It’s the late-night scrutiny phone-in on Governance FM and another caller is on the line. Councillor Crane: Go ahead caller. I’m listening. James: Hi Councillor Crane, I’m James, a senior officer, and we’ve got a real problem at our council. CC: It’s good to hear from you James. Go on. J: Well, it’s the scrutiny members, they just don’t seem to be engaged. We have two committees, eleven members on each, and we’ve had two meetings out of the last three that have failed to be quorate. Beyond...
13 days ago • 2 min read
You be the judge: Should the cabinet member sit in on every scrutiny meeting? THE PROSECUTION: VICE CHAIR JO “Councillor Pete is one of the Cabinet Members for my scrutiny committee and he sits in on every meeting. I’m taking over as chair next year and I’ve told him I’d rather he only came to the committee when we invite him. The committee meets in the councillor chamber and sits in the bottom row, in a horseshoe. Councillor Pete sits a couple of rows back for every meeting. Sometimes the...
27 days ago • 2 min read
It’s the 31st October and the scrutiny committee are on their annual Halloween trick or treat night out. Let's see how it goes. First off, you’ve got to admire their costumes. You can see all sorts of scrutiny ghouls. There is death by PowerPoint, the ‘devil in the detail’, the monster agenda, a zombie question and one, dressed in a sheet with holes cut for eyes, has come as the ghost of the committee system. There is even Pennywise the clown. Maybe for budget scrutiny I guess. Spooky! Scary!...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
“What’s the best structure for scrutiny? And why is it the single committee system?” This is what Chairperson Alex said to me last week and, although she was half joking, I think I agree with her. So, if you are looking to review your scrutiny arrangements, involved in creating a new council or just wondering if your structure is the right one, see if my thinking stacks up for you. I’d say, the single committee system is best for scrutiny because: It’s more strategic. A single committee gets...
2 months ago • 1 min read
How does scrutiny actually make a difference? What are the exact mechanisms through which scrutiny influences the executive? It’s a tricky topic but here are ten suggestions. See if they ring true for you. I’m looking at this from a realist perspective. This is an approach that encourages us to identify the social mechanisms that might explain how a particular programme might achieve its outcomes. Take the example of CCTV in car parks, discussed by Pawson and Tilley in their book Realistic...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Dear scrutineer, see what you think about this scenario. It’s the end of the item on the transport strategy and Vice Chair Jo is inviting the scrutiny committee to agree some conclusions and recommendations. Councillor Lewis has his hand up.“Can we recommend that we have a briefing note on the active travel plan, please?” There is the briefest hint of a frown on Jo’s face, but she catches it before anyone notices. “Yes, we can certainly put that in the mix, Councillor Lewis.” She’s conflicted...
3 months ago • 1 min read
I hope you had a good summer. I've certainly had a good summer break and now I'm looking forward to a new season for these ‘Dear Scrutineer’ reflections. So, welcome back to my existing subscribers and hello to those who have joined recently - I hope you all find these emails useful. And I thought I’d start with a mini annual report. Between September, when I started, and July, I shared 40 reflections via this email and on LinkedIn. It's interesting to see what resonated, so here are the five...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Do you ever think about scrutiny as reflective practice? I mentioned it in a development session I was facilitating the other day and it seemed to strike a chord. So, I thought I might share a reflection! To start with, as I’m sure you appreciate, scrutiny operates in a complex world and there is no simple manual to help guide you. And, as we’ve mentioned before, whilst every committee, council and place is different, so each is also in a constant state of change. What worked in one place and...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Vice Chair Jo asked me for a chat the other day. She was thinking about co-opting additional members to a scrutiny task and finish group and feeling a bit conflicted. Here is how we talked it though - what do you think? The group was being set up to look at adult social care and Jo was thinking about three people that it might be helpful to work with - one from the carers centre, an academic from the local university and someone who is a non-executive member of the integrated care board. Jo...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Hello, something slightly different today. I wanted to share some initial thinking with you about what it means to be a 21st Century Scrutineer and see if it resonates with you. As you might know, over the last couple of years I’ve been working with Catherine Mangan and Catherine Needham to research what it means to be a 21st Century Public Servant and a 21st Century Councillor, given the new challenges facing public services and democracy. You can find that work here, in case you are not...
5 months ago • 1 min read