A national charity, expert in all aspects of governance and scrutiny in order to create more accountable and transparent decision making

The English Devolution Bill will reshape local governance through larger councils, stronger mayoral authorities and new neighbourhood duties. The challenge now is ensuring these new boundaries become real places – with identity, legitimacy and meaningful democratic connection

In October our learning event sought to understand what a new neighbourhood governance duty will mean for councils – Mel Stevens reflects on what we heard

A council’s constitution should be a practical, trusted guide for members and officers – supporting sound governance and helping everyone to understand how to things get done. With local elections approaching in May, now is the time for councils to check that their constitution still reflects current practice, is easy to navigate, and supports members in their roles

This week marks the official launch of Elevate, a groundbreaking new pilot programme designed to build scrutiny leadership skills, knowledge and confidence among officers from across the country