NCTJ PUBLIC AFFAIRS EVALUATION EXAM UPDATED
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Explain the two-tier system of local government - ✔✔A county council covers the
whole area and district councils cover various subdivisions.
The county council deals with major services such as education and highways, while
district councils cover services including council tax collection, car parks and bin
collections.
✔✔Explain the unitary authority system of local government - ✔✔All services are
covered by a single overarching council
✔✔Explain the hybrid system of local government - ✔✔Both the unitary and two-tier
models exist within different areas of a single county.
✔✔What are parish councils? - ✔✔Smaller subdivisions which deal with minor local
issues like park benches and street lighting, and also have the entitlement to be
consulted on planning applications
✔✔What do county councils run? - ✔✔- Education
- Social Services
- Highways
- Refuse disposal
- Transport
- Emergency Planning
- Minerals and waste planning
- Trading standards
- Registration of births, deaths and marriages
- Leisure, arts and recreation
✔✔What do district councils run? - ✔✔- Collection of council tax and non-domestic rates
- Local plans and planning applications
- Licensing
- Housing
- Environmental health
- Refuse and recycling collection
- Car parks
- Registration - electoral
- Leisure, arts and recreation
✔✔What are the advantages of a two-tier system? - ✔✔- Closer to the people as district
councils are more localised
- Identifiable units with clearly defined roles
- Electorate more likely to vote
,- Services can be tailored to meet local needs
- Smaller regions can get greater representation through a district council
- Can afford to provide specialist services
✔✔What are the disadvantages of a two-tier system? - ✔✔- Overlap and duplication is
costly
- Small district councils cannot afford to recruit and retain high calibre staff
- Complexity of system results in public apathy / low turnouts and lack of accountability
of local government
- Counties lead to remote decision-making
- Multiple councils can create inefficient spread of resources
✔✔What are the advantages of unitary authorities? - ✔✔- Efficient because services are
not duplicated
- Transparent because all services provided by one body
- Easier for the public to understand because just one body looking after all services
✔✔What are the disadvantages of unitary authorities? - ✔✔- Some are too small and so
don't have the resources to provide the specialist services, e.g. services for autistic
children
- Some are too geographically large (e.g. Cornwall) and so too remote from the people
- Cost of moving to unitary system can be high and process can take a long time
✔✔What are councillors? - ✔✔Elected officials who make decisions.
It is a part-time role and they receive allowances, not salaries.
They are subject to a code of conduct and must declare and register interests.
✔✔What are officers? - ✔✔Non-political advisors
✔✔How do councillors' allowances work? - ✔✔There is a basic flat rate for councillors'
allowances
- but those with more senior roles may have larger rates
- councillors can claim allowances for expenses such as childcare, subsistence, internet
- Special responsibility allowances - for councillors with additional responsibilities such
as council leaders
- Councillors set their own allowances
- Reviewed by the independent remuneration panel
✔✔What are the three most senior officers? - ✔✔Chief executive, monitoring officer and
chief financial officer/treasurer
✔✔Who is allowed to attend council meetings? - ✔✔Press and public are allowed to
attend council meetings, but can be excluded when confidential or exempt matters are
to be discussed.
, ✔✔What is the Local Government Transparency Code 2015? - ✔✔Says local
authorities must publish certain information:
- Spending over £500
- Location of public land and assets
- Senior salaries in brackets of GBP5k
- Organisational charts
- Contracts
- Council constitution
- Number of employees being investigated for fraud
✔✔What does the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 say? - ✔✔All
principal authority meetings (full council, cabinet, committee, sub-committee, scrutiny
committee) are open to press and public, unless confidential or exempt information is to
be discussed.
✔✔What counts as confidential information at a council meeting? - ✔✔- Information
supplied by government department on terms forbidding public disclosure
- Confidential information entails automatic exclusion
✔✔What counts as exempt information at a council meeting? - ✔✔- Personally or
commercially sensitive information.
- Exclusion requires a motion to exclude to be proposed, seconded and carried by
councillors
- Meeting might be divided into two to facilitate this - 'open' and 'closed'
✔✔What does the press have the right to do at local authority meetings? - ✔✔film,
audio record, tweet and blog
✔✔What meeting documents do journalists have the right to access ahead of a council
meeting? - ✔✔- Agendas - at least five clear days before meeting takes place
- Supporting and background papers relating to the meeting
- Minutes of previous meetings should be available on request
- Public registers - councillors' names and addresses and committees they serve on
- 'Reasonable accommodation' must be provided for press and public - including
overflow rooms and audio/video feeds.
✔✔What are the two categories of local government finance/spending? - ✔✔Revenue
spending and capital spending
✔✔What is capital spending? - ✔✔Covers significant, long-term assets such as roads
and housing, and constitutes around 14% of local government spending
✔✔What is revenue spending? - ✔✔Focuses more on day-to-day items, such as staff
salaries, heating and lighting, and comprises 86% of spending
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔Explain the two-tier system of local government - ✔✔A county council covers the
whole area and district councils cover various subdivisions.
The county council deals with major services such as education and highways, while
district councils cover services including council tax collection, car parks and bin
collections.
✔✔Explain the unitary authority system of local government - ✔✔All services are
covered by a single overarching council
✔✔Explain the hybrid system of local government - ✔✔Both the unitary and two-tier
models exist within different areas of a single county.
✔✔What are parish councils? - ✔✔Smaller subdivisions which deal with minor local
issues like park benches and street lighting, and also have the entitlement to be
consulted on planning applications
✔✔What do county councils run? - ✔✔- Education
- Social Services
- Highways
- Refuse disposal
- Transport
- Emergency Planning
- Minerals and waste planning
- Trading standards
- Registration of births, deaths and marriages
- Leisure, arts and recreation
✔✔What do district councils run? - ✔✔- Collection of council tax and non-domestic rates
- Local plans and planning applications
- Licensing
- Housing
- Environmental health
- Refuse and recycling collection
- Car parks
- Registration - electoral
- Leisure, arts and recreation
✔✔What are the advantages of a two-tier system? - ✔✔- Closer to the people as district
councils are more localised
- Identifiable units with clearly defined roles
- Electorate more likely to vote
,- Services can be tailored to meet local needs
- Smaller regions can get greater representation through a district council
- Can afford to provide specialist services
✔✔What are the disadvantages of a two-tier system? - ✔✔- Overlap and duplication is
costly
- Small district councils cannot afford to recruit and retain high calibre staff
- Complexity of system results in public apathy / low turnouts and lack of accountability
of local government
- Counties lead to remote decision-making
- Multiple councils can create inefficient spread of resources
✔✔What are the advantages of unitary authorities? - ✔✔- Efficient because services are
not duplicated
- Transparent because all services provided by one body
- Easier for the public to understand because just one body looking after all services
✔✔What are the disadvantages of unitary authorities? - ✔✔- Some are too small and so
don't have the resources to provide the specialist services, e.g. services for autistic
children
- Some are too geographically large (e.g. Cornwall) and so too remote from the people
- Cost of moving to unitary system can be high and process can take a long time
✔✔What are councillors? - ✔✔Elected officials who make decisions.
It is a part-time role and they receive allowances, not salaries.
They are subject to a code of conduct and must declare and register interests.
✔✔What are officers? - ✔✔Non-political advisors
✔✔How do councillors' allowances work? - ✔✔There is a basic flat rate for councillors'
allowances
- but those with more senior roles may have larger rates
- councillors can claim allowances for expenses such as childcare, subsistence, internet
- Special responsibility allowances - for councillors with additional responsibilities such
as council leaders
- Councillors set their own allowances
- Reviewed by the independent remuneration panel
✔✔What are the three most senior officers? - ✔✔Chief executive, monitoring officer and
chief financial officer/treasurer
✔✔Who is allowed to attend council meetings? - ✔✔Press and public are allowed to
attend council meetings, but can be excluded when confidential or exempt matters are
to be discussed.
, ✔✔What is the Local Government Transparency Code 2015? - ✔✔Says local
authorities must publish certain information:
- Spending over £500
- Location of public land and assets
- Senior salaries in brackets of GBP5k
- Organisational charts
- Contracts
- Council constitution
- Number of employees being investigated for fraud
✔✔What does the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 say? - ✔✔All
principal authority meetings (full council, cabinet, committee, sub-committee, scrutiny
committee) are open to press and public, unless confidential or exempt information is to
be discussed.
✔✔What counts as confidential information at a council meeting? - ✔✔- Information
supplied by government department on terms forbidding public disclosure
- Confidential information entails automatic exclusion
✔✔What counts as exempt information at a council meeting? - ✔✔- Personally or
commercially sensitive information.
- Exclusion requires a motion to exclude to be proposed, seconded and carried by
councillors
- Meeting might be divided into two to facilitate this - 'open' and 'closed'
✔✔What does the press have the right to do at local authority meetings? - ✔✔film,
audio record, tweet and blog
✔✔What meeting documents do journalists have the right to access ahead of a council
meeting? - ✔✔- Agendas - at least five clear days before meeting takes place
- Supporting and background papers relating to the meeting
- Minutes of previous meetings should be available on request
- Public registers - councillors' names and addresses and committees they serve on
- 'Reasonable accommodation' must be provided for press and public - including
overflow rooms and audio/video feeds.
✔✔What are the two categories of local government finance/spending? - ✔✔Revenue
spending and capital spending
✔✔What is capital spending? - ✔✔Covers significant, long-term assets such as roads
and housing, and constitutes around 14% of local government spending
✔✔What is revenue spending? - ✔✔Focuses more on day-to-day items, such as staff
salaries, heating and lighting, and comprises 86% of spending
