Charities Urged to Lobby Local Councils

Communities Secretary John Denham has advised third sector groups to lobby their local councils following the announcement of new rules allowing councils to scrutinise public service delivery.

A Government-backed Private Members Bill will give councils the power to investigate all local public service spending in their area. This will allow third sector groups to campaign to local councillors directly, requesting they use their powers of scrutiny to examine issues.

Mr Denham said:

"Many organisations campaigning for improved local services rightly target MPs and Ministers, and this should continue. But few make effective use of the right of local council scrutiny committees to hold local services to account. Very often the key decisions on support for carers, school improvement, or the effectiveness of anti-social behaviour policies are taken at a local level.

"The Government is making sure that local councillors have the right to question how these decisions are made, and to require decision makers to justify their actions. We want local councils which can not only deliver their own services, but also shape and scrutinise all local public service spending.

"But these powers will only come into their own if local people, and national campaigning organisations put pressure on councils to use their scrutiny powers effectively."

The executive director of the Centre for Public Scrutiny, Jessica Crowe, said:

"New powers for scrutiny can help to build stronger relationships between councils and the voluntary and community sector.

""Our research shows that scrutiny work can highlight the work of VCOs and help them to play a more central role in Local Strategic Partnerships. New powers for scrutiny to investigate a wider range of local partners will help to cut through complex decision-making processes to help deliver positive change for local people – and to help partner organisations understand the particular challenges faced by VCOs in playing a part in local decision-making and service delivery."

Story courtesy of J4B.Community.co.uk