The LGA provides support for councillors on finance, governance and audit
The annual budget process is probably the single biggest, most complex exercise that any council undertakes as part of its annual work cycle.
Many councils start the exercise almost as soon as the previous year’s budget is agreed and the process takes almost the whole year, involving every elected member at some stage and a considerable cast of senior officers as well as partner organisations.
Getting this process right is vital to the council’s success and contributes significantly to what it achieves for the local area. Without a sustainable budget that supports long-term financial resilience, many other plans and aspirations may well founder.
This is why the LGA has recently published a ‘must-know’ guide on the annual budget process, which draws on experience and best practice to set out some pointers for a good, effective budget process.
As the Chair of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, I am passionate about supporting councillors to develop their skills.
The budget process guide is just one part of a suite of resources, publications, and learning and development opportunities that make up the LGA’s support offer for newly elected and experienced councillors on finance, governance, and audit.
During what are increasingly challenging times for the local government sector, it is important that councillors have the skills and knowledge needed to deliver on their councils’ priorities.
The LGA’s support offer is designed to help you be effective in your role in regard to local government finance, good decision-making, and understanding and managing risk.
All of the programmes can be found on our website and are free – so please book soon to avoid missing out.
Finance improvement – our support offer
Finance without numbers
This virtual event – on 19 September and repeated on 15 October – is ideal for new councillors and provides an overview of local government finance without any numbers, focusing instead on roles, responsibilities, key terminology and processes.
Leadership Essentials
Our popular Leadership Essentials programmes support councillors in chair or cabinet member roles. Most are held in person at Warwick Conferences, Coventry. They include:
- Financial governance – what effective financial governance looks like and councillors’ role in ensuring that their council’s systems, processes and culture are effective.
- Finance leadership – focusing on financial management and governance ahead of the next budget process.
- Audit leadership – discussing how councils’ audit committees can be most effective.
- Finance for non-finance cabinet members – demystifying the financial elements of your portfolio or policy committee.
- Risk management – understanding the role of elected members.
For further details, please visit our website and/or email [email protected].
E-learning
Expand your political leadership skills with our free e-learning platform for councillors that includes modules on local government finance and an introduction to audit committees.
Our ‘Councillor workbook – local government finance’ considers how councils receive their funding and highlights legal and best practice requirements in managing their financial affairs.
Regional audit forums
For audit committee chairs, we facilitate regional audit forums to help identify systemic audit issues and share good practice. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
Current publications
- Must know guide: the annual budget process
- Must know guide: the statement of accounts
- Must know guide: working with auditors
- Ten questions for audit committees.
See:
- Audit, Scrutiny and Risk (published by the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny).
- In addition to finance, governance and audit, the LGA’s development support offer for councillors covers everything from being an effective ward councillor to advanced leadership skills.