Decision

Following consideration of the officer report, appendices and discussion, the Executive considered, commented and supported the following recommendations agreed by the Corporate and Resources Committee and endorsed by the 5 Scrutiny Committee Chairs:

(1) The current structure of 5 scrutiny committees to remain in place, with a further scrutiny review to be conducted by the scrutiny chairs in late 2024/early 2025 following any potential service restructure.

(2) The scrutiny manager is tasked with preparing a revised and improved scrutiny report template, which enables clearer and more concise presentation of reports, a standard consistency of reports across all 5 scrutiny committees, a clearer link between committee recommendations onto the Executive/Executive Member(s) and ensuring service areas clearly demonstrate where scrutiny is able to add value.

(3) That all 5 scrutiny committees adopt a consistent approach to dealing with information only items, in order that agendas are kept clear for items with specific recommendations and the opportunity for the committees to add value. This information also to include details of any delegated decisions the scrutiny chair has been consulted on.

(4) To bolster the links between all 5 scrutiny committees and the Executive by ensuring clear communication between the parties and encourage increased opportunities for committee chairs to update the Executive on areas of focus and present any recommendations/proposals the committee have agreed. Also for the Democratic Services team to establish a central record of all formal scrutiny recommendations and the responses to them.

(5) The scrutiny manager to liaise with the 5 Group Leaders in advance of the AGM Council meeting (May 2024) in order to provide detailed attendance information on each of the Committee’s membership, to ensure committee membership and substitutes reflect maximum engagement and consistency.

(6) The scrutiny manager to liaise with the 5 Group Leaders to ensure a consistent, timely and wherever possible consistent approach to scrutiny substitutes.

(7) Elected committee membership to remain as 13 individual members.

(8) Continue with the monthly meetings of the 5 Scrutiny Chairs, Vice Chairs and scrutiny manager.

(9) Continued with the model of an Executive Director aligned to each Committee as the lead service officer and to encourage continued attendance from all relevant Executive Members.

(10) Supported the continuation of a dedicated scrutiny resource from the Democratic Services team, to allow for more effective and efficient scrutiny and increase scrutiny opportunities, whilst ensuring resilience within the officer cohort.