About the event

The governance of England is more complex now than it has ever been. The delivery of public services locally involves a complex array of bodies, funding streams and partners, to get from the allocation of money to the user at the front line. The growth of cross body partnerships like LEPs and integrated care systems makes the complexity of governance even greater, as have devolution, the creation of combined authorities and the introduction of directly elected mayors. Regional and geographical differences between areas make comparison difficult too.

Where the money comes from, who spends what, to what purpose and how they can be held to account is a constant topic of discussion with many possible solutions. Place based accountability is one but how realistic is it really as a solution and how might it work, particularly in the light of the continuing financial challenge facing local government?