Agenda item

To consider the findings of the recent review of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny function.

The Committee considered a report, set out at Agenda pages 35 to 58, which gave details of the external review of the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny function.

The report stated that, in 2021, the Council underwent a LGA Corporate Peer Challenge. As part of the peer challenge process the Council asked the LGA team to advise on how it could make the Overview and Scrutiny function more meaningful and effective. The LGA team observed that Overview and Scrutiny at WBC was often the scene of lively debate and was seen as a political arena rather than creating “good policy” and positive challenge. 

Following the peer review, the Chief Executive commissioned the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) to carry out a Scrutiny Improvement Review (SIR). The SIR included the following elements:

·           A review of documentation and Overview and Scrutiny reports;

·           On-site interviews in June 2022 and observation of Overview and Scrutiny meetings;

·           A study of Scrutiny’s role and integration in the Council;

·           Joint development of an improvement action plan with follow up work as necessary.

The CfGS final report was received in late October 2022. It concluded that, “the conditions for successful scrutiny are clearly present at Wokingham; there is a shared understanding from Members and officers that good governance involves scrutiny, and when used effectively, scrutiny can add value to decision-making. All of those interviewed believed that improvements can be made to make scrutiny more effective and to add greater value.”

The report contained a series of twenty recommendations together with officers’ initial responses. The recommendations included:

·           Developing the role of political group leaders in setting the framework for effective overview and scrutiny;

·           Clearer focus on the scrutiny of Executive Members - more democratic accountability;

·           More emphasis on involving scrutiny early in the development of policy and key decisions;

·           Regular communication and information sharing between scrutiny and the Executive;

·           More rigorous process for developing work programmes involving residents and key stakeholders;

·           Extending the use of Task and Finish Groups to deliver maximum impact;

·           Make meetings more effective with fewer items and more concise presentations;

·           Review how recommendations are made and how impact and outcomes are measured;

·           More skills development for scrutiny Members and for the key roles of Chair and Vive-Chair.

CfG&S would be arranging a Member/officer workshop to discuss the recommendations in more detail in early 2023.

In the ensuing discussion, Members made the following points:

Feedback from external experts was useful in developing the Overview and Scrutiny process at WBC. It was important to carry out the independent “critical friend” role by focussing on the weight of evidence submitted to Members rather than party political views.

The Member-officer workshop was welcomed as a way of broadening understanding of the role of overview and scrutiny including the working relationship between scrutiny Members and the Executive.

Members felt that the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee fulfilled an important role and should continue to oversee the scrutiny process at WBC.

Overview and Scrutiny should focus on issues which lead to improved services and measurable outcomes for residents.

Improved communications with the Executive were being achieved through three-weekly meetings between the Management Committee Chair and Vice-Chair and the Leader and Chief Executive. Feedback from these meetings would be reported to future meetings of the Committee.

Members confirmed the importance of using Committee meeting time to focus on questions rather than listening to presentations. More rigorous preparation for meetings would result in more focussed and effective discussions.

RESOLVED That:

1)     the Scrutiny Improvement review and report from the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny be welcomed;

2)     the draft improvement action plan, with officer comments, be supported;

3)     the ongoing role and work programme for the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee be endorsed;

4)     a Member-officer workshop on the action plan be arranged for early 2023;

5)     the Committee review progress against the improvement plan in 2023/24.