February newsletter – new director, new project, new connections!
Posted inNewsletters

February newsletter – new director, new project, new connections!

Dear friends and followers,It has been a busy start of the year, focusing on organisational development as well as our new project, coordinating a network of citizen auditors. More on our work below. On the organisational side we have some exciting news as in January, we welcomed a new director to Research for Action: Tim Joubert. Tim is doing a PhD at the University of Leeds on radical municipalism in the Greater London Council of the 1980s, and his interests are in social movements, urban contestation and radical history among others. He teaches urban geography at Leeds Beckett University and... [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]
GUEST BLOG: Building local power – reflections on municipalism
Posted inCurrent Guest blog

GUEST BLOG: Building local power – reflections on municipalism

By Steve Rushton In May 2021, Research for Action, Municipal Enquiry and Cities for Change organised an online event called “Building local solidarity and horizontal power”. I collaborated on this project as the local forums facilitator for the UK and Nordic countries for Cities for Change, a decentralised forum initiated and organised by Amsterdam City Council that aimed to strengthen and network municipalism across the continent. Together with Research for Action and Municipal Enquiry, we recognised that local government has been decimated by successive legislative changes and austerity, as Research for Action's work has documented. It often feels politics provides... [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]
Posted inNewsletters

June newsletter – audit reform roundtable 29th June & more

Hello,  Hope you are enjoying the Summer that has finally come!  Below is some news from us and a very important update on the next event on audit reform - it has been rescheduled for the 29th of June, 10-11:30am. Apologies to those who had already booked. If you hadn’t yet, below is the link.   EVENTS   Audit and accountability failure in local government - where next for reform?  Tuesday 29th of June 2021, 10-11:30am, zoom With this roundtable of experts on audit and accountability, we aim to start a dialogue between stakeholders who are calling for improved audit... [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]
REPORT: Democracy Denied: Audit and accountability failure in local government
Posted inAudit and Accountability Publications

REPORT: Democracy Denied: Audit and accountability failure in local government

Decades of funding cuts, outsourcing and commercialisation have driven local government to the brink of collapse. Scrutiny is more important than ever, yet our research shows that local authorities and their auditors actively prevent residents from exercising their rights to hold councils to account over spending decisions. Research for Action’s new report presents evidence of 155 citizen experiences of using the Local Audit and Accountability Act to scrutinise local government finances. It demonstrates serious accountability gaps, reveals the significant role played by private auditors in disempowering residents, and shows a concerning lack of accountability on the part of local authorities.... [continues]