Via Governance Notes I see that the Centre for Public Scrutiny have a blog. It looks like it may become a useful touchstone for all those looking to learn about how other councils use scrutiny to improve public services and the well-being of residents.
One of the things that I'm sure the authors of the blog will want to be wary of is relying on press coverage to give us a sense of the range of work that scrutiny operates.
This isn't to have a dig at local papers, or to discourage my colleagues from trying to raise interest in their work through the press; but I hope it's uncontentious to note that news stories tend to need a level of controversy for them to get into the pages of even our local papers. Much of the work that scrutiny committees do doesn't create controversy. Rather it often explores (sometimes with great subtlety) complex issues and draws conclusions that work with the grain of policy; and that often doesn't make for headline-grabbing press releases.
Still, trying to document, and encourage, the important role that scrutiny is playing in making public policy better is definitely needed and I hope the blog helps.
Update I'd seen Gareth's observations on minority scrutiny reports, but for some reason didn't make the link to the CfPS blog.
Sophia over at Demos has been reflecting on whether there might be lessons to be learned from some bits of the private sector, in particular Pret-a-Manger. I'm intrigued by some of the ideas (without being clear whether they're practical in a local government setting), for example:
When someone applies to work for Pret, they spend a day in the shop that they would be working in. At the end of the day the staff at that shop vote on whether the person should come and join the team. If less than 90% think they should, they are not accepted.
I'd guess that this sort of approach works wonders in terms of retaining staff and giving them the message that they are critical for the success of the organisation, which is as true of local government as a sandwich shop. But it'd be a big change to introduce this sort of approach, particularly in areas where we're very keen to fill vacancies.
Pret also do mystery shopping, and my sense is that local government is actually quite good at that sort of stuff, not that we're as good at building that back into the way we then deal with people as we should be (and admittedly that's the rub).
Gareth has also been looking at particular example of private sector management that values the importance of staff.
Lots of my non-blogging friends and collegues tend to think that I'm either fantastically technologically savy, or a "sad male". ("What's the difference?" I hear you ask.)
It turns out that I'm almost part of the mainstream:
The blogosphere is continuing to grow, with a weblog created every second, according to blog trackers Technorati.
I was an objector to the application and attended the meeting under the standing orders of the council, which give me the right to ask questions and make contributions (but don't give me a vote).
I'd had a number of emails detailing the behaviour of drinkers from the pub the following gives a flavour of their content:
I would like to complain about anti-social behaviour on the Montpelier Row stretch of Blackheath last night. A group of people who I'd noticed drinking alcohol served by the Princess of Wales on the heath during Saturday stayed on the heath by Montpelier Row until about 1am today (Sunday). These people were fighting and shouting and swearing. I thought about contacting the police but decided that they had more important things to cope with ie the recent London bombings.
Because I received these emails after the deadline for papers to be in front of the committee (the incident described only happened a couple of days ago) the applicants have a right to decide whether to allow them to be presented, and chose not to allow me to put them before the committee.
There were a number of concessions made by the pub in a an attempt to sweeten the pill, and those were enough for the pollice to remove their objection. However, residents were fairly clear that their concerns ran rather deeper.
The solicitor for Mitchells and Butler, Mr Stephen Drake, asked who I was to be asking questions and when I explained I was the local councillor suggested I was only representing those who write to me. Their area manager tried to be more reasonable and admitted that there has not been a good enough relationship between the pub and its neighbours. This was shown time and again by local residents who made impassioned pleas that the application be rejected.
They talked about their gardens being used as a toilet, vomitting, damage to their property (cars and homes), shouting and swaring late at night and distress to families.
There was some discussion between Mr Drake and the council's solicitor about whether the committee were able to make conditions around posting additional security for the extended hours.
After which the applicant unexpectedly withdrew the application.
I suspect I'll see Mr Drake next week when he represents O'Neills who have a similar application for consideration.
I, and some senior managers from children's social services, spent some of this morning at the Horniman Museum with a group of children in Lewisham’s care listening to them talk about when other children are taken into care what we could do to make them feel better about the experience.
The children were aged between 8 and 11 and some were in foster care and others in residential care (which is something that I instinctively have a problem with but won’t comment on in this post).
One of the techniques that helps children and young people to communicate about things that are very personal and potentially upsetting is to distance them from what they are saying, through things like story telling. Today we used the range of puppets that the museum had to allow the children to tell us a story.
The idea is that this research will help us develop a story book or comic that we can give to children as they come into care and which might help them understand what’s happening a bit better, and let them know who to turn to if things are not going well.
What came across very strongly this morning was the importance that the children put into feeling normal, or as normal as possible in an abnormal situation. They wanted to know that they were welcome in the foster or residential home, they wanted to have experiences which allowed them to behave like other children (going to the park, going to the cinema etc.). They were also clear that they wanted to see their families and that they missed them.
As always its getting the simple things right that can make a significant difference to children and young people.
I, along with every Lewisham councillor, have had a letter from Christine Grice, the Head of Access and Support Services for Children and Young People at the council, letting us know about the timetable for St Matthew's opening. St Matthew's will replace St Joseph's Academy and Our Lady of Lourdes primary school and will be part of the government's academy programme.
For those who've not been following this case, the Mayor of London made some useful comments on the sustainability of the design which (as I understand it) has meant a rethink about the energy efficiency and water use in the new school buildings.
Christine says:
"that following discussions between the DfES, the Archdiocese of Southwark and the Council, it has been confirmed that subject to the signing of the Funding Agreement in the Autumn, St Matthew Academy will now open in September 2007, rather than September 2006.
This decision means that the Academy will open in its new state of the art buildings from the outset, and that the pupils will benefit immediately from the new facilities and resources."
I know that the Council and Archdiocese will be doing all that they can to support St Joseph's in the interim period particularly give the progress the school has made over the last couple of years.
I've had the following from Sergeant James Yaxley about the Safer Neighbourhoods team in Blackheath:
As you will most likely be well aware the Safer Neighbourhoods team, like every other community team in London, has be called upon to support the security and reassurance operation across Lewisham and Central London and therefore have been unable to fulfil many of our commitments to the ward and its residents and I am very much aware that the needs of the local community have not been given the attention that we would all like and that ongoing problem solving and diversion projects have been postponed and in some cases cancelled.
I would like to thank all of you for your patience and understanding during this difficult and uncertain time and to offer you my assurance that, as soon as circumstances permit, we will return to our work on the ward.
Cllr Andrew Brown
The solicitor for 
I, and some senior managers from children's social services, spent some of this morning at the Horniman Museum with a group of children in Lewisham’s care listening to them talk about when other children are taken into care what we could do to make them feel better about the experience.
One of the techniques that helps children and young people to communicate about things that are very personal and potentially upsetting is to distance them from what they are saying, through things like story telling. Today we used the range of puppets that the museum had to allow the children to tell us a story.
The idea is that this research will help us develop a story book or comic that we can give to children as they come into care and which might help them understand what’s happening a bit better, and let them know who to turn to if things are not going well.
"that following discussions between the DfES, the Archdiocese of Southwark and the Council, it has been confirmed that subject to the signing of the Funding Agreement in the Autumn, St Matthew Academy will now open in September 2007, rather than September 2006.