we're under scrutiny!

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We're under scrutiny!

The council's Overview and Scrutiny Commission is dedicated to holding council decision-makers to account

The council adopted a new way of working recently. A cabinet of councillors chaired by council leader Mary Mears is now responsible for taking major decisions.

The council now also has an Overview and Scrutiny Commission. It’s an important part of the council's constitution because it has the power to influence council policies before they are decided and review their effectiveness after they’ve been introduced.

Five overview and scrutiny committees feed into the commission. See below for full details of the Commission and the five committees. They are an important mechanism for councillors to represent their wards and hold council decision-makers to account.

They strengthen local accountability and allow residents a greater say in council matters through public meetings looking at issues of local and city wide interest.

The new arrangements promotes openness, transparency and active public involvement in the work of the council, and provide an important mechanism for councillors to shape the future well being and success of the city.

Overview and scrutiny is concerned with the overall well-being of the city, not just council services. So it also looks at work by the NHS and other agencies concerned with things like education and community safety.

Overview & Scrutiny Commission
Chairman: Councillor Gill Mitchell
Co-ordinates the work of the Overview & Scrutiny Committees. Concerned with finance, central council services and assessment of the council’s overall performance. It also looks at the effectiveness of the council’s arrangements for joint working with other agencies such as the NHS.

Tourism, Culture & Enterprise Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Chairman: Councillor Bill Randall
Concerned with: enterprise and employment issues, economic regeneration and major projects; culture, arts and heritage; tourism and marketing the city; libraries and museums; leisure, sports and recreation.

Environment & Community Safety Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Chairman: Councillor Warren Morgan
Key areas include community safety; parks and green spaces; travellers; highways management ; traffic management and transport; parking; waste; conservation; coast protection and the seafront; environmental health; building control; trading standards; planning and licensing.

Adult Social Care & Housing Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Chairman: Councillor Anne Meadows
Concerned with adult social services; a wide range of housing issues such as homelessness and the allocation of housing; private sector housing and housing advice; loans and grants; and the council’s performance as landlord.

Children & Young People Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Chairman: Councillor Averil Older
Focuses on children’s social services; planning and delivery of education services and the council’s role as an education authority; children and young people’s health; and development of integrated children’s services under the Children and Young People’s Trust.

Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Chairman: Councillor Denise Cobb
Concerned with wider public health issues and the development of services to improve health and reduce health inequalities; fulfilling the council’s duty to review and scrutinise NHS matters and the impact of the council’s own services on the health of local people; and to liaise with other bodies that represent patients’ views in order to take into account the views of residents.