Category: News
LGR Pause and Review
CfGS shares a few thoughts about the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) pause and review announced earlier in the month.
Scrutiny in Policing: A critical friend like no other
Who knew a receipt could teach you as much about accountability as a police scrutiny panel? This blogpost explores how scrutiny skills can be found in the most unexpected places.
Don’t make politics the enemy of good governance
The article makes the case that political disagreement isn’t the enemy of good governance – weak governance itself is, using Croydon’s financial crisis to show how poor challenge culture and transparency, not politics, caused the breakdown.
Speech – Power in place: The strategic role of larger town councils in England’s changing governance landscape
Read Mel Stevens’ speech at the SLCC conference, Power in Place, Harrogate, in July – where she argued that a shifting democratic landscape has implications for the role, and importance, of town councils
LGA Conference Drinks Reception 2026
Exciting announcement about the launch of a refreshed Governance Risk and Resilience Framework, a project led by CfGS and Localis.
Test Valley Borough Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Speaking to Test Valley’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Mel Stevens considers what effective scrutiny looks like in a time of devolution, local government reorganisation and political change, and sets out five tests for developing a strong scrutiny work programme
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
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