The report had not been published five clear days in advance of the meeting.   However, the Chair of the Committee may indicate that he was satisfied that it was necessary to consider information about the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Toolkit without that consideration being delayed to a later meeting.

The Committee received and noted a report that presented a draft of the Overview and Scrutiny toolkit 2019-20, which has been developed to replace the outgoing scrutiny toolkit 2016-17. The Committee asked a number of questions about the proposals and the points raised are summarised below:

The Committee:

·         Noted that the main purpose of the toolkit is to offer practical guidance for Members, senior leaders and scrutiny support officers when carrying out scrutiny activities;

·         Noted that this draft version has been based upon the 2018 -19 Overview and Scrutiny Committees structure and some of the areas that will need to be amended to reflect the new committee structure and portfolios;

·         Noted that the toolkit 2019-20 will also provide a practical guide to Members, senior officers and scrutiny support officers;

·         Agreed that making the Overview and Scrutiny toolkit 2019-20 accessible to the wider Council will foster and develop a stronger organisational culture of scrutiny e.g. how residents get involved more in the scrutiny function and the equality impact of services.

As a result of discussions on the report the Chair moved and it was RESOLVED to note the report.

The Committee noted that the purpose of the overview and scrutiny toolkit is to provide all those interested parties involved in scrutiny (such as councillors, officers, stakeholders and local people) with advice, guidance and practical examples of how overview and scrutiny works at Tower Hamlets Council and the positive impact it can have on enhancing the way the Council conducts its business. The toolkit has been informed by the experience of scrutiny in Tower Hamlets and constructive examples of what has achieved by other local authorities.

In addition, the toolkit identifies a good practice approach on how to develop and implement effective scrutiny. This included the selection of topics, managing the work programme, and using different types of scrutiny to best fit the topic being scrutinised. The toolkit also sets out the key roles played by councillors and officers in the scrutiny process and identifies the tools needed to carry out effective scrutiny.  The toolkit will be refreshed annually to reflect lessons learnt over the year and good practice from other local authorities that can be applied to the Council’s approach.

As a result of discussions on the above the Chair Moved and it was:-

RESOLVED

To welcome that report and that a summary of the document be provided for public consumption including details on the structure of the Council’s decision making process.