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February newsletter: Audit delays, Grassroots democracy and more….

Dear friends, After a good Christmas break, the three of us and our various collaborators have been getting on with projects, plus co-op development and planning for the future.   Still waiting for Audit Reform This Spring we will be publishing our research into local audit and public interest, and how this arena could be improved, both in terms of upcoming legislation and more widely in cultures and mechanisms of accountability in local government.  The bigger picture isn’t good. There’s deepening frustration from all sectors - local government, auditors, regulators and MPs/Peers - over the continued absence of an Audit Reform... [continues]
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Newsletter: Winter 2022/Annual Roundup

Dear friends of Research for Action, 2022 has been a year of major growth and change for us.We grew our work on public interest and audit, began a project with groups in Sheffield and Glasgow on democratising governance and deepened our work with the European Municipalist Network. We have developed as a worker co-op, adding a new member, Gloria Dawson, and a board member, Tim Joubert. We have also developed our mission, vision and values as well as the policies and procedures we need for our co-op to reflect our values, and we are proud of the progress we have made... [continues]
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Newsletter: Autumn 2022

Dear newsletter readers,    We are very excited to say that we have just launched a report that showcases the work of various citizen auditors across England!  The publication, called ‘Citizen Auditors: investigating local government's accountability gap’ shows ways in which local groups and individuals are scrutinising their local authorities, challenging poor governance and decisions they believe are not in the public interest. It draws on the experiences of a network we have been coordinating this year. Citizen auditors are working on a wide range of issues relating to council spending, but also on challenging poor governance. We support each... [continues]
REPORT – Citizen Auditors: Investigating local government’s accountability gap
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REPORT – Citizen Auditors: Investigating local government’s accountability gap

Across the UK, concerned individuals and local groups are holding local government to account. Research for Action has been supporting this loose network to form closer ties, meet regularly to learn from one another, provide support and compare experiences and techniques.   This publication shows ways in which those local groups and individuals are scrutinising their local authorities, challenging poor governance and decisions they believe are not in the public interest. Citizen auditors are working on a wide range of issues relating to council spending, but also on challenging poor governance. In practice, the work involves attending council meetings and scrutinising... [continues]
Citizen auditor network starting in 2022
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Citizen auditor network starting in 2022

In Spring 2022, we will start to coordinate a network of citizen auditors. The Local Audit and Accountability Act enables the public to inspect council accounts and residents to question the auditor as well as object to spending they believe is not in the public interest. We have made extensive use of these accountability rights in our work. However, we are far from the only ones using these rights - there are many more citizen auditors across the country scrutinising their councils’ spending.  Whether concerned residents or local journalists, we know that people using the public accountability rights often work... [continues]
DATA: LOBO loans database now live
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DATA: LOBO loans database now live

Our work on LOBO loans has reached an important milestone: we are publish all the data we hold on the loans in one comprehensive database. Councillors and residents will be able to search the database for their council and find out which banks they have loans with as well as which loans have been exited and at what price. The database is the first comprehensive depository of information about LOBO loans. We hope it will enable more UK councils to exit the loans, restoring public accountability and reclaiming public money for much-needed services. You can access the site here: https://loboloans.info/... [continues]
EVENT: LOBO loans uncovered
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EVENT: LOBO loans uncovered

Come and learn how you can take action on your council’s toxic bank loans with the help of our new database. 14 October 2021, 5-6pm REGISTER HERE Buy Tickets on Eventbrite Hundreds of councils across the country are locked into expensive and risky loans called LOBO loans, paying high interest to banks while struggling to provide services for residents. It doesn’t have to be this way. Some councils are getting out of these toxic deals. Research for Action has built a database that allows you to find out how bad your council's LOBO debt is and what you can do... [continues]
Reflection of tall London buildings in window
Posted inAudit and Accountability Publications Uncategorized

REPORT: Rethinking local audit and accountability

There is a deep democratic deficit in local government. The UK is one of the most centralised countries in the world. Turnout in local elections is low. In many councils there is no effective opposition, further weakening accountability. This is no accident, rather a result of concentrated efforts by the central government to centralise power and undermine the public sector functions of local government.  This democratic deficit is further reinforced by a lack of oversight. Our previous report, ‘Democracy Denied: Audit and accountability failure in local government’ documented the way current local government audit arrangements contribute to a deficit in... [continues]
GUIDE: How To Read Your Council’s Accounts
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GUIDE: How To Read Your Council’s Accounts

Introduction Local authorities are required to publish accounts every year that show how they spend their money. These cover a financial year: for example 2019/20 accounts would cover the period from 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2020. They look back at spending that has already happened: the budget is a forward-looking plan for how to spend money.  Councils publish draft accounts usually in the early summer. Over 30 days, the public then has the right to inspect the accounts and in England residents have the right to ask questions about them to the auditor. They can also file an... [continues]
EVENT: Audit & accountability failure in local government – where next for reform? – 29 June
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EVENT: Audit & accountability failure in local government – where next for reform? – 29 June

https://youtu.be/Z9s34D5tslk     Tuesday 29th of June 10-11:30am A roundtable to discuss audit and accountability failure and its impact on local government, including how to tackle it. Research for Action’s latest report, “Democracy Denied: Audit and accountability failure in local government” shows a serious lack of accountability in local government. Our findings reveal the significant role played by private auditors in disempowering residents. Under the Local Audit and Accountability Act, the public has the right to inspect council accounts and any related documents. Residents can also ask questions to the council’s external auditor, and if they believe spending could be unlawful... [continues]