Councillor Call for Action workshops
Friday 13th March, 2009
Event dates and hosts:
5 March: Milton Keynes Council
6 March: London Borough of Harrow Council
13 March: Birmingham City Council
16 March: Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council
27 March: South Gloucestershire District Council
Cost: free to attend
Background information
The new Councillor Call for Action (CCfA) legislation comes into being on 1 April this year. For more details on the guidance, visit the CfPS “publications” section.
The CCfA will provide members with the opportunity to ask for discussions at scrutiny committees on issues where local problems have arisen and where other methods of resolution have been exhausted. The legislation will also – sections 236 and 237 – make provision for councils to delegate some of their functions to individual councillors. This will allow them to make decisions at a ward level which will bring real improvements to their local area.
Many councils already have provisions in their constitution to allow individual members to request that an item be placed on a scrutiny committee agenda. However, CCfA is about more than this. It is about giving councillors power to bring together officers and executive members, and representatives from external partners, to develop solutions to local problems. Through the powers to delegate functions to councillors, councillors can consequently take a lead in resolving problems themselves. This will make the council as a whole more responsive to local demands for change and improvement. Providing a link between scrutiny and the council’s improvement processes is particularly crucial in the context of comprehensive area assessment (CAA).
The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) and the Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS) are developing sector–led guidance on the new legislation to help councils respond and reap the potential benefits. The guidance will draw on examples of councils who have already developed practice in this way of working.
Regional workshops
We will be running five workshops to give councils a chance to explore the legislation, the guidance, and learn from peers who are already delivering within this framework. Each event will be hosted by a local council and will run from 10.00 am until 2.00 pm, including a networking lunch.
Ed Hammond, Research and Information Manager at CfPS, will provide the opening introduction on the guidance and will be joined by national and regional representatives.
Outline programme
10.00: Registration and refreshments
10.30: Welcome and introduction by host council
10.40: Introducing the CCfA and sector–led guidance
11.00: Questions and discussion with expert panel
11.20: Scenario round table exercise
12.20: Feedback
12.40: Networking lunch
Who should attend
These events are open to officers and members from councils who will be responsible for implementing the changes associated with this legislation.
Booking information
Additional programme details will be circulated with the joining instructions.
For further information contact:
Cheryl Flack
Telephone: 020 7296 6199
Email: cheryl.flack@idea.gov.uk
How to book:
Various locations across England