Even in times of national crisis democratic accountability is important. Scrutiny must remain integral to democratic decision making at every level. Member oversight of council decisions remains essential. There will be new skills and technology to learn and adopt alongside an increase in responsibility for councillors. This free 1.5 hour Zoom webinar looks at the essential skills members to engage and deliver good scrutiny outcomes. Content summary Setting the framework Smart working – the new agenda and work programme priorities Planning and preparing Working with officers Developing your personal skills Councillor skills for virtual meetings To sign-up for this ...
After the local elections in May, supporting your new and returning councillors will be a high priority. Elections can mean change - a new council, different political leadership and/or a churn in committee places. While the council settles into its new cycle, new councillors will need support to understand how it all works. For returning councillors it’s an opportunity to refresh their skills. When it comes to overview and scrutiny, it’s also an opportunity to reflect, establish ground rules and get things off to a good start. Creating a positive scrutiny culture and expectations about ways of working are often ...
Join CIPFA and the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny at the House of Commons on 13 September for our inaugural councillors’ conference. Council finances are at the top of everyone’s agenda at the moment. Our focus on them is not just about the need to avoid high profile failures as has happened in Northamptonshire – the financial challenge affects us all, in different ways. We have all been dealing with increased financial constraints since 2010 (and in some cases before) but in the next couple of years, the pace of change will accelerate. Councillors need to be aware of – ...