Issue - meetings

This is the annual report of the Statutory Scrutiny Officer on Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) activity within BCP Council.  There is a requirement to report on the work of O&S to the O&S Board and Committees and then to Council.  This promotes visibility of the O&S function and Council ownership of activity and any improvements required. 

The annual report contains a summary and analysis of O&S activity during 2024-25, reflections on working practices and identified improvements to strengthen the O&S function.

This report version is for consideration by the O&S Board and O&S committees, providing opportunity for comment prior to the supply of the final report to Council.  The Council will be the decision maker on any recommendations for change within the report. The final report to Council will be updated to incorporate the views of the O&S Board and Committees on these recommendations.

The Overview and Scrutiny Specialist presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'C' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The Committee was advised that the report presented the annual report of the Statutory Scrutiny Officer on Overview and Scrutiny (O&S) activity within BCP Council and highlighted that there was a requirement to report on the work Overview and Scrutiny to the O&S Board and Committees and then to Council. 

In relation to this the Committee was advised that the presentation of the report promoted visibility of the O&S function and Council ownership of activity and any improvements required. 

The Committee was informed that the annual report contained a summary and analysis of O&S activity during 2024-25, reflections on working practices and identified improvements to strengthen the O&S function.

Further to this the Committee was advised that the report version is for consideration by the O&S Board and O&S committees, providing opportunity for comment prior to the supply of the final report to Council, and that the Council would be the decision maker on any recommendations for change within the report.

In relation to this the Committee was advised that the final report to Council would be updated to incorporate the views of the O&S Board and Committees on these recommendations.

The Committee discussed Option A within the report with clarity being sought in respect of the limit of one topic to be undertaken at a time and the O&S Chairs and Vice Chairs group having the responsibility for prioritising topics.

Further to this the Committee was reassured that there would be a scoring matrix for the group to use to prioritise topics, and that relevant Chairs would report back regularly to the O&S Committees.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)           the Committee considered and commented on the annual report;

(b)           the Committee commented on the proposed recommendation to Council that the Overview and Scrutiny committee structure as outlined in figure one be agreed.

(c)           the Committee commented on the proposed recommendations to Council aimed at maximising the resource available for O&S work:

                      i)       for pieces of in-depth work, the constitution be updated to allow one scrutiny topic to be undertaken at a time across the whole O&S function, with one further topic being scoped during the same period.

                     ii)       the O&S Chairs and Vice Chairs group role be strengthened to include a responsibility to agree the priority of all work topics across the full O&S committee structure.

                   iii)       the O&S Chairs and Vice Chairs group strengthen scoping for all O&S topics by reviewing key lines of enquiry for topics on an ongoing basis to provide peer test and challenge.

                   iv)       the Monitoring Officer be delegated to make the associated updates to the Constitution.

Voting: Unanimous