Category: Blog
The election – implications for local government
That was a surprise. As our minds turn with weary inevitability towards another General Election in the autumn, it’s a good time to see if we can read the runes and understand what – if anything – this result means for local government. Our Chair, Bob Kerslake, has told the LGC that he thinks that […]
City of Wolverhampton Council cleans up at MJ Awards
Authority wins four awards – including Excellence in Governance and Scrutiny Impressive efforts in setting up governance of West Midlands Combined Authority recognised At a glittering ceremony at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane in London, the City of Wolverhampton Council won four awards of the fourteen on offer, including Local Authority of the Year, […]
A year in review
CfGS’s performance in 2016/17 Finding the time to step back and review a year’s worth of activity is never easy but it’s important to reflect on what went well, not so well and recognise the hard work and commitment of everyone involved. The last year or so has been challenging on so many fronts, however […]
Local Government Scrutiny in 2016/17
A summary of the findings from CfGS’s scrutiny perceptions survey 2017. This graphic summarises some of the top-line findings from this year’s survey. We will share further analysis and statistics from the survey through a series of blogs which will be posted on the website over the coming weeks.
Good evidence is the backbone of good scrutiny
Using evidence in scrutiny – new practice guide published What is evidence? How do we get hold of it, and once we’ve done so, what do we do with it? Good evidence is the backbone of good scrutiny. Without it, making effective recommendations is impossible. But it is one of the trickiest things to get right. […]
Join the CfGS team – we’re looking to recruit a Business manager
Do you have governance/scrutiny expertise and an entrepreneurial spirit? If so, you could be just the person we’re looking for to join our team. Business manager £39,660 – £48,867 (depending on experience) + 30 days’ annual leave London or home based (with frequent travel) The Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) is recruiting a Business manager to […]
House of Commons Health Committee advocates role for local scrutiny of suicide prevention plans
In December 2016, the Health Committee published an interim report on suicide prevention in order to inform the Government’s updated suicide prevention strategy. The Government subsequently published its update to the strategy in the form of a progress report. Witnesses told the Committee’s latest inquiry that the underlying strategy is essentially sound but that the […]
Is devo dead?
Ed Hammond explores the future health of devolution and what it means for scrutiny. Lord Porter, Chair of the Local Government Association, thinks devo is dead, and said as much at the District Councils’ Network conference a few weeks back. The Local Government Chronicle has declared it to be on life support. The signs are […]
Notwestminster: local democracy, grounded in reality
Last month saw the third Notwestminster get-together. I hesitate to describe it as a “conference” (because it isn’t really one of those) or an unconference (because it isn’t one of those either). Its organisers – Dave McKenna (@DrDaveMckenna), Diane Sims (@72prufrocks)and Carl Whistlecraft (@Gr8governance) sensibly sidestep the issue and don’t use a qualifier at all […]
Our full submission to the CLG scrutiny inquiry
Jacqui McKinlay, CfGS Chief Executive, summarises our submission to the Communities and Local Government (CLG) committee. As you would hope, at the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny we care about scrutiny in local government. Involving others leads to better decisions – improving lives and places. We therefore leapt at the chance to contribute to the […]