Scrutiny
Councils' scrutiny not good enough, say experts
The Centre for Public Scrutiny has voiced concerns about the voluntary nature of the Local Government Association’s peer review.
‘Mayor’s senate’ would help shape Whitehall policies
A ‘mayor’s senate’ should be established to help shape government policies as Whitehall struggles with capacity issues, a think-tank has suggested.
'Systemic and persistent' failures in council's children's services
Worcestershire CC has said it has invested an extra £5.1m into improving children’s social care this year after a damning report from a government commissioner.
Council to spend £250,000 on leisure centre inquiry
Dumfries & Galloway Council’s £250,000 investigation into the failings of a sports and leisure centre is expected to start after a meeting next week.
From scrutiniser to being scrutinised
Tracie Evans on the differences now she is interim deputy chief executive at Haringey LBC.
Residents’ satisfaction with councils decreases
Residents’ satisfaction with their council has ‘significantly decreased,’ Local Government Association (LGA) research has found.
Olympic loan fears for council
Newham LBC is to work with various partners to improve the financial performance of the Olympic Stadium, as fears abound that the council may never recoup a £40m loan given for the stadium’s transformation.
Committee to probe council spending
A review of how local authorities in Scotland prioritise spending and assess the impact of increased charges was launched today by a parliamentary committee.
Council slams multi-academy trusts' lack of accountability
Wakefield City Council has criticised the lack of accountability of academy trusts after an organisation that managed 21 schools in the city pulled out of its role.
Arms-length company 'misled' council over tram project, inquiry hears
Edinburgh City Council’s former leader has claimed the council was ‘deliberately denied’ access to important information by its arms-length company that was managing the delivery of one of the city’s biggest projects.
The decline of local papers poses a threat to local government
Simon Jones laments the decline of local newspapers and warns the danger for local government is greater than people currently acknowledge.
Out of touch
Diary was reminded the other day of that oh-so-accurate cliché ‘out of sight, out of mind’.
Transparency under scrutiny as code faces revamp
Whitehall is expected to reaffirm its commitment to local government transparency when it pushes ahead with plans to update the 2015 code using secondary legislation, The MJ understands.
Lord Kerslake urges far greater council scrutiny
Former Civil Service head Lord Kerslake has called on local authorities to step up their scrutiny processes to compensate for the decline of local media.
FoI poll shows 90 councils have yet to sign up to peer challenge
Some of England’s most prominent councils are among the third that have shunned the opportunity to have a corporate peer challenge, The MJ has learnt.
Scrutiny highlighted in Edinburgh review
A review into Edinburgh City Council’s former property service has highlighted the importance of an overview and scrutiny process.
NAO questions combined authorities' economic benefits
There is inadequate evidence to suggest that combined authorities deliver improved economic outcomes, a report published by the National Audit Office has said.
Authorities must renew focus on scrutiny and risk assessment
The challenge for local authorities is to ensure they can continue to be enterprising, outward-facing, process-light organisations without ever losing that important focus on strong governance and risk awareness, says Michael Burton.
Countering the post-truth narrative
Good scrutiny can be a powerful lever for the greater and better use of evidence by councils to inform their decision-making, writes Abdool Kara.
Fears as new era of metro mayors dawns
Local government big hitters have voiced concerns about the accountability, effectiveness and necessity of the incoming combined authority mayors.