministration
  • Standards in local government

Members of chambers have been involved in cases involving the Commissioner for Local Administration, the Parliamentary Commissioner and the Standards Board for England. In Hong Kong members have acted for public utilities and developers on major matters.

Junior members of Chambers also attend secondments at local and public authorities where they advise and appear on a variety of different local government issues.

01
Sep' 20
Cain Ormondroyd Appointed to Attorney General’s A Panel of Approved Counsel, Sarah Sackman to the B panel and Michael Fry and Caroline Daly to the C Panel

FTB is delighted to announce that Cain Ormondroyd has been promoted to the Attorney General's A panel of approved counsel, Sarah Sackman has been promoted to the  B panel and Michael Fry and Caroline Daly have been appointed to the C panel. Their appointments commence on 1st September 2020.

Read more
04
Mar' 20
Supreme Court Grants Permission in Public Law Costs Case

The Supreme Court (Lords Kerr, Carnwath and Briggs) has granted permission to appeal from the Court of Appeal’s decision in CPRE - Kent Branch v SSCLG [2019] EWCA Civ 1230; [2020] 1 WLR 352. 

Read more

"One of the leading local government sets with experience across the board in local government law" and a ‘" fantastic set to work with."

Legal 500, 2024

"very good level of expertise across the board" and "good-quality work."

Chambers and Partners, 2023

"Areas of particular strength for the set's members include cases relating to local government finances and council tax, as well as complex public health, licensing and highways matters. The team is also regularly called upon to advise on ratings and land valuation matters, and offers considerable expertise in relation to compulsory purchase orders and compensation."

Chambers and Partners, 2022

"The team is highly regarded for its expertise in rating matters, and handles instructions relating to local government finances, council tax, licensing and compulsory purchase orders and compensation."

Legal 500, 2022

"The set as a whole has extremely knowledgeable and hard working barristers with a wealth of experience and offers a good range of barristers within different price ranges."

Legal 500, 2022
01
Sep' 20
Cain Ormondroyd Appointed to Attorney General’s A Panel of Approved Counsel, Sarah Sackman to the B panel and Michael Fry and Caroline Daly to the C Panel

FTB is delighted to announce that Cain Ormondroyd has been promoted to the Attorney General's A panel of approved counsel, Sarah Sackman has been promoted to the  B panel and Michael Fry and Caroline Daly have been appointed to the C panel. Their appointments commence on 1st September 2020.

Read more
04
Mar' 20
Supreme Court Grants Permission in Public Law Costs Case

The Supreme Court (Lords Kerr, Carnwath and Briggs) has granted permission to appeal from the Court of Appeal’s decision in CPRE - Kent Branch v SSCLG [2019] EWCA Civ 1230; [2020] 1 WLR 352. 

Read more

King's Counsel

Simon Bird KC

Call: 1987 | Silk: 2009

Robert McCracken KC

Call: 1973 | Silk: 2003

Andrew Tait KC

Call: 1981 | Silk: 2003

Michael Humphries KC

Call: 1982 | Silk: 2003

Gerald Gouriet KC

Call: 1974 | Silk: 2006

David Matthias KC

Call: 1980 | Silk: 2006

Morag Ellis KC

Call: 1984 | Silk: 2006

Richard Glover KC

Call: 1984 | Silk: 2009

Douglas Edwards KC

Call: 1992 | Silk: 2010

Gregory Jones KC

Call: 1991 | Silk: 2011

Suzanne Ornsby KC

Call: 1986 | Silk: 2012

James Pereira KC

Call: 1996 | Silk: 2014

Saira Kabir Sheikh KC

Call: 2000 | Silk: 2014

Hereward Phillpot KC

Call: 1997 | Silk: 2015

Alexander Booth KC

Call: 2000 | Silk: 2016

Jeremy Phillips KC

Call: 2004 | Silk: 2018

Richard Honey KC

Call: 2003 | Silk: 2021

Meyric Lewis KC

Call: 1986 | Silk: 2023

Junior Counsel

Philip Petchey

Call: 1976

Timothy Comyn

Call: 1980

James Rankin

Call: 1983

Gary Grant

Call: 1994

Leo Charalambides

Call: 1998

Emyr Jones

Call: 1999

Kate Olley

Call: 1999

John Jolliffe

Call: 2005

Professor Pavlos Eleftheriadis

Call: 2006

Cain Ormondroyd

Call: 2007

Annabel Graham Paul

Call: 2008

Hugh Flanagan

Call: 2008

Rebecca Clutten

Call: 2008

Ned Westaway

Call: 2009

Isabella Tafur

Call: 2009

David Graham

Call: 2010

George Mackenzie

Call: 2011

Alexander Greaves

Call: 2012

Caroline Daly

Call: 2013

Charles Forrest

Call: 2014

Merrow Golden

Call: 2014

Horatio Waller

Call: 2014

Daisy Noble

Call: 2015

Charles Merrett

Call: 2016

Esther Drabkin-Reiter

Call: 2017

Brendan Brett

Call: 2017

Conor Fegan

Call: 2018

Jonathan Welch

Call: 2019

Flora Curtis

Call: 2019

Flora Curtis

Call: 2019

Michael Rhimes

Call: 2019

Mark O’Brien O’Reilly

Call: 2021, 2023 (Ireland)

Michael Feeney

Call: 2021

Associate Members

Charles Holland

Call: 1994