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Overview and Scrutiny is a key part of the modernised arrangements for governance in local councils and also an important mechanism for driving forward performances in services.  The four key legislative roles are: -

·                Holding the Executive to account

·              Policy development and review

·               Best Value Reviews

·           External Scrutiny

Overview and Scrutiny provides the opportunity for non-Executive Councillors (Councillors that are not on Cabinet) to examine various functions of the Council, to question how key decisions have been made and to champion issues of local concern to residents.

Overview and Scrutiny is charged with finding ways of ensuring the issues that matter to the public are the focus of their attention, and with finding new ways of getting citizens involved in the things that affect them.

Overview and Scrutiny has considerable powers:

·        Holding decision makers to account

·        Challenging and improving performance

·        Supporting the achievement of value for money

·        Challenging the ways things are done

·        Influencing decision makers with evidence based recommendations

·        Bringing the evidence and views of stakeholders, users and citizens

Overview and Scrutiny is Councillor led. As well as Councillors leading on the review of topics where they research issues and develop recommendations, they are also involved in setting work programmes for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, bringing forward topics and issues, identifying who they want to hear from to inform their work and what they want to know and how they want it presented to them.

Topics for Overview and Scrutiny are identified from a variety of sources.  These can include: -

·        Issues critical to the Council’s improvement

·        The Council’s Improvement Plan

·        Topics suggested for review by Cabinet

·        Matters referred from Full Council

·        Topics put forward by Overview and Scrutiny Councillors

·        The Forward Plan for Cabinet

The Overview and Scrutiny process enables non-Executive Councillors (who are not on the Cabinet) to influence decisions that are taken by Cabinet and to ensure that the views and needs of local people are taken into account.

Issues under the remit of this Committee include:-

Those functions falling within the following portfolio responsibilities assigned to Cabinet Members:-

Improvement & Strategic Partnership

·         Partnerships

·         Communications

Regeneration

·         Planning Policy & Conservation

·         Regeneration

·         Economic Development & Intelligence

·         Development & Building Control

·         Markets

·         Project Development and Co-ordination

·         Housing Strategy

Community Engagement & Safety

·         Community Participation

·         Community Safety

·         Community Wellbeing

·         Community Development

·         Cultural Development

·         Emergency Planning

·         Town Centre Operations

·         Car Parks

·         Customer Services

·         Events & Museums

·         Leisure

·         Community Grants