Scrutiny at Bassetlaw District Council
What is Scrutiny?
The Local Government Act 2000 changed the
way in which Councils are structured. Bassetlaw District
Council now operates a Cabinet system with a Leader. The
majority of decision-making has been transferred to the Cabinet,
compromising a small group of six Members, chaired by the Leader of
the Council, Councillor Michael Quigley.
To balance this more concentrated
decision-making process, the Act also introduced scrutiny into
local government. This is similar to Parliamentary Select
Committees. The majority of Councils must now have in place a
scrutiny structure to challenge the decisions of Cabinet and
develop new policies. It can, therefore, be a powerful tool
to ensure that the Council is run effectively and efficiently,
ensuring that the views and concerns of the local community form an
integrated part of the Council’s policies and working
practices.
Scrutiny is not a decision-making body, but
does have the power to influence, investigate and persuade.
Good scrutiny should be evidence based and unaffected by the bias
of political parties and provides non-Cabinet Members from all
parties an important role to play in the running of the
Council.
In short, the key things about the way we
operate are:
- Scrutiny is politically impartial
- Scrutiny is Member led
- All recommendations are backed by evidence
- Scrutiny must be constructive
What is
‘Call-In’’
This is a term used when a decision has been
made by Cabinet, but not yet implemented, and is referred to the
Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration. The
Committee can then look at the issue in more detail and question
the decision-maker. Once the decision has been considered it
will either be referred back to Cabinet for reconsideration in the
light of new evidence or confirmed for implementation.
The Four Key Aims of Overview and
Scrutiny
The ‘Good Scrutiny Guide’, published by the
Centre for Public Scrutiny, says good public scrutiny should:
- Provide a ‘critical friend’ challenge to
executive policy-makers and decision-makers
- Enable the voice and concerns of the
public
- Be carried out by ‘independent minded
governors’ who lead and own the scrutiny role
- Drive improvement in public
services
How Does Scrutiny Work at
Bassetlaw District Council?
There are two scrutiny committees: the
Performance Improvement Scrutiny Committee (PISC) monitors and
scrutinises the performance of the Council and monitors Best Value
Reviews. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee (O&SC) deals
with all other scrutiny issues, including allocating scrutiny
reviews to the Select Panels, monitoring progress on the Work
Programme and considering call-ins.
There are four Select
Panels and a Health Panel that sit underneath the Overview and
Scrutiny Committee. In the past the Health Panel has
mainly investigated changes in provision by health providers in
Bassetlaw. For example, the centralisation of cancer services
in South Yorkshire and how this would impact upon patients from
Bassetlaw making use of those services. The Health Panel
respond annually to the Primary Care Trust’s Statement of Core
Standards – Annual Health Check. The Health Panel can also
undertake reviews, for example, in 2005/06 Members investigated the
quality of care homes for older people in the District.
The four scrutiny Select Panels undertake ad hoc reviews as
allocated by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. Each Panel
undertakes one review on any topic of importance to the District
and its residents. Once completed, the Chair of the Select
Panel will report the findings to the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee, who will then pass the research to Cabinet. The
Overview and Scrutiny Committee will then allocate a new topic to
the Select Panel.
Committee Structure
Select Panel Membership
Select Panel Agendas and Minutes
Visit the Select Panel Agendas and Minutes page for
Agendas and Minutes.
Reviews for 2007/08
Archive Reviews
Archive Reviews for 2004/2005, 2005/2006 and
2006/2007 are available to view.
Annual Report
Scrutiny Handbook
Work Programme Suggestions
If you would like to suggest a topic for review,
please download the Work Programme Form and send it to me
using the contact details below:
Scrutiny Officer
Bassetlaw District Council
Queen’s Buildings
Potter Street
Worksop
Nottinghamshire
S80 2AH
Telephone: 01909 533384
Fax: 01909 501758
Email: scrutiny@bassetlaw.gov.uk