Introduction

The main decision making powers in Bath & North East Somerset Council lie with six Councillors who sit on the Cabinet.  Overview & Scrutiny is the name given to the system of checks and balances implemented by the rest of the Councillors as they monitor the activity of the Cabinet and also assist them in developing policy.

There is a clear division between the roles and responsibilities of these two functions.  The Cabinet is intended to create clear leadership and clear accountability for service delivery.  By contrast Overview & Scrutiny is intended to review the work of the cabinet and to enhance the performance of services.  It is also designed to provide a forum through which policy review and policy development can be extensively examined before consideration and decision by the Cabinet and/or full Council.

Overview & Scrutiny has two key roles:

Overview:

1. To assist the Council and Cabinet in the development of new policy
2. To assist the Cabinet by giving comments on issues identified as "Key Decisions" prior to a decision being made
3. To contribute to Best Value Reviews and major service reviews at scoping and "key issues" stages
4. To assist the Cabinet by giving comments on selected Service & Budget Plans at their draft stage

1. Scrutinise performance management information to ensure that the Council is performing to agreed targets and to agreed Action Plans
2. Determine "call-ins" of decisions made but not yet implemented by the Cabinet or an officer
3. Scrutinise particular "Key Decisions" and other aspects of Cabinet activity to ensure compliance with agreed Council policies and plans.
4. Evaluate the impact of Council and or Cabinet decisions and policies

In addition to regular meetings, Overview & Scrutiny Panel's in Bath & North East Somerset carry out Reviews. These involve undertaking a mixture of "Overview" and "Scrutiny" on a selected subject, which may be a review of a policy or an investigation of an issue of local concern.

The Workplan

Each Panel has a workplan to ensure that their work is properly focused on its agreed key areas.  These are designed to assist the public in identifying issues to be considered by Overview and Scrutiny bodies, and to assist councillors and officers to plan ahead and to ensure that the work priorities agreed by the Council are properly resourced and considered.