Government and Public Sector news, August 2025

Legal insights, news and events from DWF's Government and Public Sector team delivered monthly to your inbox.

DWF monthly insight:

The Subsidy Control case of Weis v Greater Manchester Combined Authority – four lessons for public authorities to take forward: The Competition Appeal Tribunal has rejected a challenge brought by property developer Aubrey Weis against the Subsidy Control compliance of two public funded loans awarded by Greater Manchester Combined Authority to the Renaker Group. In this article, Jonathan Branton, Alexander Rose and Francesca Parry discuss the Competition Appeal Tribunal's judgment and look into the key lessons that public authorities should incorporate into their decision making processes going forward. View >

CMA’s first SMS designation: What the Google decision tells us about the future of digital regulation: The UK’s digital markets regime has taken a decisive step forward. On 24 June 2025, the Competition and Markets Authority published its proposed decision to designate Google as having Strategic Market Status under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. This is the first time the CMA has exercised its new powers to designate a firm as an SMS, marking a significant moment for digital regulation in the UK. View >

Turbulence ahead - £205.2m Cardiff Airport public funding package to be challenged under the Subsidy Control Act 2022: On 9 July 2025, the Welsh Government confirmed that its proposed £205.2m investment package to transform Cardiff Airport over the next ten years will be the subject of litigation brought under the Subsidy Control Act 2022 by Bristol Airport. In this article, Jonathan Branton and Alexander Rose consider the case and whether we are now likely to see more legal challenges emerge within the airport and aviation sector, which has been the subject of frequent cases in EU State aid law. View >

DWF supports Serco on landmark MoD recruitment contract: In this article, DWF outlines its role in supporting Serco on its landmark contract for the UK Ministry of Defence's new Armed Forces Recruiting Service which is set to transform the way individuals join the Armed Forces. View >

Protecting your privilege: Avoiding employer pitfalls: Legal professional privilege is a fundamental principle that entitles a party to withhold certain evidence from production to a third party or court. In this article, our employment law experts explore how legal professional privilege applies in employment matters. View >

Construction Insights July 2025: UK: The construction industry in the UK is undergoing a major transformation, driven by sustainability goals, regulatory reforms, technological innovation and workforce challenges. This article explores these key topics further. View >

Navigating ethics in law: The launch of the Ethical Practice Framework: A landmark initiative aimed at strengthening ethical decision-making among in-house legal professionals has been launched by the Law Society, in partnership with IDEA, The Ethics Centre, University of Leeds. The Ethical Practice Framework is the first of its kind, offering a structured suite of tools and resources to support in-house lawyers as they navigate the increasingly complex ethical landscape of modern business. View > 

DWF Data Protection Insights – July 2025: In this article we provide a round-up of the top data protection and cyber security stories looking back at June 2025, together with practical advice on what we are seeing in practice. View >

Other news:

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: OpenAI to expand UK office and work with UK Government departments to turbocharge the UK’s AI infrastructure and transform public services. View >

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: £1.1 billion boost to improve local recycling services across England. View >

Scottish Government: New jobs will be created and derelict sites regenerated in Glasgow’s former industrial heartland with the help of funding announced by First Minister John Swinney. View >

Scottish Government: More than 60,000 homes and businesses to benefit from Project Gigabit rollout. View >

Sector Events 

Look out for details of our upcoming webinars and events: 

DWF Link (Glasgow) City Walking Tour – 14 August 2025

DWF Link (Glasgow) will be hosting a 1.5 hour 'netwalking' tour of street art in Glasgow city centre this summer. Join us to soak up the history and culture of the city followed by refreshments back at our office.

Registration link >

Lessons learned from the Procurement Act 2023 – 6 months on – 3 September 2025

This webinar will provide an overview of the lessons learned from the implementation of the 2023 Act, and any case law or guidance updates.
Registration link >

Golden Brick / package deal housing acquisitions – 9 September 2025

This session summarises what a 'golden brick' or 'package deal' is. We will explore how these differ from a 10/90 or turnkey acquisition of new-build housing, and discuss the pros and cons, potential pitfalls, tax treatment, and how they interact with available grant funding.

Registration link >

The Procurement Act 2023 - Land deal v public works contract – 10 September 2025

This webinar will provide practical guidance on how to deliver complex regeneration projects under the 2023 Act. It will provide options for delivery and set out when the 2023 Act will / will not apply.

Registration link >

In case you missed it:

Contract templates in the government sector post the introduction of the Procurement Act 2023 

Drawing on our experience of drafting these templates alongside the Cabinet Office, Government Legal, and CCS, this webinar offered practical advice on how and when to use them. It also highlighted the amendments Contracting Authorities needed to make to their own template contracts, along with insights gathered from projects with several of our Local Authority clients.

Open Procedure v Competitive Flexible Procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023

This webinar provided guidance on procurement strategy, including which procedure was best to adopt, along with step-by-step, practical advice on how to conduct a lawful procedure in compliance with the 2023 Act.

How public authorities should prepare for increased checks and audits

This webinar considered how public authorities should prepare for such greater checks of how they spend public funds, particularly in the context of grant funding programmes, plus other tips for keeping records and managing audits, "deep dives" and other investigations.

Pensions in the public sector

This webinar provided an update on what we are seeing from a pensions perspective in respect of the public sector. In this webinar, topics covered included:

• Productive Finance and ESG investing
• Legal and practical considerations in pensions outsourcing and procurement
• Protected persons and their ongoing entitlement to defined benefit accrual
• Regulatory round-up
• Horizon scanning

Brave New Law Webinar: Overcoming leadership blind spots for GCs

Our recent Brave New Law webinar explored how leadership blind spots can hinder decision-making, collaboration, and risk management. Chaired by Catherine McGregor, the session offered practical insights for GCs on navigating executive dynamics, building strategic relationships, and evolving leadership styles for long-term success.