There’s a scrutiny category of the MJ Awards 2016!
It’s an exciting time for us here at CfGS. Not just because we’ve opened our secret Santa presents, but because we’re moving our recognition of good scrutiny on to the national stage through our sponsorship of the ‘Excellence in governance and scrutiny’ category as part of next year’s Municipal Journal Achievement Awards. We are putting together the judging panel that will pick the winner to receive the award at the London Hilton next June (by the way, the venue is not the reason we decided to become a sponsor…)
Over the last eight years, our own Good Scrutiny Awards have attracted very many examples of effective scrutiny making a difference to the way public services are planned and delivered and we’ve seen lots of creativity and innovation from all kinds of councils and other organisations in terms of best scrutiny practice. I’ve always regarded the Awards as one of the highlights of our year – people with a scrutiny role rarely get recognition for their work and it’s been great to be able to celebrate with our range of winners over the years.
But, quite frankly, we think that stories of scrutiny success need to have a bigger profile and be heard by a bigger audience and that’s why we are delighted to be working with the MJ on next year’s awards so that examples of good governance and scrutiny are recognised alongside other achievements in the sector. The Awards will be looking for entries that go beyond simple compliance with legal rules and focus on those that have taken aspirational approaches to decision-making that is underpinned by a commitment to local democracy and insight from partners and communities.
Instead of running the Good Scrutiny Awards in 2016, CfGS will use this new category at the MJ Awards to provide a better national platform to showcase the role that good governance and scrutiny can play in local decision making. Full details of the criteria and how to enter can be found on the MJ Award website here.
So, once you’ve opened your presents next week why not think about submitting an entry – deadline 12 February.
About the Author: Tim Gilling
Tim is a Director at the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny, leads on health and social care and oversees our work in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
