The Overview & Scrutiny Committee met on Wednesday 22 May 2024 to agree its scrutiny arrangements for the upcoming municipal year. The committee resolved to establish four scrutiny commissions and appointed their chairs and vice-chairs.

Scrutiny Arrangements for 2024-25

The committee agreed its scrutiny arrangements for the 2024-25 municipal year. This involved noting the size and composition of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee itself, which was set at 11 places (9 Labour and 2 Liberal Democrats).

Crucially, the committee resolved to establish four scrutiny commissions:

• Education and Local Economy Scrutiny Commission: Councillor Cassandra Brown was appointed Chair, and Rachel Bentley was appointed Vice-Chair.
• Environment Scrutiny Commission: Councillor Margy Newens was appointed Chair, and Graham Neale was appointed Vice-Chair.
• Health and Social Care Scrutiny Commission: Councillor Suzanne Abachor was appointed Chair, and Maria Linforth-Hall was appointed Vice-Chair.
• Housing, Community Safety and Community Engagement Scrutiny Commission: Councillor Sam Foster was appointed Chair, and Emily Tester was appointed Vice-Chair.

The remits of these commissions were also agreed, with the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Commission given specific responsibility for Health matters, and the Housing, Community Safety and Community Engagement Scrutiny Commission assigned responsibility for Crime and Disorder matters. The specific areas of responsibility for each commission will be drawn from the cabinet member portfolios.

The committee also noted the nominations to the South East London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, with Councillor Suzanne Abachor and Maria Linforth-Hall appointed to represent the council.

No work programme topics were put forward for discussion at this meeting. The meeting concluded at 8.03 pm.

The full details of the committee's decisions and the composition of the scrutiny commissions can be found in the Printed minutes of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee. Further information on the scrutiny arrangements can be found in the Report on Scrutiny Arrangements for 2024-25.