Civil news: update on transfer of court assessed claims to LAA

News story

Law firms and other providers of legal aid will now have a choice of whether eligible claims are handled by the Legal Aid Agency’s civil finance team or the courts.

A group of friends all pile their hands on top of each other

There will now be a choice for law firms and providers of legal aid on where civil claims are assessed.

Legal aid practitioners can choose to have civil claims assessed at court or assessed by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) from 15 January 2021.

If the route of assessment by the LAA is chosen then the civil finance team would assess the claim bill.

By choosing to continue to send this work to the LAA it will remove the need for claims to go before the courts.

This will mean faster payments in both the long and short-term for work.

This change is to allow for a full consultation on the proposal for a permanent transfer of assessment rights from the courts to LAA. The consultation will open shortly and details will be published on GOV.UK.

What does this apply to?

Any new civil or family claim that would previously been subject to detailed assessment at court, often referred to as ‘taxed bills’.

Any claim assessed by the LAA (after 17 August 2020) where the firm isn’t satisfied with the assessment.

Any civil or family claim that this does not apply to will continue to be assessed by LAA.

Further information

Guidance on how to submit your claim

Published 15 January 2021



Bristol rapist jailed for longer

Press release

Andy Anokye has had his jail sentence increased following an intervention by the Solicitor General, Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP.

A Bristol grime artist has had his jail sentence increased following an intervention by the Solicitor General, Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP.

Andy Anokye, 33, repeatedly raped four women over the course of 2 years, subjecting each to prolonged imprisonment, interrogation, torture and humiliation. He also made recordings of his offences. Prior to this case the offender had 8 previous convictions, a majority of which involved violence.

On 30 July 2020, Anokye was sentenced to 24 years’ imprisonment with a licence extension of 5 years by Bristol Crown Court.

Following the Court’s decision, the Solicitor General referred Anokye’s sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

On 15 January 2021, the Court confirmed Anokye as a Dangerous Offender and ruled that the sentence was unduly lenient. The Court increased the original sentence to 30 years’ imprisonment followed by 5 years on licence.

After the hearing at the Court of Appeal the Solicitor General, Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP, said:

Anokye’s crimes were truly shocking. The Court of Appeal’s decision to increase his sentence recognises the severity of the abuse he inflicted upon his victims and the danger he poses to the public.

Published 15 January 2021



New curriculum and campus to improve Civil Service skills and expertise

  • Move will help embed Civil Service training across government, with a renewed emphasis on technical and analytical skills
  • More rigorous and specialist training will ultimately mean less reliance on expensive external consultants
  • Training will also be offered to Ministers

An overhaul of Civil Service training is being launched today that will equip civil servants with the skills and knowledge to deliver the best possible public services, become less reliant on expensive external consultants, and build back stronger, fairer, safer and greener.

The plans are part of the government’s transformation programme.

The new Curriculum and Campus for Government Skills will transform training and development for civil servants from the core knowledge needed at the beginning of their career through to specialist training in areas such as economics, data usage, the physical sciences, and constitutional issues.

The new training offer will also develop in-house Civil Service expertise, ultimately allowing government to rely less on expensive consultants saving taxpayers money.

As well as the thousands of civil servants across the UK, the curriculum will also offer induction training for new ministers.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove said:

We must make the most of the amazing talent that we have in such abundance in the Civil Service and that means ensuring civil servants across the UK are equipped with the right skills and can develop deep knowledge of the areas they work in.

For too long training has been focussed on the latest management jargon and ignored specialist knowledge.

The New Curriculum and Campus for Government Skills will transform our approach to training and deliver better public services for families across the UK.

Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service Alex Chisholm said:

This new curriculum and learning campus will better target training in key areas, as well as focus on building up technical and vocational skills.

It will help us to maximise the outstanding talent in the Civil Service, providing more opportunities for civil servants at every level to develop and progress their careers.

The new curriculum is divided into five complementary strands, providing training in a range of areas including:

  1. Foundations of public administration, such as analysing evidence, training in how to write effective submissions and policy documents, and in data handling
  2. Working in government, providing information on devolution & intergovernmental working, parliament and legislation and the machinery of government
  3. Leading and managing, offering advice and training for current and future leaders
  4. Specialist skills, developing deep expertise in areas such as analysis, digital and procurement
  5. Domain knowledge, focusing on building and assessing knowledge in specific policy areas, such as health, education or transport

By the end of the year, it is expected that thousands of civil servants will have taken part in the training, with courses ranging from initial induction to working in Government up to line management training and specialist courses.

The new curriculum will also better induct staff who are new to the civil service. A pass/fail assessment pilot will be established, with the aim of giving managers the assurance about a new start’s capabilities, providing a ‘license to practice’.

The campus will initially be based online. As part of the programme we are looking at potentially partnering with existing public sector centres of excellence, like the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Other initiatives include the potential for a College for National Security and a Service Delivery Academy. The College of National Security will improve skills and access to expertise for individuals working in defence, security and foreign policy and strategy areas. The College will also work with universities and other sectors so that civil servants can better utilise wider expertise in this area.

Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic training sessions will be held virtually to begin with, but in-person sessions will be developed for use in the future.

The new curriculum will replace the current training system across government, which features a mix of centralised core skills and individually commissioned training programmes held in every department.

The new system will lead to the development of more rigorous standards for training across the whole of Government, reduce the risk of duplication in training and learning, and offer better value for money.



The Secretary of State has reappointed Sir Nicholas Serota as Chair of Arts Council England.

News story

Sir Nicholas Serota has been reappointed by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as Chair of Arts Council England for four years from 01 February 2021 to 31 January 2025.

Sir Nicholas Serota has been Chair of Arts Council England since 2017. During this period he has led the Durham Commission on Creativity and Education and has been closely involved with the Cultural Cities Enquiry as well as the development of the Arts Council England Strategy for 2020-30, ‘Let’s Create’.

He was Director of Tate from 1988 to 2017. During this period Tate opened Tate St Ives (1993) and Tate Modern (2000 and extension 2016), redefining the Millbank building as Tate Britain (2000). Tate also broadened its field of interest to include twentieth-century photography, film and performance, as well as collecting art from Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The national role of the Gallery also became more significant with the creation of the Plus Tate network of 35 institutions across the UK and Northern Ireland.

Sir Nicholas was a member of the Olympic Delivery Authority which was responsible for building the Olympic Park in East London for 2012. He has been a member of the Board of the BBC since 2016.

This role is remunerated at £40,000 per annum. This reappointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments, the process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Sir Nicholas has not declared any activity.

Published 15 January 2021



Tom Cargill appointed as new Wilton Park Chief Executive Officer

  • New CEO announced as Wilton Park, a global forum for strategic discussion, celebrates its 75th anniversary.
  • Mr Cargill, who brings diverse experience from across the public and private sectors, will lead the organisation to continue its vital role of finding innovative solutions to tackle global issues and support British foreign policy priorities.
  • This will include shaping new relationships with the EU and other international partners in 2021, as well as continuing to partner with a range of actors, multilateral bodies and like-minded countries to promote key discussions on climate change, sustainable development, conflict prevention, human rights, and support for a rules-based international system.

Tom Cargill hailed 2021 as an “exciting time” for Wilton Park following his appointment as the agency’s new Chief Executive Officer.

The announcement comes as Wilton Park marks its 75th anniversary and continues to build its vital role to drive collective global security and prosperity, and to build international relationships. From its foundation in 1946, Wilton Park has hosted discussions to address some of the most important issues over the past 75 years – from nuclear non-proliferation, to the impact of technological change on education, work and society – and has become the home for open and innovative discussion.

Mr Cargill, who will take up the role on 18 January, will bring a wealth of public and private sector experience to drive Wilton Park to continue to generate innovative solutions to global issues, and to build new relationships around the world.

Wilton Park runs more than 70 events a year, aiming to facilitate international dialogue and bring fresh thinking to the development of international policy. Under Mr Cargill’s leadership, the organisation will continue to use these platforms to help the UK to navigate a new relationship with the EU and other international partners, recover from the global effects of the coronavirus pandemic and become an even stronger force for good in the world.

Nigel Adams, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, said:

Wilton Park has an important part to play in a truly global Britain. Its work demonstrates how the UK is a force for good, driven by ambitious ideas to solve global problems, determined to seize new opportunities and forge new relationships around the world.

Tom Cargill’s diverse experience across the public and private sector means that he is ideally placed to lead Wilton Park’s vital work.

Gisela Stuart, Chair of Wilton Park said:

Tom is a strong appointment for Wilton Park. He brings a huge amount of experience, energy and insight to the role. Under his leadership, Wilton Park will continue to grow and develop, bringing fresh thinking to international policy and supporting its delivery.

Mr Cargill said:

Wilton Park sits right at the heart of the UK’s soft power and global networks. Now is a particularly exciting time to be leading a globally connected organisation that is both a trusted convenor of dialogue and one of Britain’s pre-eminent drivers of soft power. I look forward to building on our networks of influence, as we navigate the new challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Currently the CEO of the business development organisation British Expertise International, Mr Cargill brings with him a vast amount of experience working in UK foreign policy, trade, international development and infrastructure.

He has served as founder, CEO, and remains Chair of the not-for-profit British Foreign Policy Group. He previously worked on international business development strategy for the engineering multinational Bechtel and spent 10 years at Chatham House.

  • Mr Cargill succeeds Colin Smith, who has held the role of interim Chief Executive since May 2020 and has moved to another Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) appointment.
  • Wilton Park is an executive agency of the FCDO, helping to drive international dialogue. Its mission is to serve as a force for good, finding practical solutions to critical global issues.