The Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee met to discuss the Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/25, approving it for submission to the Council Meeting with a request for a foreword to be added by Councillor Claire Vibert, Vice-Chair of the Committee. The committee also raised concerns that the Cabinet was not providing formal responses to scrutiny reviews within the eight-week timeframe specified in the constitution.

Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/25

The committee approved the draft Scrutiny Annual Report 2024/25 for submission to the Council Meeting, pending the inclusion of a foreword to be drafted by Councillor Claire Vibert, Vice-Chair of the Committee. Councillors Claire Vibert and Councillor Colin Foster were requested to move and second the report, respectively, upon its presentation to the Council Meeting.

The committee also discussed the timing of responses from the Cabinet to scrutiny reviews. Councillor Claire Vibert, Vice-Chair of the Committee, noted that she understood that none of the scrutiny reviews undertaken in the previous municipal year had yet received a formal response from the Cabinet, and that any responses would now fall outside the eight-week period specified in the constitution for their submission.

It was confirmed that Cabinet responses to those scrutiny reviews that had reported within the 2024/25 municipal year were due to be submitted to the Cabinet for approval, and onward transmission to the scrutiny committees, at its next meeting, and that those reviews that had submitted their final reports during the 2025/26 municipal year were due to be submitted to the subsequent meeting.

The committee resolved to recommend that:

the Cabinet be recommended to comply with their duty under Scrutiny Procedure Rule 10.3(b) and provide formal responses to scrutiny reviews within the 8 week period specified in the constitution.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The minutes of the meeting held on 30 June 2025 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.