Contact Details | Online Services | |
Phone: | 024 7637 6563 | |
Fax: | 024 7637 6596 | |
Email: | ||
Service Unit: | Legal & Democratic Services | |
Graph illustrating the alignment of Cabinet and Scrutiny within the Council Structure
Overview and Scrutiny
The Overview Joint Scrutiny Commission meets twice a year on pre-arranged dates and times, as do the 3 Overview and Scrutiny Panels (OSPs) who meet quarterly. Additional meetings may also be called to consider items as necessary and Select Committees or working groups may be set up to carry out more in-depth reviews on work programme topics. These reviews may lead to the production of reports and recommendations that advise Council.
What is Overview and Scrutiny?
The overview and scrutiny function helps ensure that the Council delivers its objectives in an open and transparent way allowing Councillors to shape, question, evaluate and challenge its policies, decisions and performance. It provides an opportunity for them to champion issues of public concern and facilitate debate in the development of new policies and the Council’s vision for the Borough.
Scrutiny reinforces the Council’s role in promoting the well being of the local community and is a positive activity which should contribute to the delivery of efficient and effective services that meet the needs and aspirations of local communities.
What Overview and Scrutiny does not do?
It does not consider individual complaints. Although it may consider patterns of complaints that affect more than just one individual. The OSPs are primarily concerned with the wider issues affecting the local people. Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council has a complaints procedure in place, the data from which, the OSPs may use in reviews.
How can you get involved?
Public involvement in the scrutiny process is essential in helping Councillors understand the needs of local people and it assists them, in providing accessible and responsive services to improve the quality of life for people in Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough.
Overview and Scrutiny Commission, Panels and Select Committees can do this in various ways:-
· set up consultation exercises
· arrange site visits
· public and other stakeholders can be asked to appear as witnesses (Protocol attached below)
· encourage work programme items to be submitted by the public
Public Meetings
The Overview and Scrutiny Commission and Panel meetings are open to the public. Council minutes and reports for public meetings are available 5 working days before the date of the meeting. Copies can be downloaded from the Council’s website or obtained from the Democratic Services Office at the Town Hall Tel:024 7637 6226/6165.
Work Programme
As well as attending scrutiny meetings the public can submit suggestions for the Overview & Scrutiny Work Programme. A Suggestion Form is available below or by ringing the Scrutiny Officer on Tel: 024 7637 6563.
The main work programme items are prioritised and although this is usually done in time for the new municipal year by the Scrutiny Members, items can be submitted at any time throughout the year.
The suggested items must relate to the corporate priorities of the Council (as identified in the Corporate Plan) and benefit, as widely as possible, the community. They are prioritised, in order that the most relevant and important items are tackled first.
Scrutiny Reports
When an Overview & Scrutiny Panel, Select Committee or working group conducts an in-depth review or investigation into a work programme item and has comments or recommendations to make on the matter, as a result, then a Scrutiny Report will be produced and published.
The Overview Joint Scrutiny Commission also produces an Annual Report at the end of each municipal year on the work completed during the course of the year by the Overview & Scrutiny Panels. To view the Scrutiny Reports or Annual Reports please click on the desired link.
