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Scrutiny is a major tool for evaluating and then effecting change.

Reviewing and evaluating what is done and measuring its success is key to better local government practice, and is a major contributor to achieving Best Value within Councils

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Always take Scrutiny seriously and ensure that your Executive does as well.

Changes in Local Government have now seen a separation between executive and non executive functions.

Scrutiny is part of the non executive function. However the quality of scrutiny within a local authority will affect the quality of executive decisions.

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Being a member of a Scrutiny Panel is one of the most important jobs on any Council. To be effective, Councillors need to know

•About the Scrutiny Process itself•The different skills of scrutiny•How to gather information•How to use Performance Information•How to scrutinise external agencies and•How to involve the public

Serving on a Scrutiny Panel means becoming prepared and developing the skills needed.

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Stating that there is a process means there has to be organisation and planning for Scrutiny Panels to be successful

The Scrutiny ProcessScrutiny is done through Panels or Commissions. Important factors here are:

•Whether the panels are Policy or Review in function•Who Will be Involved•How the outcomes will be disseminated and•Where the outcomes will be sent and to what effect

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Contributing to Scrutiny Panels requires different skill than those used in traditional Committees.

The Skills of ScrutinyEffective scrutiny requires members of Scrutiny Panels to combine a whole range of skills, and to apply them in an equally wide range of contexts. The skills that members need can be categorised as follows:

•people skills •information skills•communication skills.

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Gathering InformationScrutiny requires information and Councillors can get this from a number of local sources.

•Public Meetings•One to one Meetings•Local groups & Umbrella organisations•Focus Groups•Community Fora and Citizen’s Panels

Scrutiny can only be as successful as the information you gather.

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Performance information is not just a technical indicator for officers. It is about how well the organisation is doing

Using Performance InformationOnce a review is complete, Scrutiny Committees will have to decide how the information acquired is to be used. For example,

•Through the Council itself•Through external organisations or•Through external organisations with formal partnerships with the Council

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Collaborative working means collaborating in evaluation and scrutiny.

External agencies require scrutiny committee members to have an awareness of operational styles and structures of those agencies in order to understand how they deliver services. This means

•Agree what to scrutinise•Seek information and do not confront•Understand different working practices & priorities•Seek common solutions

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Scrutiny should be an open process and one that invites participation.

Involving the PublicThe public allows councillors to have authentic and practical access to the real direction of thought across the various sectors of the community through,

•Access to community groups•Involvement of Citizen Panels•The use of expert witnesses•Involvement of the voluntary sector

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A learning organisation is one that seeks continuous improvement.

Scrutiny is all about ensuring the best possible information so that Council decisions can be effective and reflect best value.

Scrutiny is not a means for confrontation but a tool for constructive development in a learning organisation.