Making scrutiny easier
Every councillor knows the importance of the role they play in scrutinising their authority and holding it to account on behalf of their constituents.
councillor
Supporting councils to tackle modern slavery
Our recent Safer and Stronger Communities Board meeting heard from the new Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Dame Sara Thornton CBE QPM. Supporting councils to tackle modern slavery has been a key priority of the board for several years now, following an early presentation from Dame Sara’s predecessor Kevin Hyland.
Joint scrutiny of health services
Many members of health overview and scrutiny committees will feel that their role is a complex task. In my experience, this area of scrutiny becomes even more demanding when there is a joint committee, involving a number of local authorities, to scrutinise health services across a large area.
Enabling everyone to campaign
Around one in five of the UK population are disabled people, who remain insufficiently represented in our Parliaments, Assemblies and councils.
Supporting democracy overseas
The Turkish local government elections held on 31 March 2019 were momentous. The political parties had coalesced into two blocs – one pro and the other against President Erdoğan and his AKP party.
Welcome to new councillors
Congratulations on being elected as a new councillor from myself and everyone at the LGA. I hope you find your time as an elected representative as rewarding as I have, and the LGA a useful resource. I like to think of us as a family and, like all families, we are here to help you as you take on the role of councillor.
Tackling winter pressures
The term ‘winter pressures’ is a phrase we hear regularly during that busy season, as hospitals struggle to meet demand – but what does it mean in practice? That’s what my scrutiny committee wanted to find out when we discussed this issue earlier in the year.