Category: Blog
The cost of living crisis and scrutiny
For the first time on record, temperatures in the UK exceeded 40°C, though this isn’t the only record broken this year; inflation hit a new 40 year high, the energy price cap is the highest it’s ever been and as we head towards the autumn, the cost-of-living crisis is set to have a devastating impact […]
Guest Blog: Terrie Alafat, Chair of the Mears Customer Scrutiny Board
Terrie’s reflections as the Board publishes its second independent annual report As Chair of the Mears Scrutiny Board, I am pleased to report the main findings of our second annual independent report. The Scrutiny Board was established in 2020 as one of three new customer engagement mechanisms forming part of the Mears ‘Your Voice’ strategy, […]
Health and Care Act: implementation update
Next week, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) will cease to be, and in their place new statutory Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) will come into being – taking responsibility for the design and delivery of health and care services across a wide geographic footprint. While these changes have been a long time coming it is important not […]
Good governance in fire and rescue: the ‘professional partnership’ between elected members and senior officers
As a former Chief Fire Officer, I was delighted when an invitation arrived from the LGA for me to deliver a series of workshops on good governance at its recent annual Fire Conference in Gateshead. The theme for the conference was: Delivering transformation in the fire and rescue sector. Now, as the Chief Executive of […]
Standing, and standing down
In 2019 and 2021 we experienced some comparatively high “councillor turnover” – and we can probably expect similar in local elections this May. The neutral phrase “councillor turnover” hides a large number of personal stories and experiences of those councillors who will, for whatever reason, not be councillors after the forthcoming election. Councillors stop being […]
Update on the Health and Care Bill
The Health and Care Bill continues on its progress through the House of Lords. A number of partners have come together to support amendments which now seek to remove entirely the Secretary of State’s powers to intervene proactively in local health services (for full details of these plans, read our explainer on the subject from […]
Update on the health and social care integration white paper
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have recently published their proposals for the health and care integration white paper, ‘Joining up care for people, places, and populations’. The white paper aims to provide improved, joined-up health and care services at a ‘local’ level across primary care, adult social care, acute mental health, community […]
Behavioural issues in meetings: what can we learn?
Today (28 February) we published guidance for councils in England on new approaches to hybrid meetings. This guidance focuses on matters relating to behaviours and attitudes, reflecting on lessons learned during the pandemic and seeking to apply those lessons to a world where hybrid formats may, in due course, form one of the ways in […]
The Levelling Up White Paper: what’s inside?
Here, you can read our detailed paper setting out the key elements of the White Paper, published in early February 2022. This blog aims to make some more general reflections. It is fair to say that initial opinion on the White Paper has been mixed. There is from some quarters a degree of disappointment – […]
Busy and exciting times ahead for CfGS
As I begin my second day in the role of Chief Executive at CfGS, I look forward to busy and exciting times ahead. During a period when organisations across all sectors are attempting to deal with unprecedented levels of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity – along with pressure to operate more ethically and transparently – […]