Overview and Scrutiny

Overview and Scrutiny is a specific, statutory function of a local authority. Scrutiny's role is to look at the services and issues that effect the lives of people. Scrutiny offers community members a chance to become engaged in the performance management of their council. It should be noted that boards of individual organisations often have a scrutiny function this will be discussed in more detail on the governance structures page.

Advantages

When it works, council overview and scrutiny is the most effective way for councillors to hold to the cabinet and all those who are responsible for the local delivery of public services to account.

Involvement in council overview and scrutiny can be quite flexible - in Salford community members can get involved in a variety of ways: suggesting an issue for scrutiny to look at; tabling a question at the 15 minute question time slots in each meeting; or being called to give evidence as a service user or a member of a community group.
Involvement in the scrutiny process can improve people's understanding of services.

Disadvantages

People might not know about the the role they could play in scrutiny.
Some people might be daunted about the formality of the process.
The time commitment needed and timing of meetings can discourage people from becoming involved in scrutiny.
Because an individual community member can be involved in the process their view might not be representative and chair's skills would be required to remedy this situation.

When to use

The scrutiny process is part of a local authority's 'normal' business.
If a service is performing well or not working it can be used to learn

In a local authority scrutiny has two elements, back bench councillors review

the decisions and policies of the cabinet
the delivery of public services on behalf of the public

Both of these functions depend on backbenchers' role as local community leaders. They have to make sure that the concerns of local people and are heard in the formal scrutiny process.

The performance of the council and other organisations delivering public services are held to account and where necessary improvements are requested. Although overview and scrutiny is based at the council it has statutory powers to hold other public service providers to account, particularly police and health and it is likely to play an increasing role in the monitoring of the local area agreement (LAA).

In Salford there are six scrutiny committees that meet monthly

Budget Scrutiny Committee
Childrens' Services Scrutiny Committee
Community, Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee
Customer and Support Services Scrutiny Committee
Environment, Housing and Planning Scrutiny Committee
Strategy and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee

Although the committees are aligned to the council's directorates they undertake cross-cutting investigations on topics of local interest that have included teenage pregnancy, alcohol, and health and social care.

Details of their work plans are can be viewed on their web pages.