Centre for Public Scrutiny update London Scrutiny Network 6 July 2011 Jessica Crowe Executive Director, CfPS.

Centre for Public Scrutiny updateLondon Scrutiny Network

6 July 2011

Jessica CroweExecutive Director, CfPS

Contents

A new vision for CfPS

The Government’s transparency and accountability agenda

Scrutiny’s key role in self-regulation

Accountability Works for You

Our future plans

Opportunities to work together

A new vision for CfPS

CfPS promotes transparent and accountable government and better public services,

involving communities and building public trust.

Our vision is encapsulated in our new logo:

Transparency

Presumption that the council will put information in the public domain - £500 expenditure info only a start

Scrutiny can be a useful tool to analyse this information, highlight points of concern and mediate between the council and local people

Scrutiny can use publicly-available data to add extra credibility to its research, enhancing its effectiveness

Accountability

Accountability is a good thing. But we believe it should point to the people who actually use and pay for public services.

Decentralisation & the Localism Bill: an essential guideDCLG December 2010

audit

inspection / regulation

the press

elections

management processes

customer insight / complaints

competition / choice

local scrutiny

CfPS Accountability Works for Youpeer challenge social media

redress

A web of accountability

Self-regulation and scrutiny

LGG Taking the Lead identifies scrutiny as having key role to play (after CfPS representations!)

Scrutiny as a way of assuring good performance between 3-yearly peer reviews and between elections

Scrutiny as a source of evidence for peer reviews

Scrutiny as a method of following up the results of reviews and taking an independent role in encouraging improvement

What do we know aboutscrutiny – snapshot

Increasingly effective: policy review joint scrutiny scrutiny of partners involving service-users

Still challenging:• executive relationships• resourcing & support• engaging wider public

• budget scrutiny Solutions: Learn, network and innovate Invest in member skills Focus and prioritise Develop pro-scrutiny culture

From… To…

We’re talking about culture change

Accountability Worksfor You – our new tool

A new practical tool developed by CfPS- Available as part of Taking the Lead framework

Flexible & free for local councils to use themselves- Tailored support available from CfPS

Helps organisations reform governance: - To support transformation & culture change- Focused on accountability, transparency and involvement

www.cfps.org.uk/what-we-do/accountability-works

Future plans- CfPS Conference 2011 ‘Call to Action’

1. Accountability must be built in from the start of all commissioning processes

2. Constructive scrutiny can help organisations ascend not descend in the face of challenges

3. We need a new “spirit of openness” across all public services

4. Scrutiny enables councillors to act as the voice and conscience of their place

5. Scrutiny should embrace and champion open data

6. Involvement means talking to and asking communities about things that they are interested in

7. Local government is about democracy not just delivering services

8. Transparency must increase understanding of impact and value, not just publish data

9. We need a listening culture not a broadcasting one, including through using new technology

10. Scrutiny and accountability can help improve understanding of risk

Future plans- Our 2011-14 Business Plan

Over the next 3 years we will develop our work in the following ‘arenas’:

1. Organisations

1.1 Councils (on-going)1.2 NHS commissioners and providers (on-going)1.3 Universities (in development 2011-12, delivery next yr)

2. Individuals2.1 Local overview and scrutiny functions (on-going)2.2 Health, care and well-being scrutiny functions (on-going)2.3 Social housing tenants (in development to launch by end 2011)2.4 Police and Crime Panels (influencing work 2011-12, delivery next yr)

3. Communities3.1 LINks / Healthwatch (influencing work 2011-12, delivery next yr)3.2 Voluntary & community sector (in development 2011-12, delivery next yr)3.3 Local schools (in development 2011-12, delivery next yr)

Our core offer remains

www.cfps.org.uk- e-newsletters, e-digests & scrutiny exchange- reviews library, on-line forum (COP), latest news- Twitter: @CfPScrutiny

New policy briefings and consultancy to provide support

Fewer events – but Annual Conference, parliamentary seminars, practical and focused regional events

Support for Local Government self-regulation & improvement

Health scrutiny, health accountability and health inequalities

What’s new: more influencing

Responding to government consultations & Bills:I have some sympathy with the aims of some of the amendments,

and, again, I shall draw them into the discussions that we need to have. They seek to bring up to date

the scrutiny regime that sits across various Acts of Parliament in light of recent changes, so it is right that we should look at them.

Evidence to select committee inquiries:The Centre for Public Scrutiny argued in evidence to [our] inquiry that

as an accountability mechanism, the scrutiny function is credible, legitimate and proven to have genuine impact on services.

We recommend … that the Government address the contribution to accountability that can be made by robust

— and if necessary enhanced — local authority scrutiny functions.

Opportunities to work together

With less local support, regional networking is vital:- Share experiences of where things have gone well- Talk about areas of mutual interest- Plan joint work, regional or sub-regional, to share resources- Training & development for officers and members- Speak up on behalf of scrutiny and influence policy-makers

CfPS has developed a regional support offer - training, policy / practice updates, facilitation, action-learning- based on minimal subscriptions per authority (£75-200)- complementing regionally provided support- to add value & share learning from national developments- suggested it to CX of London Councils – open to idea

Stay in touch

www.cfps.org.uk

register for e-newsletters & scrutiny exchange:- on-line library of reviews, publications, news etc- on-line discussion forum- follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/CfPScrutiny

[email protected] 020 7187 7360