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Following consideration of the officer report, appendices and
discussion, the Executive considered,
commented and supported the following recommendations agreed by the
Corporate and Resources Committee and endorsed by the 5 Scrutiny
Committee Chairs:
 
(1) The
current structure of 5 scrutiny committees to remain in place, with
a further scrutiny review to be conducted by the scrutiny chairs in
late 2024/early 2025 following any potential service
restructure.
 
(2) The
scrutiny manager is tasked with preparing a revised and improved
scrutiny report template, which enables clearer and more concise
presentation of reports, a standard consistency of reports across
all 5 scrutiny committees, a clearer link between committee
recommendations onto the Executive/Executive Member(s) and ensuring
service areas clearly demonstrate where scrutiny is able to add
value.
 
(3) That
all 5 scrutiny committees adopt a consistent approach to dealing
with information only items, in order that agendas are kept clear
for items with specific recommendations and the opportunity for the
committees to add value. This information also to include details
of any delegated decisions the scrutiny chair has been consulted
on.
 
(4) To
bolster the links between all 5 scrutiny committees and the
Executive by ensuring clear communication between the parties and
encourage increased opportunities for committee chairs to update
the Executive on areas of focus
and present any recommendations/proposals the committee have
agreed. Also for the Democratic Services team to establish a
central record of all formal scrutiny recommendations and the
responses to them.
 
(5) The
scrutiny manager to liaise with the 5 Group Leaders in advance of
the AGM Council meeting (May 2024) in order to provide detailed
attendance information on each of the Committee’s membership,
to ensure committee membership and substitutes reflect maximum
engagement and consistency.
 
(6) The
scrutiny manager to liaise with the 5 Group Leaders to ensure a
consistent, timely and wherever possible consistent approach to
scrutiny substitutes.
 
(7) Elected
committee membership to remain as 13 individual members.
 
(8)
Continue with the monthly meetings of the 5 Scrutiny Chairs, Vice
Chairs and scrutiny manager.
 
(9)
Continued with the model of an Executive Director aligned to each
Committee as the lead service officer and to encourage continued
attendance from all relevant Executive Members.
 
(10)
Supported the continuation of a dedicated scrutiny resource from
the Democratic Services team, to allow for more effective and
efficient scrutiny and increase scrutiny opportunities, whilst
ensuring resilience within the officer cohort.