Author: andrewbrightwell
Holding mayors to account: The future of scrutiny in devolved government
Join the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) and the London Assembly on 27 November 2025 at City Hall, London for a one-day conference on the future of mayoral scrutiny. Explore reforms, impact and innovation in devolved government. Free to attend – places limited
21st Century Councillors event
We’re excited to share news of a free 21st Century Councillor event taking place in Andover on 4 November – giving councillors and officers the chance to discuss how elected members can adapt, lead and thrive in a rapidly changing landscape for local democracy
Shades of grey: audit and scrutiny – understanding the governance divide
Our Shades of Grey learning event explored the divide between audit and scrutiny in local authorities – we’ve summarised our guest speakers’ thoughts
What has scrutiny ever done for us? Sarah’s ADSO workshop
Earlier this month, CfGS’s very own Sarah Fenn delivered a workshop at the Association of Democratic Service Officer’s brilliant annual conference. Here’s what she learnt about the amazing impact scrutiny can – and very often does – have
CfGS Annual Conference 2026 – early bird tickets are now available
Our 2026 annual conference will be on 12 March 2026 at Millennium Point in Birmingham. Book this year to get 20 per cent off your ticket price!
Elevate: pilot scrutiny officer leadership training programme
We’re announcing Elevate – a new pilot scrutiny leadership programme to launch in October, with course leaders holding drop-in find-out-more session on 9 September, at 10.30 am
Centre for Governance and Scrutiny calls for stronger accountability measures in English Devolution Bill
The Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) today publishing responds to the Government’s English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, calling for more robust scrutiny and accountability measures to accompany the Bill’s transfer of powers to local and regional government
Our first thoughts on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Some first thoughts on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Launch of National Scrutiny Officers’ Network
In this guest post, Fiona Bottrill, Senior Overview and Scrutiny Manager at Birmingham City Council, and her colleagues at the County and Unitary Officers’ Network are now welcoming a wider group of officers, and rebranding as the National Scrutiny Officers’ Network
Why we should be talking about democracy
Catherine Howe, CfGS chair and the Chief Executive of Adur and Worthing Councils, says that creating a new form of regional government requires a similar focus on how our local democracy works