Topic: Devolution
This section contains material about the process of devolution in England. It contains material from pre-2024 discussing the previous Government’s approach to the establishment and operation of combined authorities, and post-2024 material which sets out the new Government’s shifting approach, including their ambition to use devolution as an enabler for wider public service reform.
This section sets out our thoughts on Mayoral and combined authority accountability as well as our commentary on the establishment and operation of local Public Accounts Committees.
It connects closely to material that we have published that relates to local government reorganisation, a process being taken forward in parallel to Government’s wider devolution agenda.
Long read: the English Devolution Accountability Framework
First thoughts on the English Devolution Accountability Framework.
Local Public Accounts Committees
A paper which discusses governance and partnerships in the context of local Public Accounts Committees.
Local Public Accounts Committees: what are they?
Interrogation of Local Public Accounts Committees, and their purpose.
Considerations for improving citizen participation in the Scrutiny of Combined Authorities in England
A practical guide for officers and Members to stimulate ideas on public participation, and the role of the public in scrutiny.
10 questions to ask for a combined authority scrutinising economic development
A paper to support councillors sitting on combined authority overview and scrutiny committees to understand the pressures and opportunities that CAs face in tackling economic development and recovery.
Devolution and combined authorities: common themes so far
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 learnt’ style debrief highlights the governance changes that took place within CAs as they responded to the crisis and considers the governance risks as we enter the recovery phase. Our […]
A practical toolkit for emerging combined authorities
This practial guide will be of specific interest for local areas seeking to establish a combined authority, or those in devolved areas (especially governance professionals) seeking to explore and refine their relationship with Government following new legislation. Creating and negotiating a devolution deal involves a plurality of possible geographies, strategies and governance models, where the […]
Revised guidance: Overview and Scrutiny in Combined Authorities
This is our second edition of the guide to overview and scrutiny in Combined Authorities (CAs). When the first edition of this guide was published, CAs – and the overview and scrutiny systems designed to form a part of their governance framework – were yet to be tested in practice. This new edition has provided […]
Combined Authorities Governance Network
The story behind why CfGS set up this combined authorities network for members and officers involved in governance and scrutiny.
Transport governance in combined authorities
This paper is intended to support those involved in strategic, member-led transport governance in a (mayoral) combined authority, specifically those which previously had integrated transport authorities. This research has been developed with the Combined Authorities Governance Network (CAGN) – a network set-up by the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny with LGA funding that brings together […]