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The Planning Portal

When you click on a link marked with you will be taken to a page on the Planning Portal

The Planning Portal is the UK Government online planning and building regulations resource

Overview and Scrutiny Committee


An Overview & Scrutiny Committee has a statutory role to ensure that a council carries out its responsibilities properly.

Purpose

  • The Overview & Scrutiny Committee will hold the Corporate Services Committee and the Community Services Committee to account for the discharge of the Council’s functions.
  • The Committee will not have any responsibility in relation to Standards matters nor individual decisions on regulatory matters, ie Planning and Licensing.
  • As well as scrutinising individual decisions of the Corporate Services and Community Services Committees and reporting on any matters arising from those decisions, the Overview & Scrutiny Committee may make reports and recommendations to any committee or the full Council on matters which affect the Council's area generally or its residents.
  • The Overview & Scrutiny Committee will lead the community planning process and drive the search for Best Value.
  • The other committees may wish to consult the Overview & Scrutiny Committee on proposals for action in advance of decision making.
  • The Overview & Scrutiny Committee is free of political bias so that Members can examine issues without taking their party's political position.

Core values


The Overview & Scrutiny Committee's core values are:

  • To be timely - shaping, intervening and anticipating; being proactive and being quick and flexible where needed.
  • To be open - the Committee is in a unique position to be honest about the strengths and weaknesses of the Council.
  • To be effective - the Committee will always add measurable value to whatever it considers.

What the Committee can look at


An Overview & Scrutiny Committee looks into decisions made by the Corporate Services, Community Services, Planning and Licensing Committees (other than decisions made in respect of permissions, licences and other similar consents) to ensure that they are fair and correct.

More information is available in the Committee's Terms of Reference within the Council's Constitution.

It can "call in" decisions which have been made but not yet implemented.  This enables the Members to consider whether the decision is appropriate and, if necessary, refer the decision back for reconsideration.

The Overview & Scrutiny Committee is not a decision making body itself and can only make recommendations to the Corporate Services, Community Services, Planning and Licensing Committees and full Council.


Calling in a decision


A request to call in a decision can be made by the Chairman of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee (or the Vice-Chairman in the Chairman's absence) and two other members of the Committee.

Once the request for a call in has been received, the decision will be referred to the next ordinary meeting of the Overview & Scrutiny Committee for discussion.  If, after scrutinising the decision, the Committee is still dissatisfied, it can refer the decision back to the relevant Committee or full Council for reconsideration.  Full details of the call in procedure can be found in the Council's Constitution.


Councillor Call for Action


The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 sets out a challenging agenda to empower councillors and Overview and Scrutiny Committees to hold public service providers to account and to ensure that the concerns of local residents are considered in the local decision making process.

By developing and strengthening overview and scrutiny, enhanced powers will be given to councillors through a process called “Councillor Call for Action” (CCfA).  This is designed to allow any councillor to refer matters of local concern affecting his or her ward to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, if all other avenues have failed in resolving the local concern.

The Centre for Public Scrutiny was commissioned by the Department of Communities and Local Government to produce best practice guidance for CCfA.  This was published on 13 February 2009 and comes into force on 1 April 2009.

More information is available in the following documents:

CCfA Best Practice Guidance
CCfA Protocol
A Councillor's Guide to CCfA
CCfA Request Form


Work Programme


The Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programme lists what the Committee is doing and when.  It also lists the lead officer for each topic.  The Work Programme currently covers the period May 2010 to April 2011 and is updated at each meeting.


Annual Report


An Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report is prepared each year, as required by the Council's Constitution.  The report explains the structure of overview and scrutiny  and how it works at Forest Heath District Council.  It also outlines the work undertaken by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and research groups and gives a forward look to future developments.


Budget


In 2004/05, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was allocated a separate budget to assist it in carrying out its programmed work.  The budget allocated to the Committee since then is shown below:


2004/05      £2,500
2005/06 £2,500
2006/07 £2,000
2007/08 £2,050
2008/09 £2,050      
2009/10 £2,050

A budget of £2,650 was agreed by Council for the financial year 2010-2011, which the Committee can use for arranging site visits, the cost of hiring alternative meeting room accommodation, inviting in outside specialist speakers and reimbursing their expenses.  These are small sums as the Committee is conscious that it does not want to add to the burden on council tax payers.  Its job is to improve the work of the Council – not to make it more expensive.

The Committee plays an important role in improving council performance and services.  In the event that it needs expert, specialist or independent support for evidence gathering or reporting to do this, the Committee will have access to other council funds.

Dates of meetings in 2010/11


20 May 2010           2 September 2010 25 November 2010 3 March 2011
3 June 2010 16 September 2010  9 December 2010     31 March 2011
17 June 2010 7 October 2010 13 January 2011 14 April 2011
8 July 2010 28 October 2010 27 January 2011 28 April 2011
29 July 2010          11 November 2010 17 February 2011


More information


Overview & Scrutiny Committee membership

Community involvement - who can attend meetings and what the Committee can do for you


Useful links


Centre for Public Scrutiny

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