Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Director of Governance and Pensions.

The Director of Governance and Pensions submitted a report that provided a summary of a report published by the Communities and Local Government Committee into the Effectiveness of Local Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees.  Findings had been used to undertake a self-assessment of Tameside’s Scrutiny function including Organisational Structure and Culture, Member Training and Skills and The Role of the Public.

It was reported that since its creation from the Local Government Act 2000, scrutiny in Tameside had developed a strong reputation both within the Council and across partner organisations.  A review of the Council’s scrutiny function was last undertaken in 2013/14, when at that time, there was a need to create a more flexible and responsive model for general activity along with in-depth reviews.  Tameside had dedicated officer support to scrutiny and the position was now located within Policy, Performance and Communications where there was greater access to performance information and resource to enhance the way scrutiny activity was both planned and delivered.

There was an opportunity for scrutiny to evolve and develop and a number of improvements were proposed as follows:-

·         That any future updates and changes to guidance for local authority scrutiny arrangements be fully incorporated within local structure and delivery.

·         To introduce quarterly meetings between scrutiny chairs and cabinet members to improve awareness of priorities, to share information and inform scrutiny activity.

·         To position scrutiny as an integral part of the Council and CCG performance, engagement and consultation activities.

·         That scrutiny becomes a more effective ‘critical friend’ to the Executive and used to undertake timely research on areas of concern to inform future work and decision making.

·         That options be explored for the timely procurement for the training and development of scrutiny members.

·         To improve public engagement and raise awareness of scrutiny activity through social media.

The Policy Manager were pleased to report that a meeting had already taken place between the scrutiny chairs and cabinet members and training for all scrutiny members would take place by September 2018.

A wide ranging discussion ensued and Members welcomed the training opportunities especially in light of newly elected members and those who were new to chairing.  It was commented that the remits of the two scrutiny panels were vast and there was a need to work in a different way with a greater emphasis on short task and finish groups.

In response to Members concerns it was confirmed that scrutiny chairs met with the relevant Executive Member to discuss the recommendations that arose from scrutiny reviews.  The Overview (Audit) Panel acted as a mechanism to allow for dialogue between Executive and Scrutiny and was the most effective and efficient way to ensure that any recommendations remained current.

RESOLVED:

(i)         That the report be noted; and

(ii)        That the future development actions listed above be noted.