Tag: better scrutiny
How to write effective survey and research questions
The use of surveys to gather and triangulate evidence for scrutiny reviews is easier, now that we can be more confident that a majority of local people have access to the tools to fill them in online – making the use of hard-copy questionnaires unnecessary other than in situations where scrutiny is keen to gather […]
Into the horizon: scrutiny looking into the future
Horizon scanning is often said to be a key part of the contribution that Scrutiny can make. But how far into the future is far enough? Scrutiny has come a long way since its inception in 2000 where a key feature was safeguarding through transparency. The need for transparency has not diminished, but the focus […]
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 […]
Council action on the climate emergency
We’ve produced material on the climate emergency before – we published a blog on how scrutiny could approach the issue in 2019, and in July last year we published a longer guide setting out 10 questions to ask if you’re scrutinising your council’s action on the issue. With COP26 drawing to a close in Glasgow […]
Annual Review of Adult Social Care complaints 2020/21
The recently published ‘Annual Review of Adult Social Care complaints 2020/21’ by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman pulls together the national picture of complaints about adult social care providers, arranged and funded privately, or by local authorities. The review outlines critical themes from across the country, and some of the issues raised are […]
Constructive scrutiny: What does it look like in practice?
In this guest blog, Dr Dave McKenna, a CfGS associate and local government practitioner, draws together his insights on how to get the balance right in providing effective challenge. I’ve observed a few scrutiny committees in my time, for fun, obviously, but also for the occasional governance review. For these formal observations I’m looking for […]
Lessons from scrutiny improvement reviews
In 2018, CfGS carried out its first evaluations of local authority scrutiny functions using a new method, and under a new title. We brought together our wealth of research, policy and practical experience and developed the “scrutiny improvement review” (SIR) as a consistent and comprehensive way to evaluate scrutiny arrangements, to diagnose problems and to […]
2021 annual survey: main findings
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 impact of the pandemic on councils’ scrutiny functions, and to think about the role that scrutiny might play as we set about the task of recovery. Councils’ approaches on, and successes […]
Good governance and corporate responsibility through scrutiny
Over the past year, organisations across all sectors have experienced new complexities in shifting to a different operating environment and unparalleled challenges that have inevitably tested organisational culture and governance. In this current context, many organisations in the private and not-for-profit sectors are reflecting on how to implement resilient governance practices that help achieve their […]
Independent Scrutiny Board reports back on Mears Performance
An independently chaired panel of customer representatives has published its first annual report on the performance of housing provider Mears – you can read the report here. The Scrutiny Board was set up in 2020 to work alongside the Mears PLC Board to provide oversight, challenge and support to improve Mears services. Chaired by Terrie […]