Useful Links
Scrutiny- General
Centre for Public Scrutiny
The Centre for Public Scrutiny has been created to promote the value of scrutiny in modern and effective government - not only to hold executives to account but also to create a constructive dialogue between the public and its elected representatives - to improve the quality of public services. Hackney has a dedicated page on the CfPS website.
The Good Scrutiny Guide
The Good Scrutiny Guide defines four principles of effective public scrutiny.
Realising the Potential of Scrutiny: Research and Recommendations on the Overview and Scrutiny function in Local Government (2003/4)
A report by the New Local Government Network (NLGN) is calling on local authorities to address the extent to which overview and scrutiny is not yet embedded in the culture of their organisation
Putting the Public First through Performance Management (2006)
a briefing which looks at how to ensure a user and citizen focus to performance management.
Inspection
Audit Commission
The Audit Commission is an independent public body responsible for ensuring that public money is spent economically, efficiently, and effectively in the areas of local government, housing, health, criminal justice and fire and rescue services.
National Audit Office
The National Audit Office scrutinises public spending on behalf of Parliament. They are totally independent of Government.
Ofsted
Ofsted is the inspectorate for children and learners in England. It is their job to contribute to the provision of better education and care through effective inspection and regulation.
Care Quality Commission
The Care Quality Commission is the new health and social care regulator for England. They look at the joined up picture of health and social care. Their aim is to ensure better care for everyone in hospital, in a care home and at home.
Local Government
Local Government Association
The LGA exists to promote better local government. They work with and for their member authorities to realise a shared vision of local government that enables local people to shape a distinctive and better future for their locality and its communities. We aim to put local councils at the heart of the drive to improve public services and to work with government to ensure that the policy, legislative and financial context in which they operate, supports that objective.
London Councils
London Councils is a cross-party organisation, funded and run by member authorities to work on behalf of them all, regardless of political persuasion. They act as the employers’ organisation for the 32 London boroughs, providing advice, support and training, and representing them in negotiations.
Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority
The official website for the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority. The Mayor has specific powers and duties and a general power to do anything that will promote economic, social and environmental improvement in London. The Mayor’s job ranges from developing policies to setting budgets to championing London around the world. The GLA supports the Mayor of London and the London Assembly (who scrutinise the work of the Mayor), and have three main areas of responsibility: economic development and wealth creation, social development, and environmental improvement.
The Department for Communities and Local Government (Formerly Office of the Deputy Prime Minister)
The job of the Department for Communities and Local Government is to help create sustainable communities, working with other government departments, local councils, businesses, the voluntary sector, and communities themselves.
IDeA
The Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) works in partnership with all councils, to enhance the performance of the best, accelerate the speed of improvement of the rest, and develop the sector as a whole. They excel at creating local solutions for local needs by combining visionary goals with highly professional management.
Local Government Information Sites
Information for Local Government from Central Government
Info4local provides local authorities with quick and easy access to information from more than 65 government departments, agencies and public bodies. It is run by a group of seven departments, with the Department for Communities and Local Government in the lead.
Local Government Information Unit
The Local Government Information Unit is an independent research and information organisation. They represent the interests of local authorities by providing practical, independent advice, resources and training
General - Local
Team Hackney
Team Hackney consists of a family of partnerships that specialise in different areas of expertise. At the centre is the Team Hackney Board, chaired by the elected Mayor of Hackney, Jules Pipe. The Team Hackney Board oversees the work of six other ‘themed’ partnerships.
The City and Hackney Primary Care Trust
Primary care trusts (PCTs) covering all parts of England receive budgets directly from the Department of Health. Since April 2002, PCTs have taken control of local health care while Strategic Health Authorities monitor performance and standards. The City and Hackney Primary Care Trust was formed on 1st April 2001.
Hackney Borough Police
Responsible for all the borough’s crime prevention activities, including the 19 Safer Neighbourhood Teams.
The East London Business Alliance
Composed of over 120 major City and Canary Wharf companies with a particular focus in East London. Every year the alliance places 7,000 private sector volunteers supporting some 500 East End organisations and has built a reputation for delivering award winning programmes.
With the coming of the Olympics to East London, many new companies have joined ELBA's Legacy 2020 programme which aims to help East London capture the benefits of hosting the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With the Games on the horizon, we are now gearing up to help the East End make the most of this opportunity.
Groundwork East London
A charity that supports environmental regeneration in deprived areas within east London. It has been delivering practical and sustainable improvements with communities since 1994. Working primarily in the London borough’s of Hackney, Barking and Dagenham, Havering and Newham, it is expanding to include the London boroughs of Waltham Forest and Redbridge.
The Hackney Enterprise Network
HEN is a business networking service supported by London Borough of Hackney and delivered by HBV Enterprise. HEN helps local entrepreneurs to network, make new contacts, enter new markets, strengthen, grow and fund their business. It uncovers inspiring new prospects to match your needs. Launched in 2004 to strengthen the voice of small businesses. It has over 270 members whose businesses span a wide range of industry sectors and ethnicities.
Hackney Homes
Responsible for managing more than 30,000 council homes in Hackney. This includes collecting rent, carrying out repairs, ongoing maintenance of estates, cleaning and grounds maintenance, providing specialist services for leaseholders and dealing with issues between neighbours such as harassment and nuisance. Hackney Homes is a not for profit organisation set up by the Council to manage their homes.
Hackney Council for Voluntary Service (HCVS)
Hackney's leading voluntary and community sector support agency. HCVS offer funding, information, training and resources to over 1,400 local voluntary and community groups. They are the accountable body for the Community Empowerment Network and the Youth Futures project, tackling gun and gang violence.
The Learning Trust
The not-for-profit company which runs all the education services for the London Borough of Hackney. This includes schools, day nurseries, the play service and adult education.
Renaisi
An independent not-for-profit company specialising in the design, development and delivery of regeneration projects and programmes. Its clients include central and local government, public sector agencies, voluntary and community sector organisationsand private organisations. Renaisi accesses a range of public and private funding sources.
Hackney Youth Parliament
Hackney Youth Parliament is a youth service initiative that gives young people in Hackney a platform to have their say, meaningfully engage in politics and influence real decision-making in the Youth Service, the Council, the Police and other agencies in the borough and London and nationwide. The first borough wide elections took place in October 2008, and 3000 young people voted for 22 representatives. There are 5 representatives from each Area (Homerton, North East, Shoreditch, Stoke Newington) as well as specialist representatives.
Hackney Parks Forum
Hackney Parks Forum is a voluntary body whose members are made up of Park User Groups and other environmentally based groups who care about Parks and Green Spaces in Hackney.
Hackney Local Improvement Network
Every local authority in England has a Local Improvement Network (LINk): they have been set up by the government to enable local people to monitor, influence or change the way their local NHS and social care services are planned, developed, purchased and delivered.
Hackney LINk is independent of both the Local Authority and the NHS, and can comment on all health and social care services including GPs, local hospitals, care homes, dentists, pharmacists etc.
Page updated: 15 Jun 2010
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