Cllr Dan Filson set out the credo for the new Scrutiny Committee yesterday evening at its first meeting. He said that its role was not just to hold the Cabinet to account but also to look beyond that at other institutions that impacted on the lives of Brent residents. The NHS was particularly important both because of the size of its budget and how it affected people, but institutions such as the police should also be considered.
The previous Committee had not looked closely enough at what the Council was doing and the new Committee needed to scrutinise issues well before decisions were made or even before they entered the Forward Plan of the Cabinet.
The Committee would investigate - not interrogate or castigate. Findings would speak for themselves. The Committee would not involve itself in whitewash.
All Brent councillors had been invited to submit items for considerations but finite items, rather than broad issues, would be most likely to be taken up.
Filson expressed some frustration that his efforts to secure contact details to directly communicate with co-opted members to get their views had not been successful. He promised to attend the upcoming round of Brent Connects meetings to find out what concerned residents.
He anticipated setting up Task Groups which would involve the full array of backbenchers and members of the public with specialist knowledge. Cabinet members would NOT be members of Task Groups. He said that the quality of input into Task Groups was more important than individual attendance records and that they must report on time.
Scrutiny would not just receive reports but make recommendations for implementation. It would also ensure that such actions were followed up.
Filson concluded by saying that the Committee had inherited forward plans from its predecessor and that it would only be at its August meeting that the agenda would reflect the new approach.
There was certainly more participation by Committee members yesterday with relevant questioning from members who had clearly read the documentation.
The previous Committee had not looked closely enough at what the Council was doing and the new Committee needed to scrutinise issues well before decisions were made or even before they entered the Forward Plan of the Cabinet.
The Committee would investigate - not interrogate or castigate. Findings would speak for themselves. The Committee would not involve itself in whitewash.
All Brent councillors had been invited to submit items for considerations but finite items, rather than broad issues, would be most likely to be taken up.
Filson expressed some frustration that his efforts to secure contact details to directly communicate with co-opted members to get their views had not been successful. He promised to attend the upcoming round of Brent Connects meetings to find out what concerned residents.
He anticipated setting up Task Groups which would involve the full array of backbenchers and members of the public with specialist knowledge. Cabinet members would NOT be members of Task Groups. He said that the quality of input into Task Groups was more important than individual attendance records and that they must report on time.
Scrutiny would not just receive reports but make recommendations for implementation. It would also ensure that such actions were followed up.
Filson concluded by saying that the Committee had inherited forward plans from its predecessor and that it would only be at its August meeting that the agenda would reflect the new approach.
There was certainly more participation by Committee members yesterday with relevant questioning from members who had clearly read the documentation.