Topic: Subject-specific scrutiny best practice

Over the years CfGS has been the source of a significant amount of practical guidance for councils in how their scrutiny functions can understand, address and make recommendations on specific policy issues. Ranging from the cost of living crisis to cybersecurity, this best practice guidance (and a number of associated case studies) provides advice on a broad range of common topics.

Health scrutiny and the NHS’s current pressures

[UPDATE: new arrangements for scrutiny of substantial variations in local health services came into force in January 2024. You can find more details here]. Over the past few months we have been working to better understand how the arrangements for scrutiny of health and care services will be changed by the 2022 Act. In particular, […]


One Coventry Response to Supporting Our Communities with the Cost of Living Crisis – Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee

One Coventry Response to Supporting Our Communities with the Cost of Living Crisis – Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee, a blog by Gennie Holmes, Scrutiny Co-ordinator at Coventry City Council Members of Coventry’s Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee, as well as numerous other members, had raised concerns about the growing cost of living crisis, particularly on those communities and […]


Scrutiny Practitioners Guide

A go-to guide for all scrutiny practitioners.


Cost-of-Living Information Digest

An information digest for local authorities undertaking, or planning to undertake, research on the cost-of-living crisis.


Scrutiny and work programming

A summary of material on scrutiny work programming, 2022.


Scrutiny and the cost of living

Although the cost of living crisis is dominating political conversation this week – especially in light of the rise of the energy price cap – for us in local government this is a crisis that has been going on for years now. For more than a decade councils have had to grapple with the challenges […]


Annual Survey of Overview and Scrutiny – Results Report 2021-22

Read the results from the 2021-22 annual overview and scrutiny survey.


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 […]


10 questions to ask if you are scrutinising gambling harm

A publication to raise awareness and increase the involvement of elected members in overview and scrutiny roles, in tackling gambling harm.


Scrutiny Improvement Reviews – main themes & findings

An evaluation of local authority scrutiny functions, using our CfGS Scrutiny Improvement Review methodology.