Just keep doing what you do đ
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Dear scrutineer, So, I just wanted to drop you a line to say how valuable your work is. I hope people around you appreciate the contribution you make and the time you put in. I hope they know itâs not easy. And, if you do have a moment to reflect, I hope you can give yourself a big pat on the back for the difference that you make. Some people think you just turn up to meetings and make speeches! But we both know it's not that at all. They don't appreciate the time you take reading through those piles of papers and the time you spend carefully listening to all those different voices. Itâs that understanding and that listening that helps you to ask those important questions. And itâs those questions, and the conversations that follow, that help keep the system on the rails. You get things in the open, you keep decision makersâ feet on the ground and sometimes you even find some room for improvement. And yes, I know, sometimes this all goes unnoticed. As we both know, scrutiny work can fly under the radar and itâs perhaps hardest to see when itâs working well. Good scrutiny has a preventative effect so folks might not notice it at all, but decision makers know itâs there and it gives them food for thought. It helps makes things better just by being there. Also, scrutiny doesnât always get the credit it deserves. After all, scrutiny is not in the front of peopleâs minds as other public services might be. I mean, people donât really know what it is, do they? When people ask what you do do and you say âIâm on a scrutiny committeeâ or âI support scrutinyâ thereâs that blank look that we all know so well. You might say âerr, do you know what an select committee is?â, but that doesnât really help either. But scrutiny IS a public service and a vitally important one. And itâs not easy. From my role supporting scrutiny over the years, if I know anything itâs that no one gets it right all of the time. Thereâs no single set of instructions for scrutiny. Itâs a constant process of learning and developing, of trial and error. And yet, for all the frustration, I know there have been successes, moments youâve been pleased about, work youâve been proud of and differences youâve made. Please take a moment to reflect on those positives if you can. So, despite all the challenges, and despite the occasional indifference, I hope you can keep plugging away, keep trying new things and keep reflecting. After all, we canât have good governance without the work you do. I hope it was useful to hear this đ |
Dear scrutineer,
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Once upon a time, dear scrutineer, there was a senior officer called Ralph who worked as a director at three different councils. Here is his scrutiny story. I wonder what youâll make of it? At the first, Strawbridge District Council, Ralphâs relationship to scrutiny was as a witness, appearing before the scrutiny committee to present reports and answer questions. At this council, it was generally the officers who did this, cabinet members, when they did attend, sat with the committee members...
Kostas, a scrutiny officer I know, was telling me about what he thought was a funny moment before a meeting the other week. He said it was ok to share, so, as long as you keep it to yourself, here it is. The chair of the committee that Kostas supports was talking to him about how to get the committee members out of their obvious cliques. Every meeting they all sit together in their political groups, which means that, for one thing, scrutiny doesnât feel as cross-party as it should. For...
Vice Chair Jo was telling me the other day about one of the members on her scrutiny committee. âI mean, heâs very polite, I think he enjoys the sessions and asks good questions sometimes butâŚâ (and I knew there was a âbutâ coming) â⌠he just doesnât believe in it, he just doesnât think there is any actual point to scrutinyâ. Iâve heard this before, of course. Even after all these years I hear people talking about the âgood old committee systemâ and how scrutiny was an afterthought when they...