I’m looking forward to the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny Annual Conference next month and I hope you are too.

Have you been before? Do you find these types of events useful? I certainly do. I think I’ve been to maybe seven or eight over the last 15 years.

The first one held by the Centre for Public Scrutiny (as it was then) must have been around 2003, although I reckon my first one was 2010 - the legendary ‘Accountability Works’ event at the historic Brewery venue near the Barbican in London.

You can still find the brochure online including details of an officer and member development day, an exhibition, a gala dinner, the Good Scrutiny awards ceremony and something called Scrutiny Exchange Live!

I can’t say I actually remember much about this one, although I have some shaky pictures, including of a very glamorous looking stage featuring the ‘Accountability Works’ logo in all of its splendour.

I also have some pictures of a workshop on Scrutiny and Academia with Dr Mark Ewbank, who was at INLOGOV at the time. The pictures are from behind the ’top table’ so I’m guessing I was chairing. I hope it was a good one.

Most times I was running a workshop at these conferences, and I’ve covered a lot of the scrutiny staples over the years including ‘measuring impact’, ‘task and finish groups’ and ‘engaging residents’. Maybe you went to one? I hope you found it useful if you did.

And, if you have been to one or more CFGS conferences over the years, have you taken away something helpful?

Perhaps a useful piece of news or an insight from a speaker that you’ve taken back and discussed with your committee or team?

Perhaps a new way of addressing a pressing challenge that you picked up from a workshop?

Perhaps something from the day sparked a new idea or a change in your thinking?

Perhaps you met someone over lunch or in a workshop who has been a really useful source of help and support ever since?

Perhaps you came away with a ‘spring in your scrutiny step’, simply from being together with the scrutiny collective, and being reminded that everyone is finding things tough, just the same as you are?

And maybe you also liked coming away with a new report on a useful topic, a pen, some sticky notes or some other scrutiny ‘merch’?

Of course, a bit like what Mrs Gump said, a conference is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get. But that’s part of the joy of it for me, it’s a big, unpredictable conversation all about scrutiny.

Anyhow, here is the link to the CFGS conference, happening on 20th March in Birmingham: https://www.cfgs.org.uk/cfgs-conference-2025/​

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Hope to see you there. 🙏