By David Scott
10 September 2009
The scrutiny of Scotland’s councils by inspectorates and audit bodies will be reduced by about 25% following streamlining of the audit process, the chair of the Accounts Commission in Scotland told MSPs last week.
Giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament finance committee on September 8, John Baillie said the commission had taken on the role of ‘gatekeeper’ on scrutiny performance to eliminate duplication and co-ordinate work.
The aim was to stop local authorities having to deal with ‘one scrutiny body after another’, he said.
‘That work is well under way,’ he added. ‘We have already reported to the Cabinet secretary for finance [John Swinney] that we estimate there will be a 20%–25% cut in the extent of contact with local authorities as a direct consequence.’
Baillie said it had also been agreed there would be a single, shared risk assessment by scrutiny bodies for areas such as education and social work.
A further change would enable councils to carry out self-assessments.
Baillie was responding to CIPFA Scotland’s submission, which argues that the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill represents a missed opportunity to undertake more radical reform, including the creation of a single scrutiny body.
Don Peebles, policy manager for CIPFA in Scotland, recalled that the Howat report – a review of the Scottish budget published in 2007 – had referred to the ‘crowded landscape’ of public bodies.
He said: ‘I am not convinced from a reading of the Bill that the crowded landscape identified by Howat becomes any less crowded by what is actually contained within it.’
10 September 2009
The scrutiny of Scotland’s councils by inspectorates and audit bodies will be reduced by about 25% following streamlining of the audit process, the chair of the Accounts Commission in Scotland told MSPs last week.
Giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament finance committee on September 8, John Baillie said the commission had taken on the role of ‘gatekeeper’ on scrutiny performance to eliminate duplication and co-ordinate work.
The aim was to stop local authorities having to deal with ‘one scrutiny body after another’, he said.
‘That work is well under way,’ he added. ‘We have already reported to the Cabinet secretary for finance [John Swinney] that we estimate there will be a 20%–25% cut in the extent of contact with local authorities as a direct consequence.’
Baillie said it had also been agreed there would be a single, shared risk assessment by scrutiny bodies for areas such as education and social work.
A further change would enable councils to carry out self-assessments.
Baillie was responding to CIPFA Scotland’s submission, which argues that the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill represents a missed opportunity to undertake more radical reform, including the creation of a single scrutiny body.
Don Peebles, policy manager for CIPFA in Scotland, recalled that the Howat report – a review of the Scottish budget published in 2007 – had referred to the ‘crowded landscape’ of public bodies.
He said: ‘I am not convinced from a reading of the Bill that the crowded landscape identified by Howat becomes any less crowded by what is actually contained within it.’
