CouncilWhat does Scrutiny do?
The overview and scrutiny committee has an ongoing monitoring role of decision-making by the cabinet.
It does this by considering issues and reports as they are due to be received by cabinet – this is pre-decision scrutiny. The committee can also challenge decisions that have already been taken – known as a 'call-in'.
Pre-decision Scrutiny
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee can examine issues in the council’s Forward Plan before they are considered by cabinet. This is through pre-decision questions and recommendations which are considered alongside the formal recommendations of reports at cabinet.
Call-in
Scrutiny committee members are able to challenge a cabinet decision by calling it in within five working days from the date it was made. This can happen when five or more councillors are concerned about the appropriateness or about the information used to reach the decision. Members must give reasons for the call-in and suggest an alternative course of action.
The overview and scrutiny committee then considers the call-in and must choose to either confirm the original decision or refer it back to cabinet, asking for it to be reconsidered. In some cases, they also have the option to refer the decision to full council.
Some decisions cannot be called in such as those made by non-executive committees like planning or licensing, when a decision is urgent or if the decision has already been called-in before.
Work programme
Each year the overview and scrutiny committee councillors also agree a work programme which schedules how the committee will carry out its other core functions, which are to:
- monitor the council’s performance against key strategies and plans
- consider the council’s budget and use of resources and to
- set out the areas for review and challenge. These topics are generally of local interest or concern and can be suggested by elected members, full council, cabinet members, local organisations or residents.
Scrutiny spotlight
The scrutiny spotlight is used as an opportunity to focus on council-wide performance issues, in-between the twice yearly consideration of the Tower Hamlets Index. The session is based around a community plan theme where cabinet members are invited to discuss the performance and key challenges facing their services, followed by a question and answer session.
Reviews
Each of the scrutiny lead members carry out and chair at least one in-depth review into a chosen area of their portfolio. These are time-limited investigations that aim to look into an area of the council’s work where there are issues around performance but also where there might be potential for securing local benefits for example a review investigating the opportunities for young people during the Olympics.
Review working groups are cross party and are able to act as “think tanks” openly exploring issues, examining services or policies and engaging a wide range of stakeholders. The final report and recommendations suggest proposals for change and advise the cabinet, council and sometimes other partners on how their policies and services can be improved.
Challenge sessions
Challenge sessions take place during one meeting and are designed to be a quick way for a group of councillors to be briefed on key policy issues and support the development of effective and responsive services. At these sessions, lead officers and cabinet members discuss and answer questions around a specific service area or policy.
Healthcare for London
Tower Hamlets has taken part in the first ever pan-London Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee considering the NHS London Report 'Healthcare for London - Consulting the Capital'. This unprecedented review has included elected Councillors from 35 separate local authorities in London and the South East, involved 15 separate evidence sessions, heard from 27 high profile expert witnesses, received written submissions from another 28 professional, official and voluntary organisations.