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Office of the Public Guardian

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) is the executive agency that administers the Lasting Power of Attorney system in England and Wales. It registers LPAs and Enduring Powers of Attorney, maintains the public register, supervises court-appointed deputies, and investigates concerns about how attorneys are exercising their powers. The OPG sits within the Ministry of Justice and reports to the Lord Chancellor. [source: gov-uk/office-of-the-public-guardian-2026-04-30.html]

The three UK jurisdictions each have their own equivalent body:

  • Office of the Public Guardian (England and Wales) — handles LPAs and EPAs. Phone 0300 456 0300 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Wednesday 10am to 5pm). Post: Office of the Public Guardian, PO Box 16185, Birmingham B2 2WH. Online: gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-public-guardian. [source: gov-uk/office-of-the-public-guardian-2026-04-30.html]
  • Office of the Public Guardian for Scotland — handles Continuing Powers of Attorney and Welfare Powers of Attorney. Phone 01324 678300. Online: publicguardian-scotland.gov.uk.
  • Office of Care and Protection (Northern Ireland) — handles Northern Irish Enduring Powers of Attorney. Phone 0289 041 1430. Part of the High Court of Justice in Northern Ireland.

After the death of the donor, the appropriate OPG should be notified so the LPA, EPA, CPA, WPA, or Northern Irish EPA can be cancelled on the register. The notification is administrative: the legal authority of the attorney has already ended at the moment of death, so the OPG's update is to keep the register accurate rather than to terminate the attorney's powers (which the law has already done). The notification typically requires the LPA reference number, the donor's full name, and the date of death. [source: gov-uk/office-of-the-public-guardian-2026-04-30.html]

The OPG is also the body that investigates concerns about an attorney's conduct during the donor's lifetime — financial abuse, undue influence, or failures to act in the donor's best interests. Such investigations can produce findings that bear on the executor's subsequent administration of the estate, particularly where the attorney moved money or assets in the months before death.

→ Power of attorney after death

Last verified: 30 April 2026 against gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-public-guardian.