It might have a long and off-putting name, but the Council’s Overview & Scrutiny Committees (O&S) do what it says on the label and play an important role in influencing the day-to-day decisions that the Council makes.
O&S has a number of roles and the most important is keeping an eye on what the Council’s Cabinet is doing. At the moment there are three different O&S Committees which each cover the policy areas of two of the Cabinet Portfolios – for example Regeneration & Tourism and Transport & Environment. The two Portfolio Holders usually attend their appropriate O&S meetings. Other Councillors can ask them questions about different policies, they can ask them to justify a decision that has been made, whether targets are being met and if not, how they will be met.
O&S can review Council policies and help develop them. Although Cabinet does have the final say about most decisions, a well argued and researched report will be taken seriously by the Cabinet and will impact the decision and how it is made. O&S can also ‘call in’ a Cabinet decision if it feels that it is not right. This means that there is an opportunity to reconsider and discuss issues, and again could lead to a change to the decision that has been made.
Unlike in Full Council, where the so-called ‘whip’ may operate, there is usually no formal party group discipline in O&S. This means that members can adopt an independent view and there is often broad agreement across party lines. Councillors see it as their role to be objective, and when they are scrutinising one of the services provided by the Council to the public, they will reach conclusions based purely on hard facts and evidence.
There are meetings of each of the three O&S committees about six times per year. These meetings are advertised outside the Town Hall, on the Council’s website and in the Hastings Observer. Members of the public are welcome to attend, as are the press, but they are not allowed to speak at meetings unless they have been asked to give evidence about a policy because they have special knowledge about it.
Consultants recommended that the Council closed the White Rock Theatre. O&S reviewed the matter and suggested an alternative way of running the theatre. It is now being successfully managed by Clear Channel, saving the Council over £200,000. They have challenged the services of local transport providers and have accelerated the introduction of low floor buses into the Stagecoach fleet. They have also pointed out where savings can be made across the Council.
If you would like to put forward any areas of public service for that you would like the O&S committees to look at, please contact Mary Clarke, Democratic Services Manager on 781718 or email mclarke@hastings.gov.uk. Reviews of all the suggestions may not be possible, but we will keep you in touch with everything that is happening.
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This page last updated: 04/04/2003