Category: Blog
Dr Diana Stirbu joins CfGS Trustee Board
Devolution expert takes up new role The Centre for Governance and Scrutiny is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Diana Stirbu to its Trustee Board. Dr Stirbu is Senior Lecturer in Public Administration at London Metropolitan University and a leading academic in the field governance, devolution and public administration. Having worked in the public […]
Do councils really understand risk?
With which of these statements about risk do you agree? “Councils are risk averse.” “Councils are cautious and prudent.” Give up? Of course, this is a ludicrous question. It all comes down to how you use language around risk – how you understand it, how you tackle it, how you mitigate it. More than anything, […]
Migrant Looked After Children: Scrutiny’s role
As you will have read in my last blog, being a corporate parent is a really important role that all councillors have – ensuring that children in their care are looked after and achieve. With the Government’s recent announcement to support a further 3,000 ‘at risk’ child refugees, Tom Redfearn at the Children’s Society explores […]
“Proper scrutiny” and the Panama Papers
I run an organisation that promotes scrutiny. I’m also a communications professional by trade. It is therefore little surprise that the leaked Panama Papers have been high of my radar. It has been fascinating to see how often the words ‘scrutiny’ and ‘transparency’ feature in the reporting of the fall out. Whilst watching the media […]
Getting the sequence right
This is the fifth in a series of blogs being produced by CfGS as part of the support work we are carrying out over 2015/16 on devolution. A report setting out our findings and recommendations in full will be published shortly. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Devolution reported last week. Its Chair, Lord Kerslake (he is […]
For England, see Wales. Three reasons why Welsh devolution is important for England
It used to be that one referred to the infamous Encyclopedia Britannica entry For Wales, see England, to highlight the degree of English hegemony within Britain. Yet, the degree of self-determination within Britain’s Celtic periphery post devolution is challenging that view. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland devolution has been highly political and constitutional, was […]
CfGS is getting a new website…
Our current site dates back to 2011. It’s been a pretty good shop window for us, but it has its shortcomings – not least, the fact that it is groaning under the accumulated weight of thirteen years of pages, publications and other data, which were all transferred over wholesale from previous websites. The site’s design […]
Our response to the budget
The Centre for Governance and Scrutiny welcomes the budget announcement on greater devolution of further powers to more parts of the country. We will continue to work with colleagues in government, local government and the wider public sector to urge a more inclusive and transparent approach to devolution deal making and implementation. We remain concerned that the […]
Good scrutiny: Lincoln Council’s review of poverty
Why is scrutiny a good thing? I ask because it seems to me that there are a number of different justifications for scrutiny which apply differently in different areas at different times. Here are a few: In terms of governance, scrutiny can be viewed as a democratic buffer, providing a check against over-powerful local government. […]
New trustee position at CfGS
Passionate about helping organisations and people make good decisions and improve lives? Then help us deliver our vision An opportunity has arisen for a new independent trustee to join our Board. The Board is chaired by Lord Bob Kerslake and meets four times a year in London. This important voluntary role offers an opportunity to […]