Ed Hammond
Moving forward after failure
Ed Hammond considers the governance challenges facing members under section 114 and other models of oversight and the implications for member-officer relationships.
Curating a good council and government system
Ed Hammond says Oflog has the potential to make Government's actions and interventions more predictable and evidence-based.
Blueprint for a mayor
Ed Hammond and Megan Ingle reflect on good mayoral governance and the attributes that make for an effective mayor.
The drumbeat of oversight could be a good thing
Ed Hammond examines the emerging accountability framework in local government and says that, rather than something to be feared, it promises to place central-local relations on a stable footing.
A spotlight on scrutiny
Ed Hammond looks at some of the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of scrutiny, and highlights that for many councils improvement is a matter of minor reform – not wholesale transformation.
Changing the culture for our councillors
Local authorities need to offer new councillors a welcoming and safe culture that embraces diversity, says Ed Hammond. With an election cycle just complete there’s an ideal chance for engagement and change, he believes.
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.
Playing the NOC game
The 2021 local elections have resulted in more councils under no overall control. While uncertainty may be in play, understanding the ground rules of the new arrangements will lessen the chance of instability, says Ed Hammond.
Local scrutiny should stay embedded in the local community
Local scrutiny can and must play an ongoing and supportive role relating to the Secretary of State’s new powers as outlined in the recent white paper for NHS and social care reform, says Ed Hammond.
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.
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
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
The future governance of local enterprise partnerships
Local enterprise partnerships are not democratic institutions but with responsibility for significant sums of public money, Ed Hammond says there should be expectations around strong local accountability.
Devolution’s governance hurdle
With ministers still harbouring serious concerns around devolution and governance, Ed Hammond says local government must now respond with forward-thinking approaches to cultural change
Devolution without transparency is pointless
Trying to open up, and open out, the devolution process – making it more visible and vital to the public – is a bit of fool’s errand, isn’t it? Head of programmes at the Centre for Public Scrutiny, Ed Hammond, thinks not.
Scrutiny has a role to play
Welfare reform is one of the biggest of the big issues affecting local authorities at the moment.