'Bit patchy isn't it?' is a frustratingly common response I get from local government folk when I talk about what we do at the Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS), supporting local government overview and scrutiny. That's one reason why 1 was so pleased when Cheshire West and Chester's scrutiny of the council's adoption services won our Overall Impact through Scrutiny Award this year. Not only was it a very good piece of scrutiny work indeed: it's also not the first time they have won one of our Good Scrutiny Awards - demonstrating an ability to maintain consistently good practice over time. A few years ago they won for a review of services for looked after children, with the memorable endorsement from their council leader: 'It's not every day you get councillors swinging through the trees for scrutiny!'
展开▼
