Oflog early warning conversations programme could be implemented as early as next year

The chief executive of the Office for Local Government (Oflog) has reported a successful first pilot of its early warning conversations programme but noted that tweaks are still needed before rolling it out in 2024 or 2025.

Writing in a letter to the Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee, Clive Betts, the chief executive of Oflog, Josh Goodman, said a trial run with Oxfordshire County Council had shown the process has the "potential to add value" and that a second pilot is needed.

The programme is part of Oflog's early warning system, which is aimed at spotting signs of potential serious failure in local authorities.

The early warning conversations component involves sending in a review team to local authorities identified as potentially at risk.

Goodman noted that Oxfordshire's chief executive said: "The overall process seems considered and robust, while acknowledging that modifications will need to be made, which was the main point of this trial run."

Goodman added that Oflog should conduct a second pilot in order to "amend and then test the model again before conducting a 'real' Early Warning Conversation".

He said he hopes to conduct the second pilot this summer, ahead of the programme's first 'real' Early Warning Conversations later in 2024-25.

For the initial pilot in Oxfordshire, Oflog worked with a review team consisting of a serving Chief Executive and a Section 151 Officer.

However, Goodman said a real early warning conversation should typically comprise a team that includes a serving or recent chief executive, a section 151 officer, and the serving or recent Leader of a different local authority.

He also noted that Oflog intends to publish a report at the end of an Early Warning Conversation that will set out the type and degree of risks to the authority's leadership, governance and culture and make recommendations for improvement and support.

"The factual content of the report will, where possible, be agreed by the local authority," he added.

According to the letter, Oflog's currently plans to ask the local authority to publish a written response to that public Oflog report, outlining the action they will take.

It is not clear whether it will set guidelines or prescriptions about the format of that response.

Adam Carey