What are the big issues of the day? Europe, for sure. The economy for another. The scourge of ISIS. What can local government scrutiny say to these? Very little, you would think – after all, the crucial levers that determine economic and foreign policy are not in the hands of any ordinary member in a Council. But, as the Foreword in Sunderland’s review on child poverty from July last year made clear there are some issues which, though clearly requiring national solutions, is “everybody’s business”, including local authorities'.Child poverty: small steps towards a big impactChild poverty is one of ...
The next entry in the Good Scrutiny blog came about simply because of a question asked to Cabinet by an Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Gloucester City Council had been aware for quite some time that there were unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in the City, and many other HMOs that provided poor health and safety conditions in which to live. Shortly after the O&S committee asked about the conditions in the private rented sector in the City, a small task and finish group of three Councillors was set up to investigate ways to combat the issue.On the front ...