Centre for Public Scrutiny
Sector braced for more Whitehall interventions
Local government is braced for further Whitehall interventions in the wake of ministers launching reviews of two councils within days of each other.
LGA code of conduct under fire
A model code of conduct for councillors put forward by the Local Government Association (LGA) lacks teeth, according to bodies representing officers.
A review to learn lessons not lay blame
Swift and focused reviews of local decision-making in response to the pandemic should be democratically-led by the overview and scrutiny function, says Sir Bob Kerslake.
I have a joke but
Every now and again a social media phenomenon catches the mood and goes viral.
Concerns raised over scrutiny vacuum
A charity has expressed worries about councils that are in danger of effectively having no scrutiny function for six months.
Scrutiny is still the 'poor relation' in councils
A survey has revealed scrutiny remains a poor relation to the executive function in local government.
Think tanks to produce ‘toolkit’ to improve governance
A project part-funded by Whitehall and the Local Government Association aims to produce ‘practical support’ and a toolkit to improve councils’ corporate governance by next summer.
Solace preview: Evolving our approach to ethics and standards
Local government is well-placed to lead the way in evolving and supporting ethical standards to keep pace with challenging times, says Jacqui McKinley, who will speak at next month's Solace Summit 2019 in Birmingham.
Mastering the art of commercial destiny
Solace has been considering how councils should best participate in the market. Eric Bohl reports on local government’s investment areas, and outlines the key tests for commercial plans.
The shows must go on
Battles used to be fought with bayonets, crossbows and axes.
Call for councils to 'embrace' scrutiny
The Government called on councils and combined authorities to ‘embrace’ scrutiny as it issued new guidance.
Time for a governance refresh
May is a prime time to review governance - and this can be done by understanding and addressing the needs of democratic accountability, says Ed Hammond.
Open up to scrutiny
For many councils scrutiny has failed to live up to its potential, says Ed Hammond. But he hopes new statutory guidance out today will help them take active steps to promote and support the function.
Fostering mutual understanding on scrutiny
As the MHCLG releases statutory guidance on scrutiny, Camilla de Bernhardt Lane explains how Devon CC's decision makers welcome the challenge and contribution to policy made by scrutiny.
Experts warn of 'gap' in scrutiny of council finances
An inquiry into council finance has heard warnings of a gap in oversight of the sector.
Risk and commercialisation: Why scrutiny matters
Early engagement and streamlining of scrutiny into commercialisation decisions will provide scrutiny councillors with the knowledge and understanding to bring added value to the commercialisation journey, say Paul O'Brien and Ed Hammond
Scrutiny chief in failure warning
Failure in local government is likely to become more prevalent in the years ahead due to looming pressures, the chief executive of the Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS) has warned.
Scrutiny can reduce Government intervention risk - Kerslake
Rishi Sunak has called for scrutiny to receive a ‘strong commitment from the top’ of councils amid warnings about the risk of further Whitehall intervention.
Researchers to look at '200-mile long Whitehall screwdriver'
Experts have laid out their plans to examine whether the Government’s 20-year-old intervention regime remains fit-for-purpose.
Lessons from ‘failure’
In the context of Northamptonshire’s failure and warnings of other councils on the edge of collapse, Ed Hammond argues local approaches are likely to work better than the formal intervention regime
