Scrutiny
Chief sought answers from building society over fraud
Dundee City Council’s chief executive sought assurances over anti-money laundering practices from a major building society following a £1.1m fraud by a former staff member, it has emerged.
Cheshire East: Investigation committee chair steps down
The chair of the committee that suspended three top officers at Cheshire East Council last year has been asked to step down.
Government crackdown amid confusion
Councils fear they could fall victim to a Government crackdown amid continuing confusion a year on from the introduction of new tax rules.
New guide to improve member-officer relations
Cheshire East Council has responded to concerns about member-officer relations by producing a new guide outlining the roles and responsibilities of both groups.
Our peer challenge experience
Mike Harden breaks down the key learning from Knowsley MBC's recent peer challenge.
Donna Hall: Let’s bring back the Audit Commission
Donna Hall believes Northamptonshire CC’s situation and the changing nature of chief executives’ roles means the sector needs a modern national body to support whole-place transformation.
The Audit Commission needed its wings clipped but abolition was not the answer
Northamptonshire CC’s woes have been fuelled by a real-time experiment that failed, writes Andy Sawford.
Government oversight of LEPs not good enough, MPs say
The Public Accounts Committee has stressed its lack of faith in the Government’s oversight of local enterprise partnerships in a critical report published today.
Mayor defends close relationship between LEP and combined authority
The mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) has defended the authority’s close relationship with its local enterprise partnership.
'Whiteman has brought energy to leadership team'
Guildford BC’s new managing director has ‘settled into the role well’ and has brought ‘energy’ to the leadership team, a Local Government Association peer review team has found.
Councils not held to account for commissioning social care, claims MP
Local authorities are not being held to account for the way they spend Government money on social care, a Public Accounts Committee member has claimed.
Report demands new accountability powers for local government
Academics have demanded a raft of tools to enable local government to hold to account the ‘chaotic network’ of agencies involved in providing public services.
Praise councils for good work, says ombudsman
Local authorities should be commended when they act upon ombudsman recommendations instead of just being reprimanded for poor performance, the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has said.
STP to ACS to ACO
Diary is used to being kept on its toes by regular acronym changes in local government – but health is even worse for shifting abbreviations.
Tower Hamlets: We're ready for elections
Tower Hamlets LBC is ready for the upcoming mayoral and local elections but chief executive Will Tuckley said he could not promise they will go ahead without any ‘incident’.
Filling the democracy void
Public services are delivered by an increasingly complex matrix of organisations in a mix of formal and informal partnerships. Jacqui McKinlay sets out the arguments for local public accounts committees to fill the local democratic deficit that has emerged.
Councillors call for children's services budget review
Buckinghamshire CC’s scrutiny committee has called for an independent review of the council’s children’s services budgets.
Bill to extend FOI to councils' private partners presented
A bill that would subject private companies that have contracts with public authorities to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act has been presented to Parliament.
Don't take away our authority over schools, Scottish councils warn
Scottish councils have warned the Scottish Government against attempts to strip them of authority over schools, in a response to a consultation on the Education Bill.
Croydon to act on missing children
Police officers will be placed inside Croydon LBC as part of an initiative designed to tackle the ‘significant number’ of children going missing from care.