A blog about Wirral Council, Wirral Council's councillors & officers
A blog about Wirral Council's public meetings, Wirral Council's councillors, Bidston & St. James ward and other public bodies on Merseyside
As the costs of the new trains rise, Merseytravel’s lawyers buy drinks and you’re paying for it (as well as taxis, wi-fi on trains and other expenses)!
Last Friday, Merseytravel answered a FOI request of mine for various invoices.
Continue reading “As the costs of the new trains rise, Merseytravel’s lawyers buy drinks and you’re paying for it (as well as taxis, wi-fi on trains and other expenses)!”
Wirral Council spent £465,497.06 with six different firms of solicitors in the last financial year
Below is a list of what Wirral Council spent on solicitors in the last financial year (2013-14) which comes at just under half a million pounds. Wirral Council also employ fourteen in-house solicitors. Each amount is a total for the 2013-14 by firm of solicitors and is derived from the lists of invoices over £500 that Wirral Council publish. It is possible the amounts are higher if there are invoices paid that were less than £500. I’ve done a similar list for barristers in another blog post.
Anthony Collins Solicitors £17,570
DLA Piper UK £700
DWF LLP £11,584.38
Eversheds £236,990.13
Forshaws Davies Ridgway LLP £609
Weightmans LLP £198,043.55
Total £465,497.06
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Why did Wirral Council keep the list of solicitors firms and barristers it could use between 2010-2014 so secret?
Last year I published on this blog a contract with Wirral Council for external legal services called the North West Legal Consortium Collaboration Agreement, which was a contract Wirral Council had between 1st April 2010 and the 31st March 2014.
I’ve made many requests to Wirral Council since then for the list of solicitors and barristers (which are in appendices to the agreement) only each time I asked I did not receive the lists. This unanswered Freedom of Information Act request of the 16th May 2014 being the latest request. However anticipating Wirral Council would ignore me, I also made a Freedom of Information request to Sefton Borough Council who did give out the information.
So first is the list of firms of solicitors sorted alphabetically that Wirral Council could use during 2010-2014 through the North West Legal Consortium Collaboration Agreement.
Addleshaw Goddard
Anthony Collins
Ashford
Beachcroft
Berrymans Lace Mawer
Bevan Brittan
Brabners Chaffe Street
Cobbetts
Davitt Jones Bould
Devonshires
Dickinson Dees
DLA Piper
DWF
Eversheds
Field Fisher Waterhouse
Forbes
Forshaws Davies Ridgway
Freeth Cartwright
George Davies
Glaisyers
Halliwells
Hammonds
HBJ Gateley Wareing
Hill Dickinson
Mace & Jones
Pannone
Pinsent Masons
Stephensons Solicitors
TPP Law
Weightmans
Whiteheads
Second is the list of firms of barristers chambers sorted alphabetically that Wirral Council could use during 2010-2014 through the collaboration agreement.
2-3 Grays Inn Square
4-5 Grays Inn
5 Essex Court
7 Harrington Street
11 Kings Bench Walk
18 St John Street
39 Essex Street
Arden Chambers
Atlantic Chambers
Cobden House
Deans Court Chambers
Exchange Chambers
Field Court Chambers
Garden Court Chambers
India Buildings
Kings Chambers
Lincoln House Chambers
Old Square Chambers
Oriel Chambers
Ropewalk Chambers
Serle Court
St Ives Chambers
St James Chambers
St Johns Buildings
Young Street Chambers
So why was Wirral Council trying to keep these lists of solicitors and barristers such a secret?
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