Author: Pandora Ellis
CIPFA Local Government Deputy Chief Finance Officer Summit
Ian Parry joins sector leaders at CIPFA’s Local Government Deputy CFO Summit 2026 to explore how stronger governance, scrutiny and organisational culture can help councils make better decisions and build resilience under pressure
Making a start with Scrutiny – approaches, structures and resources
A practical, interactive lunchtime session exploring the nuts and bolts of what will help you build confidence and make scrutiny more effective.
Election 2026 special: Managing change
With the 2026 elections set to reshape local power, this blog explores how councils can navigate uncertainty and respond effectively to sudden political change
Getting ahead of the local election results
Read this to stay one step ahead of local election results – understand what’s changing, what it means for your council, and how to respond with confidence
Setting up the Scrutiny Review Library: what we learned
Find out more about some of the key lessons we learned about what works – and what doesn’t – when building a shared resource to support better, more connected scrutiny across the sector
Photo gallery
Take a peak at all the action from our conference, held at Millennium Point, Birmingham for the first time
Conference 2026 speakers
Speaker bios as for the annual CfGS conference in March
Scrutiny of Childrens’ Services
A free learning online event in which we explore evidence-led scrutiny in children’s services.
The role of constitutions in democratic change
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
Scrutiny of medium-term council finance
Explore how scrutiny can make sense of the Medium-Term Financial Plan, in ways that question assumptions, whilst strengthening transparency at the same time