Zz (C&G)What do you think we should look at (scrutinise) more closely?

The Council makes its decisions within a hybrid Executive model of governance – where elected Councillors appoint a Leader who then appoints an Executive (sometimes called a “Cabinet”) to lead on strategic decisions and agree policies for North Northamptonshire Council.

It is a legal requirement that the Council has a scrutiny committee to hold the Executive to account for the decisions and actions that affect their communities.

The role that scrutiny can play in holding an authority’s decision-makers to account is fundamentally important to the successful functioning of local democracy. Effective scrutiny helps to secure the efficient delivery of public services and drives improvements within the authority itself.

Scrutiny committees can also undertake in-depth reviews of particular issues of relevance to local people. This work is carried out in order to influence the council's Executive, and other local partners. They are able to amplify the voices and concerns of the public through this work.

Overview and scrutiny committees have statutory powers to scrutinise decisions the Executive is planning to take, those it plans to implement, and those that have already been taken / implemented. Recommendations following scrutiny enable improvements to be made to policies and how they are implemented.

Effective overview and scrutiny should:

• Provide constructive ‘critical friend’ challenge;
• Amplify the voices and concerns of the public;
• Be led by independent people who take responsibility for their role; and
• Drive improvement in public services

North Northamptonshire Council has established two scrutiny committees:

• The Scrutiny Commission – owns the Annual Work Plan and regularly reviews its content. The Commission may also agree to add an item to the Work Plan if requested by the Finance and Resources Committee
• The Finance and Resources Scrutiny Committee – created to scrutinise the finances of the Council

To enable scrutiny to be at its most effective, have an impact and make a tangible difference to North Northamptonshire; the Scrutiny Commission needs to create an Annual Work Plan of topics they will review throughout the year. This will involve drawing up a long-term agenda whilst also allowing flexibility to accommodate short-term issues that may arise during the year. 

The Scrutiny Commission wants to ensure that the work plan is informed by fellow councillors, the public and partners to make sure that they focus on the right areas for North Northamptonshire and that their involvement can make a real difference. Once they have this information, all scrutiny members will meet to draft the Annual Work Plan.

The Scrutiny Commission will then create Task and Finish Groups to focus on the specific pieces of work identified within the Work Plan and will report the conclusions of the review to the Executive / Council.

Scrutiny isn’t just about holding the NNC Executive to account; it plays a much wider role in improving services for North Northamptonshire. It can review important national / local issues such as climate change, reducing or preventing suicide or ensuring social value.

To make a real difference, scrutiny will be informed by national concerns and local concerns raised by the communities it serves. It may also look at the services it provides to understand if they can be improved.