New scrutiny project agreed by LARCI

Last updated:27 May 2010

The Local Authorities Research Councils Initiative (LARCI), have agreed a proposal put forward by CfPS and the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), for a small project to develop closer links between scrutiny functions and local higher education and research institutions. The kinds of activities envisaged include:

• initial research to establish what practice and links between research institutions and local authority overview and scrutiny functions already exist, and to understand the barriers to developing such links.
• a seminar to share the research findings between local authority practitioners, universities, research bodies and the Research Councils and contribute further to the contents of a report.
• the production of a good practice report based on this research and the seminar.
• possible support for some exemplar partnership projects to further test the ideas developed from the initial research and provide further learning and practice opportunities.

For those who have not come across LARCI before, in 2007 the LARCI concordat was signed to set the foundations for a stronger strategic relationship between Local Government and the Research Councils. LARCI objectives are to:

• respond to issues identified by local authorities by promoting relevant Research Council-funded research.
• help local authorities to meet their challenges through access to quality research.
• facilitate knowledge exchange between the Research Councils and local authorities.
• help the Research Councils, local authorities and representative organisations to develop strategic partnerships.

We know that there are already useful links between scrutiny and universities in some areas, particularly where local authorities have discretionary budgets to commission expert advice or research as part of scrutiny reviews. A brief trawl through the CfPS website found the following:

Devon County Council - review of the state of agriculture in Devon – commissioned research from Exeter University. Click here for review.

Durham Council – evaluation of O&S function in run-up to new unitary authority – carried out by Northumbria University.  Click here for review.

Durham County Council - review of sustainability – took evidence from Northumbria University.  Click here for review.

Gloucestershire County Council - review of flooding 2007 – used an expert technical adviser on the subject from Gloucestershire University; the review was shortlisted in our Good Scrutiny Awards 2008 and features in our Successful Scrutiny 2008 publication.

Hartlepool Council – had student placements from Teesside University in the scrutiny team to provide extra research capacity and support for reviews and give the students practical experience as part of their course.

Sharing the Learning – CfPS 2006 publication on innovative examples of health scrutiny.

Cumbria County Council teenage health review – used Lancaster University to support Action Learning as part of review.

Coventry City Council - review of breastfeeding – worked with Coventry University Health Services Research Centre.

Bradford City Council - review of obesity – commissioned independent expert from Leeds University to analyse survey, set up action learning framework and evaluate project.  Sharing the Learning.
 

Liverpool University Guild of Students scrutiny panels – slightly different but a good example of a different kind of partnership – Liverpool Guild of Students contacted CfPS for support in setting up their own internal scrutiny function, including sourcing a Liverpool City Councillor to sit as an external ‘critical friend’. They have now been shortlisted for a Good Scrutiny Award for 2010 under the ‘Accountable Organisation’ category.
http://www.cfps.org.uk/news/scrutiny-news/education/?id=195

Watch this space for more information once the final details of the project have been confirmed by LARCI and it gets up and running. In the meantime, have you considered whether your local university’s research students might offer an additional resource to support scrutiny, as Hartlepool did with Teesside University?

There are non-monetary benefits for universities in getting involved with scrutiny. Developing a relationship with local authorities through the overview and scrutiny function offers the opportunity to provide practical learning and research opportunities for students at a number of levels – on individual subjects depending on the scrutiny review topic, or on aspects of the democratic process itself through the opportunity to work with elected members carrying out their scrutiny role. And as scrutiny increasingly engages with other partners at a local level, the access that could be opened up to on-the-ground practice is extremely broad. It also offers universities opportunities to engage with their local communities and demonstrate the value provided by having a university based in the locality.