Profiles
Stephen Quigley
A recent chairman of overview and scrutiny who brings a member’s perspective and experience to the role of member training.
As chairman led a number of initiatives that built up the reputation of the scrutiny function within the council and in the community.
A serious student of overview and scrutiny and local government who keeps himself briefed on current legislation and best practice through development programmes at Birmingham University and the Centre for Public Scrutiny.
A skilled presenter, instructor and trained public speaker.
Career in local government
Elected member of Chichester District Council (May 2003 – May 2011)
2007 – 2011. Chairman of Overview and Scrutiny
Achievements:
Led high profile scrutiny of several external agencies.
- primary care trust’s proposals for reconfiguration of hospital services;
- flood defence proposals by the Environment Agency;
- LEA proposals for change in age of transfer and for new academy.
2010. Coordinated an internal cross services review of proposals for savings and revenue generation to offset prospective cuts in government grant.
2009 – 2010. Led reorganisation of scrutiny function and setting up of a scrutiny planning group to plan agendas, set up panels and advise on call-ins.
2007 -2011. Member of Corporate Audit and Governance Committee.
2003 – 2007. Member of Policy Development Committee.
Local Government Publications: article in Surveyor (February 2004) on alternate weekly collections; in First magazine (April 19, 2008) Day in the Life; (May 14, 2011) Advice to new councillors on communications.
Continuing Professional Development
University of Birmingham
- Postgraduate module on the Fundamentals of Overview and Scrutiny, November 4-6, 2015
- Successful Scrutiny: principles and practices, February 23, 2010
- Scrutiny and the New Legislation, February 19, 2008
- Chairing Scrutiny, July 2, 2007
Centre for Public Scrutiny
- Registered for Anatomy of accountability- health scrutiny conference. June 27, 2017
- Local Government Scrutiny Conference: Democracy, governance and truth. December 1, 2017
- Using performance management information to drive scrutiny. January 25, 2016
- Annual Conferences 2012 and 2013
- The New Legislative Framework, January 31, 2012
- Questioning techniques, January 12, 2010
- Operation of Select Committees, April 1, 2009
Relevant interests
School governance
- Chichester High School for Girls, 1997 to 2014.
- Roles included chairman of Full Governing Body.
- County additional governor, 2012 to 2014 .
Professional Associations
- Member of National Governors Association
- Member of the Institute of Directors
Earlier career
IBM: Press relations and management communications
British Council: overseas service
Education
- MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching), Harvard
- BA (Modern and Medieval Languages), Cambridge
Alan Drinkwater
A former work colleague of Stephen Quigley at IBM who brings experience of a first tier authority and the committee system of governance to the consultancy.
At IBM he worked for 22 years in management development and personnel research. He was seconded for two years to Henley Management College as a member of the teaching staff.
From 1985 to 1997 he was a member of Hampshire County Council where his main interest was in planning and the environment. He served on the former Planning and Transportation Committee throughout and at different times on the Education Committee, the Policy and Resources Committee and the Hampshire Police Authority. He represented the Council for four years on the former London and South East Planning Forum (SERPLAN), and was elected for three years as chairman of its Members’ Policy Group.
On standing down from Hampshire County Council he was appointed a member of the Southern Region Flood Defence Committee of the Environment Agency, and chairman of the then Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Flood Defence Committee. He was a volunteer with CPRE Hampshire monitoring the preparation of the former South East Plan.
He is particularly interested in collaboration between local authorities and other agencies, including the working of the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH). At third tier level he has also been a member of working parties that drafted the Rowlands Castle Parish Plan and the Rowlands Castle Landscape Character Assessment.
For 16 years he was a governor at what is now Horndean Technology College, where he was instrumental in developing communitiy activities and facilities at the school.
Having experienced the committee system in local government, he is interested in the role of Overview and Scrutiny in corporate governance and its scope for involving non-executive members.