Resource type: The Good Scrutiny Digest
Demonstrating impact – a practice guide
This practice guide explores proven approaches that councils have used to assess and articulate their impact, demonstrating how scrutiny can shape better governance and service delivery.
Running effective reviews – a practice guide
This guide outlines the practical steps for conducting a scrutiny review, a detailed investigation aimed at making evidence-based recommendations for change. It covers the end-to-end process of conducting a scrutiny review, from initial planning to post-review follow-up.
Structures, resources and formal powers – a practice guide
An outline of the powers and structures that underpin overview and scrutiny in England, covering key areas such as committee resourcing, membership, chairing, and statutory powers.
Planning and priority setting – a practice guide
An easy to follow guide for setting your work programme, with downloadable infographics.
Relationships for effective governance and scrutiny – a practice guide
This practice guide offers practical advice for developing positive working relationships within scrutiny committees, with executives, partners, and the public.
Scrutiny of Children’s Services – A Short Guide
A guide to scrutiny of Children’s Services within local authorities.
Planning work, delivering impact
CfGS has produced updated material on work programming and the production of scrutiny annual reports. This replaces earlier guidance produced by CfGS in 2011. It draws on the Government’s statutory scrutiny guidance published in 2019. November 2020
Taking Scrutiny Seriously
Taking Scrutiny Seriously is a series of tools to help council CEOs and senior statutory officers improve the profile and impact of their council scrutiny function so that it has the same ‘parity of esteem’ as other areas within the council.
The Good Scrutiny Guide
This guide is intended to provide advice to councils, councillors and officers on the operation of overview and scrutiny; we also hope and expect that it will be of use to other stakeholders, including the public. It is written to complement the Government’s statutory scrutiny guidance for councils and combined authorities (published May 2019). Councils […]
Delivering effective governance and accountability for integrated health and care
A new explainer for the NHS and local authorities outlines possible solutions for the governance and accountability challenges brought by the move to integrated health and care. NHS organisations and local authorities are already working closely together to join up approaches to delivery and this will become even more important as the journey towards more […]