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The Health and Care Bill is now making its way through Parliament. We are at the stage in the Commons where the real meat...

Briefing on the removal of the power of referral to the Secretary of State, in response to the Public Bill Committee for the Health and Care Bill.

Please note: this article was originally published on the Local Government Chronicle website here. Most councils are in a good place for reviewing and implementing...

In this guest blog, Mark Sandford, a senior research analyst at the House of Commons Library, delves into the implications for local accountability through...

In this guest blog, Dr Dave McKenna, a CfGS associate and local government practitioner, draws together his insights on how to get the balance...

Frontline scrutiny stories in the light of the pandemic.

In this guest blog Cllr Bryony Rudkin, deputy leader at Ipswich Borough Council, reflects on the importance of behaviours in how local councillors enact...

In this guest blog Mark Sandford, senior research analyst at the House of Commons Library, takes a comparative look at scrutiny on a national...

In 2018, CfGS carried out its first evaluations of local authority scrutiny functions using a new method, and under a new title. We brought...

We are currently drawing together evidence to support some guidance for councils on how they can use scrutiny to look back on their experiences...

Perhaps surprisingly, the Prime Minister’s speech on “levelling up” last week provided less, rather than more, certainty about what the Government flagpole policy agenda...

Happening parallel with England’s run of success at the Euros (and ongoing covid rolling news), the introduction into the Commons of the long-awaited Health...

This week (w/c 5 July 2021), we are starting work to highlight the need for councils to support and bolster their commitments to good...

Our annual survey of overview and scrutiny in local government is published today (7 July). It’s been the first opportunity to fully assess the...

Results from the 2020-21 annual overview and scrutiny survey.

New municipal year, new financial year – same pressures. We move into quarter 2 of 2021/22 still struggling to shake off the pandemic, and...

A guide for councillors on audit committees and scrutiny committees on how member-level activity on audit, and councils’ scrutiny functions, can work more closely.

This week we published two practical guides for those involved, or with an interest in, local governance, combined authorities (CAs) and devolution. Our COVID-19 ‘lessons...

Reflections and considerations for those operating in authorities that have experienced no overall control, authorities that are politically contestable, and single party councils

This practial guide will be of specific interest for local areas seeking to establish a combined authority, or those in devolved areas (especially governance...

This ‘lessons learnt’ style debrief highlights governance change within combined authorities (CAs) as they responded to the crisis and considers the governance risks in the recovery phase.