Getting involved in scrutinyWe want to hear your suggestions!There are various ways you can become involved in Scrutiny.1. Come to a meetingScrutiny Committee meetings are open to the public to attend and view details of meetings, agendas, minutes and reports from these bodies.2. Participate in a call for evidence or viewsFrom time to time, Scrutiny Panels or the committee might call for the views of residents or experts. This will be published on the website. The Scrutiny Programme of Work sets out the plan for Scrutiny meetings and areas of focus.3. Send us a referralYou can ask the Overview and Scrutiny to scrutinise a particular issue by completing a scrutiny referral form - see below.SCRUTINY REFERRAL FORMReferral requests from the public are put to the relevant Chairs for their consideration Whilst a complaint is generally regarded as being about something that affects you personally, we recognise that it might be the case that you have a concern that a council service or policy is:Unfair to or discriminating against several residents in your community;Out of date;Not achieving the desired outcome;Causing unforeseen, negative impacts that the council might not be aware of; or evenUnlawful.Scrutiny Panel will be more likely to do this if you can:Show that the issue affects a significant number of people in the borough;Why this is the case; andProvide evidence supporting your concern.For scrutiny to consider this matter, it mustaffect a group or community of people; andrelate to a service, event or issue in which the council has a significant stake.However, it cannot be:An individual service complaint;A planning issue;Something that Scrutiny dealt with in last 12 months; orAn issue that was dealt with by another council committee (except where there is an issue relating to process).You might also want to check the Scrutiny Committee’s Work Programme, as your concern might already be due for consideration in the coming year.If you wish to refer a matter to scrutiny you should follow this link. You will be asked to:Provide your name and contact details;Confirm that you believe a significant number of residents are affected;Give a brief description of the issue that concerns you; andOffer evidence or an explanation as to why you think this affects a number of people.The team will respond to you within ten working days setting out our initial action in relation to the concern you have raised.
Vanessa Smith ● 2206d