Charities and campaigning organisations are being urged to push for change through their local council. In a major speech on 23 February, John Denham called on third sector groups to focus their campaigns on local councils who are being given new powers to shine a spotlight on the way all local services are delivered, on behalf of their communities. Under a Private Members Bill, backed by the Government, councils will have strengthened powers to scrutinise all significant local public service spending in their area. They will be able to legally compel organisations to attend council scrutiny hearings in order to investigate issues, get answers and make recommendations around how public money is spent. These changes have the potential to transform the way that third sector groups campaign and lobby for change on how local public services are run, whether delivered by the NHS, the police, private contractors or the council itself. John Denham said: "Many organisations campaigning for improved local services rightly target MPs and Ministers and this should continue.” http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1482683.
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