What is Overview & Scrutiny?

Each local authority is required by law to establish an overview and scrutiny function to support and scrutinise the Council’s executive arrangements. Each overview and scrutiny sub-committee has its own remit as set out in the terms of reference but they each meet to consider issues of local importance.

The sub-committees have a number of key roles:

1.    Providing a critical friend challenge to policy and decision makers.

2.    Driving improvement in public services.

3.    Holding key local partners to account.

4.    Enabling the voice and concerns to the public.

The sub-committees consider issues by receiving information from, and questioning, Cabinet Members, officers and external partners to develop an understanding of proposals, policy and practices. They can then develop recommendations that they believe will improve performance, or as a response to public consultations. These are considered by the Overview and Scrutiny Board and if approved, submitted for a response to Council, Cabinet and other relevant bodies.

Sub-Committees will often establish Topic Groups to examine specific areas in much greater detail. These groups consist of a number of Members and the review period can last for anything from a few weeks to a year or more to allow the Members to comprehensively examine an issue through interviewing expert witnesses, conducting research or undertaking site visits. Once the topic group has finished its work it will send a report to the Sub-Committee that created it and will often suggest recommendations for the Overview and Scrutiny Board to pass to the Council’s Executive.

   Terms of Reference

The areas scrutinised by the Committee are:

• Drug, Alcohol & sexual Services
• Health & Wellbeing
• Health O & Scrutiny
• Adult Care
• Learning and Physical Disabilities
• Employment & Skills
• Education
• Child Protection
• Youth Services
• Fostering & Adoption Services
• Education Traded Services
• Early Years Services
• Looked after Children
• Media
• Communications
• Advertising
• Corporate Events
• Bereavement & Registration Services
• Crime & Disorder