The Community and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Panel met to discuss public engagement in scrutiny, the panel's work programme, and community safety. The meeting also included a review of the recommendations and actions from previous meetings.

Salford Community Safety Strategy

The panel was scheduled to receive a progress update on the Salford Community Safety Strategy 2024/27. Due to the sensitive nature of the information, the public was excluded from this part of the meeting, as the report contained:

sensitive information with regard to operational policing activities/tactics in combatting crime in Salford, which if shared in a public forum would jeopardise their effectiveness and negatively impact community safety.

Piloting Public Engagement in Scrutiny

The panel was scheduled to discuss a draft Public Engagement Strategy for Scrutiny, which was developed in response to feedback from members and officers, and aligned with the Governance 360 Improvement Programme. The strategy sets out three interdependent elements aimed at improving public awareness of and involvement in scrutiny:

• Increasing Awareness of Scrutiny
• Shaping the Scrutiny Work Programme
• Involving the Public in Ongoing Scrutiny Work

The report recommended that the panel agree which elements of the strategy should be piloted over the next 6–12 months, comment on the draft strategy and suggest any refinements or additions, and support the proposal to establish a Steering Group to monitor progress and shape the final strategy.

The strategy included suggested actions such as publishing a plain-English guide to scrutiny, refreshing web content, launching an online form for topic suggestions, running an annual Call for Topics campaign, and engaging directly with VCSE¹ organisations and community networks.

Scrutiny Work Programme

The panel was scheduled to discuss its work programme for 2025/26. The report included a reminder that updated Statutory Guidance for Overview and Scrutiny was issued in April 2024, which re-affirms the role of Overview and Scrutiny in holding an authority's decision-makers to account and that it remains fundamentally important to the functioning of local democracy.

The report stated that an effective work programme should:

• provide constructive critical friend challenge
• amplify the voice and concerns of the public
• drive improvements

It should also reflect a balance of activities, including:

• Holding the City Mayor and Executive to account
• Policy review and development
• Performance management
• External scrutiny
• Public and community engagement

The panel was asked to review progress against each item, identify any changes in priority, scope or timing, and consider whether any items should be added, amended or removed.

Monitoring Recommendations and Actions

The panel was scheduled to review and comment on the progress of recommendations and actions from previous meetings. The report stated that regular monitoring of scrutiny recommendations supports transparency, accountability, and helps demonstrate the impact of scrutiny activity. It also stated that lessons learnt from recent public interest reports and statutory interventions at other local authorities has identified weak internal governance, poor decision tracking, and a lack of follow-through as core features.