Scrutiny
What is Overview & Scrutiny?
The Local Government Act 2000 set out to modernise local government by ending the traditional committee system and replacing it with a system where decisions are taken by a small group of councillors known as Executive Members (similar to the Cabinet in central government).
Councillors who are not members of the Executive (known as non-executive members) act as watchdogs by examining Executive decisions, and the policies and performance of the Council. They can make recommendations to the Executive where they think things could be improved for residents. This function is called ‘Overview and Scrutiny’.
Overview & Scrutiny is designed to be non-party political and all Overview & Scrutiny Committees must be politically balanced.
The Role of Overview & Scrutiny
The original guidance from the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions (DETR) set out the following main roles for Overview & Scrutiny to perform:
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Holding the Executive to Account i.e. scrutinising decisions before they are made / implemented
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Policy Review i.e. examining the implementation of a policy
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Policy Development i.e. considering the introduction of a new policy and its affects
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External Overview & Scrutiny i.e. examining the functions of the Council’s partners e.g. the Police or local health service providers
Overview & Scrutiny Committees in York
Scrutiny Management Committee – meets periodically throughout the year to manage and co-ordinate the scrutiny function
There are also 5 Overview & Scrutiny Committees, whose remits are designed around the themes of the ‘Local Area Agreement’:
Use the links above to find out more about the individual committees, their current workplans and meeting dates.
How to get involved in Overview & Scrutiny Meetings
City of York Council has adopted a public participation scheme which encourages residents to attend its meetings and participate. Residents are welcome to come along and observe any public Overview & Scrutiny meeting and may choose to contribute to the debate and express their views by registering to speak. To register to speak at a meeting, contact Democratic Services on 01904 551088 by 5pm on the (working) day before the meeting.
York residents can also register possible topics for review by the relevant Overview & Scrutiny Committee – for more details on how to do this, and on the Overview & Scrutiny function in York, see Guide to Overview & Scrutiny in York , or contact Scrutiny Services on (01904) 552063 or 551714.
