Overview and Scrutiny explained
An Overview and
Scrutiny Toolkit has been developed to explain the overview and
scrutiny function in the council and its role in improving
transparency and governance -
Overview and Scrutiny Toolkit
The toolkit provides
easy to read advice, guidance, and practical examples of how
overview and scrutiny works in the council; and the positive impact
it can have in changing council policy and services to better
reflect the concerns and priorities of local people.
The toolkit identifies
a standard approach to managing scrutiny, including the selection
of topics, and using different types of scrutiny to best fit the
topic being scrutinised. There is a strong emphasis on making
scrutiny more accessible and increasing the participation of local
stakeholders in the scrutiny process.
Details
The
Local Government Act 2000 established this function for every
council, with the key roles of:
- Scrutinising decisions before or after they are made or
implemented
- Proposing new policies and commenting on draft policies,
and
- Ensuring customer satisfaction and value for money.
The aim
is to make the decision-making process more transparent,
accountable, and inclusive, and improve services for people by
being responsive to their needs. Overview & Scrutiny membership
is required to reflect the proportional political makeup of the
council and, as well as council services, there are statutory
powers to examine the impact of work undertaken by partnerships and
outside bodies, including the Crime and Disorder Reduction
Partnership and local health bodies.
In
Tower Hamlets, the function is exercised by the Overview &
Scrutiny Committee (OSC). The OSC considers issues from across the
council and partnership remit. The Committee has 3 Sub-Committees
which focus on
health,
housing and
children's services.
OSC
usually meets once per month (a few days before Cabinet, to allow scrutiny of
decisions scheduled to be made there). These meetings are open to
the public to attend, and a timetable for meeting dates and
deadlines
can be found
here. The committee’s quorum is three
voting members.
The OSC
consists of a chair, plus elected members taking the lead for
policy areas which broadly reflect the structure of the
council.
The OSC
carries out the scrutiny element of its work through considering
items on the agendas of its regular meetings, including items
“called-in”, or otherwise referred to it by full
Council. The former occurs where at least five members of the
council (or two voting co-optees on the
committee, in respect of education matters only) request that
implementation of an executive decision be halted within five
working days of its publication, until it has been considered by
the OSC. The Committee can either agree the decision or refer it
back to the Executive for further consideration.
Some
meetings feature “spotlight” sessions, where a
particular policy area, portfolio or topic is the focus, with the
relevant cabinet member, council officers or partners in attendance
to answer the committee’s questions.
Equally
important is the OSC’s role in exploring specific issues in
depth and making recommendations to the executive and the council
on policy to address them. Much of this work takes place outside of
meetings, through one-off “challenge sessions” and
dedicated reviews. These are chaired by the relevant lead committee
member and supported by officers from the council’s Corporate
Strategy and Equality service and can involve members who are not
part of the OSC.
Here you can find final reports, including findings and
recommendations, of all challenge sessions and reviews undertaken
by the OSC since 2010. Where the Committee has received progress
updates on its recommendations, these are also included. These will
be updated as more reports are agreed by the committee and
implemented by the council.
The OSC seeks to engage the public in its work.
Details of how you can get involved can be found in the scrutiny
section on our
ways of participation
page
Web
Casts
Films
of recent meetings are available to view (external
site).
Useful
links: -
Council
Constitution and