New challenges for scrutiny
Action on climate change is urgent, and the stakes are high – but the size and scale of the task can make local action feel like a Herculean challenge.
councillor
Local government and integrated care
For those councillors in local government who scrutinise the NHS, it seems to have become an expectation that as one great change ends in our local health services, another begins.
Councillors: bringing order to chaos
The constancy of change in local government, more often than not resulting from central government policy, shapes councillors’ experiences.
Rebuilding mentally healthier communities
Mental ill health costs thousands of lives and more than £105 billion every year – an average of £700 million per upper-tier council area in England alone.
Always in lockdown
Being confined to our homes during the COVID-19 pandemic has been very difficult for all of us. We are bored, worried, and want to return to our normal life quickly. Hopefully, after a few more weeks, we will be able to do so.
Support for local leadership
The scale of the challenge that councils are currently facing requires strong, responsive and resilient leadership.
Holding council meetings online
The coronavirus pandemic has brought about fast-paced changes to the way we live and work.
Relationships ‘key’ to council performance
It comes as a shock to realise that, however large a majority you have secured to achieve a particular ambition for your residents, you alone are not going to achieve it.
Health issues for local scrutiny
There was a lot of national media commentary and coverage about the role of the NHS at the General Election, which was unsurprising given all the commitments major political parties …
The art of chairing meetings
An important aspect of a councillor’s role is the effective chairing of meetings. For both councillors and managers, meetings serve as a forum for discussion and agreement, planning and monitoring, …