Category: Blog
An update on the scrutiny guidance
An update on the scrutiny guidance I wanted to share an update with you on our, and MHCLG’s, progress on the drafting of the scrutiny guidance. We have now completed the draft of the sections that MHCLG asked us to write, and I’m waiting for them to send the latest draft back to me so […]
Elected chairs for scrutiny
One of the Communities and Local Government Select Committee’s recommendations on overview and scrutiny last year was that we should pilot arrangements for the election of overview and scrutiny chairs. The Committee was intrigued by the idea of bringing in a secret ballot for chair elections – presumably because of the positive experience of these […]
To pick or not to pick: A question of work planning
Last month the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) was consulting on proposals for new statutory guidance on overview and scrutiny in local government. The eagerly awaited Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) text is due to be published in December 2018, and local authorities are required to ‘have regard to’ it’s content. […]
ENGIE Scrutiny Board
Energy and services business, ENGIE UK is leading the way in its commitment to operate at the highest economic, social and environmental standards. In-line with the company’s belief in responsibilities that go beyond traditional business drivers, ENGIE wanted to develop a new Responsible Business Charter to evaluate its work in this area and examine what […]
Housing, scrutiny and the Housing Revenue Account (HRA)
We are really pleased to have published an LGA-funded piece of research on the scrutiny of housing. It looked across the piece at social housing, private rental, planning and redevelopment, and homelessness. These four issues come with some policy levers for local politicians – policy levers over which we think scrutiny ought to have oversight. […]
Scrutiny and local journalism
It used to be the case that local journalists were not interested in council meetings, and certainly not scrutiny meetings. Thinking back ten or even five years, the level of press interest in council business was minimal. Major council decisions have still been covered (often idiosyncratically) but the hollowing out of the local press – […]
Scrutiny as a mindset
I had an interesting conversation on Twitter (inevitably) recently which got me to thinking about how we conceive of scrutiny – what it’s for and how we think about it. Forgive me for the navel-gazing, but we are engaged in helping the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) as they draft the new […]
Taking on The Housing Challenge: A Scrutiny Councillor’s Guide (Blog)
This week we are publishing a guide for councillors on the scrutiny of issues relating to housing, supported and funded by the LGA. The pressures on housing represents one of the major challenges faced by councils. It’s axiomatic that having a safe and secure place to live is fundamental to people’s ability to live […]
Managing performance and the “thermocline of truth”
Fellow train nerds will have been watching with interest the ongoing debacle that is the year-long delay to the £15 billion Crossrail project in London. This new east-west railway should be opening this December, but the announcement came a few days ago that this would be delayed by a full year. Those working in local […]
Local Government financial governance and scrutiny – passing the robustness test?
This week will see even more talk of the financial challenges facing councils, if that’s actually possible. Looking at CfGS activities for the week, we’re talking financial resilience at the LGC Summit, it’s the inaugural CIPFA CfGS Councillor Conference and at our national health scrutiny and assurance conference on Friday we expect finance talk to […]