Markets, town centres and business development

Stronger markets.Thriving town centres.

Practical support for councils, market operators and local partnerships. From market and town centre strategies to licensing committee reports, business support and delivery plans.

Explore our support Discuss a project

30-minute initial discussion · No charge · No obligation

£11.5mManchester markets revenue budget

2 BIDsProject-managed in Camden

20+ yearsLocal government and consultancy

BarristerCalled to the Bar in 2005

Markets, town centres and business development

Experience of running the services behind successful places.

Commercial understanding, legal judgement and practical delivery for councils, market operators and local partnerships.

Markets

Commercial strategy, operations and trading governance, informed by direct experience of leading retail and wholesale markets.

Markets support

Town centres

Clear priorities, effective partnerships and practical plans for town centres, trading areas and the people who use them.

Town centre support

Businesses

Support for local enterprise, incubation and trading opportunities, drawing on experience of BIDs and business development.

Enterprise support

Lee has advised several local authorities on their market and town centre strategies, from helping draft licensing committee reports to future planning.

Explore markets, town centres and business development

Legal and regulatory advice

Sound decisions, backed by practical understanding.

Alongside our markets and town centre work, Devol Legal advises public bodies on licensing, enforcement, procurement, governance and organisational change.

Regulatory failure

A licensing, enforcement or statutory service needs rapid review, remediation and a route back to defensible practice.

Review · Remediation · Assurance

Decisions under scrutiny

A contested decision, audit finding or governance concern requires calm analysis and an evidential trail capable of standing up to challenge.

Public law · Governance · Audit

Complex reform

Reorganisation, procurement reform or service redesign must remain lawful while working within political, financial and operational constraints.

Reform · Delivery · Implementation

Explore the full practice

Experience informing our approach

Commercial understanding, earned in practice.

Lee’s earlier council roles and advisory work inform the support Devol Legal offers today, from the detail of market operations to the future of a town centre.

Manchester City Council

Markets and commercial leadership

Leadership across retail and wholesale markets, a £11.5 million revenue budget, market relaunches and the expansion of the Christmas Markets.

London Borough of Camden

Town centres and local enterprise

Leadership of town centres and trading services, project management of two Business Improvement Districts, and incubation hubs in underused council premises.

Local authority advisory work

From committee reports to future plans

Advice to several local authorities on market and town centre strategies, from helping draft licensing committee reports to future planning.

Explore Lee’s experience

Defined pieces of work

Clear scopes. Useful outputs.

Agree a focused review, a strategy or a programme of support. Scope, deliverables, fees and timescales are set out before the work begins.

Market & Trading Service Review

A review of commercial performance, operations and trading arrangements, with options and priorities for improvement.

Service assessment · Action plan

Town Centre Strategy

Evidence, engagement and shared priorities brought into a practical strategy with clear responsibilities and next steps.

Strategy · Delivery plan

Enterprise & BID Development

Options for local business support, incubation and partnerships, supported by proportionate business planning.

Options · Business case

Regulatory Function Review

An independent review of legal, policy, governance and operating arrangements, with prioritised recommendations.

Review · Written findings

Committee Report & Decision Support

Help with licensing committee reports, evidence, consultation and decision-making procedures.

Drafting · Review · Advice

Discuss the right scope

Principal

Founder and Principal Adviser

Lee Vallender

Barrister · Called 2005 · Lincoln’s Inn

Lee combines legal judgement with senior experience in markets, town centres and business development, alongside regulatory and transformation work across local government and consulting.

Senior advice without the pyramid

Instructions are scoped and led at principal level throughout. Responsibility is not handed down to a junior delivery team after the first meeting.

Meet Lee and the team

Policy & perspective · August 2026

Procurement reform in practice: what public bodies should prioritise first

Practical priorities for public bodies implementing procurement reform, from governance and planning to contract management.

Read the analysis

A straightforward route to instruction

Know what happens before work begins.

Start with a short conversation. If the matter is a fit, the next steps are agreed with you in writing before any work starts.

01
Initial discussion
A confidential, 30-minute conversation at no charge and without obligation.
02
Conflict check
Parties and subject matter are checked before an instruction is accepted.
03
Written proposal
Scope, deliverables, fee and timetable are agreed before the work begins.

Start with a discussion

A measured view on a live issue

Discuss the matter with the principal.

Tell us what has happened, what is at stake and where the pressure is coming from. The initial discussion is confidential and without obligation.

Discuss a matter 020 8150 9869