Practicing good governance in all public and third sector organisations which receive public money is essential. It demonstrates transparency, accountability, inclusion and responsiveness to service user needs. However, poor governance has the opposite, destructive, effect. Even bodies delivering value for money and good service delivery can see those achievements devalued by poor governance. How should organisations promote, practice and protect the good governance which helps prevent institution and career ending episodes?
These are tough times for all organisations delivering services using the public pound, in both the public and third sectors. Scotland's new First Minister, Humza Yousaf MSP, stated in his first policy speech to parliament that "And we are also – and this is worth stressing – facing the most difficult public spending environment that this devolved parliament has clearly ever seen." He went on to indicate that "As a result, we are having to make tough decisions about our priorities." Statement to the Scottish Parliament, 18 April 2023.
It is clear that funding rounds are expected to be tough. Meanwhile service users still expect good services, delivered where and when they need them. Good governance is the gearing which, when done well, gives every organisation its best chance of continuing to attract the funding needed while satisfying user demand.
Those governing our public bodies today face a daunting task. Stretching limited budgets and resources to meet rising demand for services. Bending the spend but maintaining and improving service quality. Helping their organisations become more efficient and innovative in the way they design and deliver services. All of this while operating within policy frameworks and guidelines set out by government and sector regulators. In times like these, delivering good governance is critical to being able to achieve the balance between financial challenge and service demand. This conference examines what good governance is, what it looks like and how it can be achieved.
This conference looks at core challenges in delivering good governance. It considers the key factors to be addressed across all bodies. It reflects on the challenge of maintaining high standards in governance and focussing on excellence at a time when more is having to be done with much less.
The conference examines these challenges in three sessions:
Topics to be discussed
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
Associate Professor of Public Leadership and Management in the Department of Leadership and HRM
Northumbria University
Director
Message Matters
Partner and Co-head of Government and Business Team
Brodies LLP
Rosemary Agnew
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman
Rosemary Agnew took up the post of Scottish Public Services Ombudsman on 1 May 2017. Immediately prior to this she was the Scottish Information Commissioner (2012-2017).
Since 2001, Rosemary has held various roles in relation to public sector complaints, including with the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission and the Local Government Ombudsman in the UK.
Rosemary is committed to transparent, sustainable improvement in Scottish public services. She sees complaints and what is learned from them as an integral part of the improvement landscape. Equally, she recognises the importance of being the final stage of the complaints process in Scotland for most public services and in ensuring that, where things go wrong for individuals, action is taken to put them right as far as possible.
Ian C Elliott (Dr)
Associate Professor of Public Leadership and Management in the Department of Leadership and HRM
Northumbria University
Associate Professor of Public Leadership and Management in the Department of Leadership and HRM at Northumbria University. He is also current Chair of the Joint University Council, the UK learned society for public administration, public policy and social work. His research includes work on public leadership, organisational change in the public sector and community empowerment.
Andy Maciver
Director
Message Matters
With nearly 15 years in communications in banking and politics, Andy’s areas of expertise are corporate positioning, reputation management, strategic campaigns and writing.
He also has a background in branding and corporate ID renewal and is a regular contributor to political discussion on TV and radio.
Jackie McGuire
Partner and Co-head of Government and Business Team
Brodies LLP
Jackie is Co-head of the Brodies Government and Business Team. She is a public law specialist with particular experience and expertise in the local government sector where she worked in-house for a substantial period of time. She regularly advises on the full breadth of local authority activity including social care, education, housing and roads as well as in relation to conduct and good governance. She also advises clients in relation to major infrastructure process working closely with colleagues in Real Estate and Planning in relation to compulsory purchase and statutory consents. Jackie’s client base includes a number of Scottish local authorities.
Jackie also acts on behalf of a number of registered social landlords as well as the Scottish Housing Regulator. Her regulatory practice also extends to advising and supporting care providers in connection with investigations and regulatory interventions in addition to advising clients in the independent schools sector in relation to regulation, standards and good governance.
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