74 If we examine the four components of accountability identified in recent research for the ODPM (Table 1) (Ref. 15), we see that corporate bodies have many more established procedures and mechanisms for accountability than do partnerships. This is why partnership working can often expose organisations to greater risks.
'…The same principles of governance apply in partnerships as in large institutions, but it is more onerous to implement them and the difference must be recognised. Not all elements of the way that the individual institutions work can be made to operate in an identical fashion in partnerships. If you were to get that, then almost certainly there would be a good reason for not having a partnership, but having an integrated institution.'
Local authority chief executive
Table 1 Corporate bodies have many more mechanisms for internal and external accountability than partnerships. | ||||
| Giving an account | Being held to account | Taking account | Redress |
Corporate | Annual reports Reports to cabinet/board Reports to audit committee (Reports to LSP) Public events, eg, roadshows Communications strategy Open decision-making meetings | Scrutiny Performance appraisal Internal audit Public meetings Annual audit letter Inspection reports | Research and consultation, eg, citizens' panels Neighbourhood forums | Complaints procedures Local Government and Health Ombudsmen |
Partnership | (Annual reports) (Public events, eg, roadshows) Communications strategy | Patchy scrutiny Partnership business reports (Annual audit letter) (Inspection reports) | Research and consultation (Neighbourhood forums) | (Complaints procedures) Ombudsmen |
NB: Brackets indicate mechanisms at an embryonic stage only | ||||