Issue - meetings

To make a recommendation to Council to adopt new Terms of Reference for the new structure of six Overview and Scrutiny Committees.  

The Committee considered a report on the Terms of Reference for the six Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

Council, at its Annual Meeting on 18 May 2011, had increased the number of Overview and Scrutiny Committee from 5 to 6 by dividing the functions of the former Health and Adult Social Care Committee and thereby creating two new Committees: Health and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The two new Committees had considered the draft terms of reference in June and the Scrutiny Chairmen’s Group had met with the Leader of the Council to review the terms of reference of all 6 committees in light of the changes made by the Leader in respect of the portfolio responsibilities for each of the Cabinet Members.

The Scrutiny Chairmen’s Group had also discussed the need for the general responsibilities, set out in Section 3 of the Constitution, to be amended to make clear that Scrutiny Committees had the right to undertake pre-decision scrutiny work as part of their work programme.

RESOLVED: 

That Council be recommended:

1          to approve the proposed terms of reference for the six Overview and Scrutiny Committees, as set out in the Appendix to the report, and part 3 of the Council’s Constitution be amended accordingly.

2          to agree that the Constitution should be amended to incorporate into the General Responsibilities of all Scrutiny Committee, as contained in part 3, the responsibility for undertaking pre-decision scrutiny work, as expressed in paragraph 10.5 of the report.