Scrutiny - Page 1

Latest Scrutiny

FINANCE

Fifty years on: Lessons from the Layfield report on local council funding

By Owen Mapley | 29 April 2026

Half a century from the Layfield Report on local government finance, many of the issues it raised remain and have become more complex, says Owen Mapley.

GOVERNANCE

Why CfGS is needed now more than ever

By Ed Hammond | 23 April 2026

As Ed Hammond departs for pastures new, the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny’s deputy chief exe...

REORGANISATION

Marvin the Paranoid Android's secret council reorganisation diary

By Blair McPherson | 30 March 2026

Brought in to advise a council with reorganisation, Marvin the Paranoid Android’s suggestions don...

MAYORS

Government to introduce local scrutiny committees for mayors

By Martin Ford | 18 March 2026

The Government is proposing to establish ‘local scrutiny committees’ to oversee strategic authori...

TRANSPARENCY

Whitehall thinks its expenditure should be subject to less scrutiny than the local state

By Ian Miller | 16 March 2026

The patriarchal attitude towards councils is shown in Whitehall’s approach to financial transpare...

PERFORMANCE

A framework for building trust in councils

By Abdool Kara | 26 February 2026

The outcomes framework is an opportunity to drive clearer insight into public sector outcomes and...

PERFORMANCE

Is it time to inspect homelessness?

By Jack Shaw | 11 February 2026

The Government is already laying much of the groundwork for an ‘Ofsted for homelessness’, says Ja...

FINANCE

Exceptional financial support transparency call

By Dan Peters | 10 February 2026

The Conservative opposition leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has calle...

POLICY AND POLITICS

EXCLUSIVE: Opposition leader refuses to sign 'NDA' over £10m payment

By Dan Peters | 19 December 2025

An opposition leader has refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in return for being tol...

LEGISLATION

The Hillsborough Law: Four things to know and start preparing for

By Ridwan Omar | 02 December 2025

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, often referred to as the Hillsborough Law, was recently ...

LEADERSHIP

Building teams with the complementary leadership strengths to tackle devolution

By Elle Robinson | 20 October 2025

Elle Robinson explains how Hanover’s Leadership Code and its archetypes can support councils to m...