The Overview & Scrutiny Committee of Southwark Council met on Thursday 28 May 2026. The primary item on the agenda was to agree the scrutiny arrangements for the upcoming municipal year, including the appointment of scrutiny commissions and their remits.

Scrutiny Arrangements for 2026-27

The committee was scheduled to discuss and agree the scrutiny arrangements for the 2026-27 municipal year. This included noting the size and composition of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) itself, which was to be agreed by the Annual Council Assembly. The committee was also asked to appoint scrutiny commissions, define their titles, sizes, and remits, and determine which scrutiny body would be responsible for matters relating to crime and disorder, and health. Furthermore, the appointment of chairs and vice-chairs for these commissions was on the agenda.

In the previous municipal year, 2025-26, four scrutiny commissions were established: the Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission, the Environment, Community Safety and Engagement Scrutiny Commission, the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Commission, and the Housing Scrutiny Commission. The report pack indicated that the size of these commissions had typically been seven seats, with political groups entitled to a proportionate allocation of reserve members.

The report also detailed the inclusion of co-opted members in certain scrutiny areas. For education matters, this included voting co-opted members, representatives from the Church of England and Catholic dioceses, and two elected parent governor representatives. For housing matters, the Housing Scrutiny Commission had a non-voting co-opted member from the Tenants Forum, Homeowners Forum, and Southwark Tenant Management Organisations Committee. This arrangement stemmed from a Cabinet decision on 4 February 2020 concerning the Southwark Resident Participation Framework, which recommended that these representatives could nominate items to the scrutiny commission's agenda.

The report pack for this item was authored by Everton Roberts, Head of Scrutiny, and was dated 18 May 2026. The background documents for this discussion included the agenda for the Annual Council Assembly on 28 May 2026.