YP Comment: Full scrutiny of local councils

Though ineffective oversight was a feature of the Rotherham sex abuse scandal, there have also been many other shortcomings to prompt Parliament’s Communities Select Committee, headed by Sheffield MP Clive Betts, to explore the adequacy of existing protocols.

They’re right to do so. The only local authorities that will have anything to fear from this exercise are those councils that are run as fiefdoms because of ineffective opposition or councillors not understanding the role, and importance, of scrutiny committees.

Even though Yorkshire’s own devolution deal is in abeyance, the transfer of powers to the English regions makes it imperative that public funds are spent wisely and responsibly. As this newspaper has previously stated, taxpayers don’t want more tiers of government. They want effective and transparent leadership, with the powers-that-be held accountable for their actions in order to avoid a repeat of expensive follies like the Leeds trolleybus debacle.

‘Rotherham scandal raises questions over council scrutiny’