Whether you have just started working for a Council or have many years of service there’s a very good chance that no one has ever explained what scrutiny is all about. We’ve recognised that we need to raise awareness amongst council staff about the scrutiny function, the work it involves, and its impact. […]
Continuity and renewal – meet the new scrutiny work programme
August 1, 2017 by Leave a Comment
A new work programme has now been agreed, with a varied selection of topics that councillors plan to look at over the coming year. It represents both continuity and renewal to ensure that scrutiny is always looking at the right things. But before we get to that, a little about how we got here… […]
How we use evidence for scrutiny inquiries
September 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Evidence gathering for in-depth pieces of work is a fundamental aspect of scrutiny practice. Typically inquiries will be looking to offer credible solutions to complex issues that can be adopted with confidence. The work needs, therefore, to be underpinned by the robust collection and use of evidence. Like any research process it’s important to set […]
Seven reasons to love your scrutiny annual report
August 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Last week the Scrutiny Annual Report was reported to Swansea’s Council Meeting. You can download it here. OK, it might not be the most exciting document ever produced but, for anyone involved in scrutiny, it really is important and, as many Councils produce them, they might as well be a worthwhile exercise. So I thought […]
Scrutiny Shortlisted for Top National Award
May 25, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Swansea Council has been shortlisted for an MJ Award, otherwise known as the local government Oscars, in the category of ‘Excellence in Governance and Scrutiny’. The shortlisting reflects the Council’s ‘agile’ approach to scrutiny work – less of the work is done in formal committees and more by flexible working groups. This allows councillors to […]
Choosing our priorities for 2016/17
May 20, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Last week scrutiny councillors held their 5th annual Work Planning Conference. This is an event open to all scrutiny councillors, co-optees and lay members from the Audit and Standards Committees. The purpose was to think about what topics scrutiny should focus on next year. Councillors considered a range of inputs including: Review of last year’s […]