| Dear friends and followers, Summer is in full swing and there’s lots happening in the world of local democracy. Here are some of the most recent news from Research for Action and friends, and a call for help with our current research… Government wants to abolish the committee system – against the will of Sheffield residents In June, the government announced its intent to ‘simplify’ governance arrangements for local authorities in England, effectively forcing all councils to transition to the leader and cabinet model. It said that the alternative, the committee system, ‘can be unclear, duplicative, and wasteful, leading to slower, less efficient decision-making’. We have heard from councillors that these preferred ‘strong leader’ models of local governance are more centralised, leading to the marginalisation of backbench councillors and thus are often less democratic. We also have strong reservations about the upcoming English Devolution actually leading to further centralisation of power and believe this announcement is a worrying step in that direction. For our allies in Sheffield however, the proposal sounds even more undemocratic: It’s Our City! successfully campaigned for a citizen referendum to return to the committee model only a few years ago. We wholeheartedly share their belief that this will of the people should not be overridden with central government legislation. We have published their statement on our website. We are seeking interviewees from Woking, Slough and Croydon As part of our research into council bankruptcies and central government interventions, we are currently conducting interviews in Woking, Slough and Croydon. The interviews are off-the-record and for background only, and we are interested in speaking to councillors, council officials, commissioners, campaigners, and journalists covering the areas – basically anyone who has knowledge and an opinion about the interventions in those areas. If that is you or you know anyone, please get in touch! info@researchforaction.uk Local audit reform… still waiting The government has plans to publish the new audit reform legislation by mid-2025. With only weeks to go before the summer recess, we are closely monitoring the Parliamentary agenda. In April, the government responded to the consultation on local audit reform, which gives an idea about their plans (We made a submission to the consultation and were glad to see some of our points had been taken on board, especially on simplifying the system and strengthening enforcement and financial governance in councils.) We welcome their plans for the Local Audit Office, especially where that will lead to a simpler and better functioning regulatory system, clearer enforcement powers, and national guidance including on PIRs. However we are concerned that there is little focus on the public or civil society’s role as stakeholders, or enough detail on transparency, access to information or public accountability rights. We support there being public provision of audit but are still concerned that this will not be significant enough to tackle the market failure. We are concerned about the focus on value for money and efficiency as some of the key principles in the reforms and we would rather see a public interest focus, including a definition for public interest. We are supportive of plans for further work towards accounts reform, however we would like to see the public represented as a stakeholder. We also welcome that there are plans for strengthening accountability through Local Public Accounts Committees and stronger guidance for audit committees, and hope both of these plans receive the attention they deserve. We believe there are many more steps that could be taken to strengthen audit committees, and look forward to seeing the proposals on these subjects. Time is ticking…. More soon! Meanwhile, enjoy the summer and stay cool if you are in a heatwave area. All the best Gloria, FJ and Megan P.S. If you want to get these updates in your inbox, click here |
Summer News: governance upheavals, audit reform saga, how you can help our research
