Issue - meetings

Nick Graham – Director Law & Governance and Monitoring Officer, and Natasha Clark, Governance and Elections Manager.

Revised Scrutiny Guidance for Local Government has been published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, in response to a Communities and Local Government Select Committee investigation that concluded in 2018.

A briefing note is attached which provides an overview of the guidance, and a full copy of the guidance is attached as Appendix 1.

Resolved

(1)       That the publication of a new statutory guidance document about the role of scrutiny be noted.

(2)       That the proposed options and methods of engagement with Councillors in relation to the new guidance be noted.

(3)       That an Executive-Scrutiny Protocol be drafted for consideration by the Committee in January 2020.

The Director Law & Governance & Monitoring Officer submitted a briefing note which advised the Committee of the Statutory Guidance on Overview and Scrutiny in Local and Combined Authorities

In introducing the report the Governance and Elections Manager advised the Committee that the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) had published revised Scrutiny Guidance in May 2019 and that Cherwell District Council already had in place many of the areas of good practice but there were options for further enhancing the role of Scrutiny within the organisation, including the drafting of an Executive Scrutiny Protocol.

The Leader of the Council commented that he felt there was a good relationship between the Executive and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Executive members valued the work undertaken by the Committee, the Protocol would reinforce this relationship.

Members agreed that an Executive Scrutiny Protocol should be drafted and submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration in January 2020.

Resolved

(1)        That the publication of a new statutory guidance document about the role of scrutiny be noted.

(2)        That the proposed options and methods of engagement with Councillors in relation to the new guidance be noted.

(3)        That an Executive-Scrutiny Protocol be drafted for consideration by the Committee in January 2020.