Scrutiny Committee

The role of the Scrutiny Committee is to review how the Council is delivering services and working for the public. The committee also checks that Council polices have been implemented effectively.  The committee does this by reviewing activities in the Council Plan and checking if targets set for delivering services have been met. The Scrutiny Committee is also described as a “critical friend” to the Cabinet. This means that it can review their decisions and make recommendations. For example, what lessons can be learnt from how an issue was handled in the past. It can also act as a “critical friend” to other authorities and agencies, making recommendations about issues outside of the Council’s remit, such as to health providers or the police. This is why the Scrutiny Committee regularly questions the Police and Crime Commissioner and NHS bodies such as the New Devon Clinical Commissioning Group. The Scrutiny Committee cannot make decisions on behalf of the Council, but does try to influence the decision makers by investigating an issue, and making recommendations based on the evidence it has found.  You can find out more about the role of the committee in the Council’s constitution. This committee is also the council's statutory Crime and Disorder Committee for the purpose of section 19 of the Police and Justice Act 2006. How are topics brought to the Committee for scrutiny? Issues of concern can be brought by Councillors and members of the public. Topics are assessed, and if appropriate, they are added to the work plan of the committee. How can you get involved with Scrutiny? The Scrutiny Committee meet in public about 10 times per year, and members of the public are very welcome to attend. Public speaking is permitted at the start of the meeting if it relates to an item the Committee are discussing at that meeting. If you would like the Scrutiny Committee to consider discussing an issue that is of concern to you, you can contact your local Ward Member or a member of the Scrutiny Committee to talk through your options.