Category: News
Northamptonshire provides some sobering lessons on budget scrutiny
One of the immediate consequences of central Government intervention in councils – the kind of intervention that is expected imminently in Northamptonshire – is that commentators and journalists begin to crawl over the council, dissecting what went wrong and offering their own insights. These sorts of “noises off” are often precisely what the council involved […]
Understanding risk, building resilience, improving performance
Using organisational insight to enhance governance and scrutiny A priceless asset of any organisation or business is insight from the workforce – the knowledge, skills and experience that people use every day to get the job done. But how many organisations or businesses make best use of that insight – to help identify risks and […]
A clinicians guide to local government – video
The National Health Service is at a critical time in its history. Life expectancy has improved significantly over recent years whilst technology in the health care field is advancing at an exponential rate and expectations are understandably higher than they once were. Although living longer, people are, on average, spending a greater proportion of their […]
Change at the Council: Kensington and Chelsea governance review published
A report looking at scrutiny and governance at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, commissioned by the council in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.
Why your council needs a scrutiny health check
Weak scrutiny can lead to failure, strong scrutiny supports success. “I think that where scrutiny is done properly in local authorities that have the right culture, and where scrutiny is taken seriously, it can perform an excellent function in relation to how the executive works by holding them to account and putting them in a […]
Good scrutiny begins with excellent work programming
Get expert advice, support and resources An effective work programme is central to effective scrutiny. But it’s no simple task. Consultation, prioritisation, challenging conversations, seeking agreement and then piecing it all together. And then there’s the amount of resource available to support both the design and delivery of the work streams and making sure members […]
Council business opportunities
Governance assurance for successful commercial growth Many councils are being more assertive, and business focused in the way they operate, becoming more commercial and seeking new income to balance their books. Council operated businesses are not new, they have been around for many decades. However, in recent years, numerous new models are being adopted. These […]
The art of scrutiny politics
A series of workshops for council officers “We are concerned that in too many councils, supporting the executive is the over-riding priority, with little regard for the scrutiny function.” Parliamentary Select Committee on Scrutiny in Local Government, 2017 Member-led scrutiny is fundamental to how councils work. Officers at executive and manager level need to […]
Scrutiny and council readiness for emergencies – guest blog
Councillor Ketan Sheth, from Brent Council, shares his experience of how scrutiny can support council emergency preparedness. Over the spring and summer of 2017, terrorist incidents in Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge, and then the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower in Kensington, rightly put emergency response at the forefront of minds across the UK; communities, politicians […]
The how and why of government interventions in councils
Ed Hammond, CfGS Director of Research, reflects on the powers central government has to intervene in local authorities and risks that the approach can bring. Here we are again – another Government intervention. Although firm action has yet to be taken to deal with the dire situation that Northamptonshire have found themselves in, the likelihood […]