Posted inAudit and Accountability Current fearless cities

Research for Action and rethinking local democracy 

This is an edited version of FJ’s speech at the opening panel at the municipalist summit Fearless Cities, which took place 2-3 November 2024 in Sheffield. The summit, which we co-organised with Opus Independents, Citizen Network, Care Full and Steve Rushton, aimed to consolidate a movement in Britain for claiming community assets, building communities and creating new forms of democratic decision-making, as well as to find our place in the global ‘municipalist’ movement that works on those themes. The programme consisted of four strands: Neighbourhoods of Care; Reimagining the Commons; Rethinking Governance & Local Democracy; and Municipalist Futures. Research for... [continues]
Council tax rises – do we really get a say?
Posted inCitizen Auditors Current Guest blog

Council tax rises – do we really get a say?

By Andrew Hill  What happened to residents’ right to vote on ‘excessive’ council tax increases? What does this have to do with councils in financial crisis? This article explores the curious case of the missing council tax referendum... Everywhere you look, local councils are in distress. News stories follow the same formula: A council in England says it is ’on the verge of bankruptcy’ because of the increased cost of Special Educational Needs or adult social care, the sky-rocketing interest payments on loans, unanticipated loss of income on major projects, and so on. The council then proposes to solve the... [continues]
Posted inAudit and Accountability Citizen Auditors Citizen Debt Audit Current Events Projects

National attention on local audit catastrophe :  we saw it coming – now action is needed

 On 26th November, the Government’s spending watchdog, the National Audit Office (NAO), refused to sign off the Whole of Government Accounts - for the first time ever. Their press release was clear in its blame for this unprecedented action; the crisis of local audit resulting in the huge backlog of unaudited council accounts in England. There have been warnings about the likelihood of this scenario and – having analysed local audit’s problems for several years – we are unsurprised. We are also worried.Why does this matter?The 2022-23 Whole of Government Accounts covers over 10,000 public bodies, including local authorities. As... [continues]
REPORT: Councillor Experiences of Scrutiny in Local Government
Posted inAudit and Accountability Current Projects Publications

REPORT: Councillor Experiences of Scrutiny in Local Government

“There are formal scrutiny committees, but I would see scrutiny as being much broader than that. For me, the point of scrutiny is being able to make issues public... and encourage public scrutiny, encourage public pressure.” This report explores councillor experiences of scrutiny in local government. It paints a picture where scrutiny is undervalued and often politicised; it also shows ways in which councillors have been able to make a difference in taking an active scrutiny role. We list some of the components of scrutiny in local government, and discuss the role of local government. We then present our findings... [continues]
Posted inEvents Uncategorized

Fearless Cities Sheffield – programme released

The programme for Fearless Cities is out! We are thrilled that the municipalist summit we have been working on all year (with partners from Opus Independents, Citizen Network and European Municipalist Network) is now very near. Come join us in Sheffield 2-3 November for a weekend of discussion, learning and making new connections.  Here’s the programme: Fearless Cities programme v2Download Here is the web link for the programme, if that is easier. You can register from this link The summit, which aims to rethink local democracy through different themes, takes place over Saturday and Sunday, with fringe programme on Friday... [continues]
a crowd of people facing forward
Posted inCurrent Events Uncategorized

Open Call: Contributions wanted for the UK’s first Fearless Cities summit!

Dear friends from community and campaign groups, neighbourhoods, social movements,  We are delighted to announce that the Fearless Cities summit will be coming to the UK for the first time. It will take place in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, from 1-3 November.  There will soon be more information on the website: https://www.fearlesscitiessy.org/ Fearless Cities summits are at the heart of the ‘municipalist’ movement to bring about change at the local level by reclaiming the commons, feminising politics and reimagining democracy. They are places where we can share ideas and practices that build the structures for a better, more caring and democratic... [continues]
REPORT: Democratising Local Governance
Posted inDemocratising Governance Projects Publications Uncategorized

REPORT: Democratising Local Governance

  This report describes the findings from an action research project in Glasgow and Sheffield, which examined the relationships between local governance and local activism.  Together with project partners from Solidarity Against Neoliberal Extremism (SANE) and It’s Our City! in the respective cities, we spoke to local campaigners and community groups between November 2022 and January 2023. Participants from both cities – working on a diverse range of issues – identified common experiences, themes, and demands for a more democratic local governance, as well as the prospects for more collectivised action. We heard widely shared concerns about local democracy and... [continues]
2023 in review: and looking forward….
Posted inAudit and Accountability Citizen Auditors Current Democratising Governance Newsletters Projects Uncategorized

2023 in review: and looking forward….

As 2023 draws to a close, we wanted to share with you some highlights of Research for Action’s work. It has not been a great year for democracy - for example in local audit, which is one of the areas we work in, the UK Government has chosen not to deliver promised new legislation. But at the same time we are part of new and growing networks of people determined to do things differently. It has been a year of great collaboration with others who care about local democracy, be it project partners in Sheffield, Glasgow or Europe-wide, or the... [continues]
Open Letter on Audit Reform
Posted inAudit and Accountability Citizen Auditors Current Projects Uncategorized

Open Letter on Audit Reform

21st November 2023This letter was originally published in The Byline Times. We represent a range of organisations and individuals working on audit and accountability, local government and local democracy. We are deeply concerned about the current situation in local government audit. In October, a cross-party group of MPs and Peers wrote to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, asking him not to drop audit reform. We are also alarmed at the Government has shelving long-promised audit legislation, with no mention of it in the King’s Speech on 7th November. We are concerned that a lack of primary legislation is continuing to... [continues]
REPORT: Local Audit: Why public interest needs to count
Posted inAudit and Accountability Current Projects Publications Uncategorized

REPORT: Local Audit: Why public interest needs to count

Local government in the UK is in a state of deep crisis. Shrinking of the state, centralisation of power and the hollowing out of the local state have decimated the sector. Local audit should be one of the central accountability mechanisms in a well-functioning democracy, but it is not working.  Current audit arrangements in England are failing to provide oversight and scrutiny at a time when it is particularly essential. Private interests overshadow public interests, the capacity for scrutiny and challenge at all levels has been reduced, and there is less openness and transparency in local government and audit since... [continues]