Warrington Lib Dem News

Demanding Better Governance following Best Value review

MB
21 May 2025
Mark and Helen looking miffed

At Monday evening’s Borough Council meeting we repeated our call for substantial reform in governance, scrutiny, and financial accountability. Responding to the Council’s initial proposals following the Best Value Inspection, the Liberal Democrat opposition pressed for firmer commitments to transparency, effective oversight and scrutiny.

Group Leader Mark Browne stressed the need for meaningful action, not symbolic change. He welcomed the Council’s decision to appoint, at the Government’s direction, an independent Chair of Audit and Governance and an Opposition Chair to the Scrutiny Committee. He also questioned how the administration would ensure these reforms lead to lasting improvements, particularly under the oversight of ministerial envoys for the next five years.

Deputy Group Leader Helen Speed noted that the Best Value Inspection consultation remains open until Thursday 22nd May, offering residents the opportunity to share their views on the Council’s governance and financial strategies. She encouraged residents to respond.

Our group will carefully review both the consultation feedback and the Labour administration’s formal response to the Best Value Inspection report promised at the June full council meeting. These will be crucial in assessing the commitment to meaningful reform.

Monday's meeting reaffirmed the Liberal Democrats’ determination to uphold democratic accountability, and to ensure that governance reforms deliver real, lasting change - not a continuation of the same governance processes that were so heavily criticised in the Best Value report.

This website uses cookies

Like most websites, this site uses cookies. Some are required to make it work, while others are used for statistical or marketing purposes. If you choose not to allow cookies some features may not be available, such as content from other websites. Please read our Cookie Policy for more information.

Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the website to function properly.
Statistics cookies collect information anonymously. This information helps us to understand how our visitors use our website.
Marketing cookies are used by third parties or publishers to display personalized advertisements. They do this by tracking visitors across websites.