Delivering Good Governance in Local Government: Guidance Notes for English Authorities (2016 Edition)

If you are a CIPFA Publications subscriber, have you downloaded the Briefing Note to accompany this title?

Local government continues to undergo significant change, much of which has been driven by the austerity measures. To cope, authorities will need to continue to adapt the way in which they operate.

Local authorities have responded to austerity through increased collaboration; developing their role as ‘enablers’ and making further use of alternative delivery vehicles (ADVs) for public service provision.

Authorities will continue to make difficult decisions which may mean that certain services are no longer provided, but in doing this they need to communicate effectively with their communities, service users, stakeholders and individuals to ensure that the most vulnerable citizens are protected.

Whether working with other authorities, public sector bodies, the third sector or private sector providers, local authorities must ensure that robust governance arrangements are established at the outset which provide for a shared view of expected outcomes supported by effective mechanisms for control and risk management thereby ensuring that the public purse is properly protected.

These guidance notes relate to Delivering Good Governance: Framework (2016) (the Framework) which is intended to be used as best practice for developing and maintaining a locally adopted code of governance. The Framework, first published by CIPFA in association with Solace in 2007, sets the standard for local authority governance in the UK. CIPFA and Solace reviewed the Framework in 2015 to ensure it remains ‘fit for purpose’ and published a revised edition in April 2016.

These guidance notes will assist authorities in interpreting the principles and terminology contained in the Framework in a way that is appropriate for their governance structures, taking account of the legislative and constitutional arrangements that underpin them.

However it is not intended that the guidance notes are in any way prescriptive – all authorities are encouraged to consider carefully the content of the Framework and to use it in a way that best reflects their structure, type, functions and size.

These guidance notes are aimed at local government in England (excluding police which are covered in a separate publication Delivering Good Governance in Local Government: Guidance Notes for Policing Bodies) and will be particularly useful for officers. It is intended to help those supporting political and officer leadership with establishing robust governance. It signposts component parts of the process and establishes a hierarchy of support.

This publication is available as a downloadable PDF. Customers and subscribers will need to login to CIPFA’s website to access the publication.

Also available to purchase is:

• Framework (2016)
• Guidance Notes for Scottish Authorities (2016)
• Guidance Notes for Welsh Authorities (2016)

The revised edition of Guidance Notes for Policing Bodies (2016) is free to download.

Please note: Given the scale, structure and function of local government in Northern Ireland, the scope of these guidance notes do not extend to their 11 councils. However, the principles and lessons learned from elsewhere that are contained in this guide should help governance of the Northern Ireland sector.