Scrutiny
Arithmetic matters
The new director of IPPR North, Zoë Billingham, speaks to Ann McGauran about taking on the role at a time of political and economic turmoil, and gives her verdict on how the Government’s flagship levelling up policy is shaping up.
Leaders to reconsider governance overhaul
Fears have been raised plans to ‘re-establish’ the West of England joint committee could put £600m of funding at risk.
Government must rethink its approach to poor governance and behaviour in councils
Solace supports all of the Committee on Standards in Public Life report's recommendations on standards in local government, but without Government action on sanctions this will never gain the traction required, says Graeme McDonald.
Peer challenge criticises councillor infighting
Councillors at Windsor & Maidenhead BC are ‘showing the council in a poor light’ according to a corporate peer challenge.
EXCLUSIVE: Councillor suing own council for damages
An experienced councillor is suing his own council for thousands of pounds in damages over claims a senior officer accused him of misusing his position.
Supporting a more financially resilient sector
Rob Whiteman looks at CIPFA's eight assurance reviews of the councils that asked the Government for capitalisation directions, and reviews the common themes that emerged.
Call for chief and leader to quit after Star death
A senior Bradford city councillor has called for the chief executive and leader to quit in the aftermath of the death of Star Hobson.
Tackling our next big governance challenge
As the changes that need to be made to local services become more profound, we must involve a wider range of councillors in how to use information about risk. Ed Hammond explains.
Watchdog calls for regional partnership boards to improve accountability
The accountability of regional partnership boards (RPBs) should be improved, according to Audit Wales.
Respect, Standards and Freedom of Expression
In the main, councillors should not fear being disciplined or called to account for their sincerely held views, passionately expressed, says Nick Graham.
Advisers brought in to boost Liverpool governance
Two independent advisers have been co-opted onto Liverpool City Council’s audit committee in a bid to strengthen the authority’s governance.
Becoming a trusted news source for care in Scotland
Jenny Copland of the Care Inspectorate discusses how putting simple measures in place before COVID-19 hit enabled her team to share crucial updates with care professionals.
When robust scrutiny becomes unfounded abuse
Michael Burton says surely 'citizen journalists' should accept the same ethical standards as professional journalists, and he asks why 'unelected public servants' shouldn't have the same protection against unfair criticism granted to the public.
Tory council criticised over shopping centre purchase
A Conservative-led Surrey council has been criticised for failing to follow ‘good practice’ during its purchase of a shopping centre.
Losing the confidence of members
It’s crucial for managers to keep the confidence of members, says Blair McPherson. ‘But the trouble is they are increasingly reliant on the information they’re fed by their bosses.’
Combined authorities advised to ‘revisit’ devo deals
Combined authorities may need to ‘revisit’ devolution deals to help regions recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Northants commissioners in ‘hubris’ warning
Councils have been warned against falling victim to ‘hubris’ in the same manner as Northamptonshire CC.
Report shows 'accountability vacuum' in council finances
A damning report into citizen’s experiences of scrutinising their councils’ finances has claimed there is an ‘accountability vacuum’.
Liverpool Labour and the wider party should never have let this happen
After Max Caller's 'shocking' report on Liverpool City Council, Labour needs to make a case for good governance, and let go of its centralising tendencies, says Emma Burnell.
Councillors call extraordinary meeting over director secondment
Councillors in Stockport said they had been ‘treated with contempt’ after a joint director with Tameside MBC was appointed without their knowledge.
