25.01.17
MPs to probe council scrutiny arrangements after high-profile scandals
The Communities and Local Government (CLG) committee has launched an inquiry into how the actions of local government are overviewed and scrutinised.
The committee will consider how effectively overview and scrutiny arrangements are working in England and how able local communities are to contribute to and monitor the work of councils.
The Local Government Act 2000 introduced overview and scrutiny arrangements to counterbalance the increasing powers of council leaders and directly-elected mayors, but high-profile cases such as the Rotherham child sex scandal and Tower Hamlets’ corruption problems have exposed potential shortcomings in how these arrangements function.
Clive Betts MP, chair of the CLG committee, described the inquiry as “long overdue”.
“Local authority executives have more powers than ever before but there has not been any review about how effectively the current overview and scrutiny arrangements are working since they were introduced in 2000,” Betts said.
“Local authorities have a considerable degree of discretion when it comes to overview and scrutiny. We will examine these arrangements and consider what changes may be needed to ensure decision-makers in councils and local services are better held to account.”
The committee has invited interested parties to submit written evidence on whether local authority scrutiny committees are effective in holding leaders to account, and the extent to which they operate impartially and independently from the executive.
Its MPs are also looking to explore the financial resources given to scrutiny committees, how effective they are at examining external organisations, and the role they are playing in the devolution deals currently ongoing across the country.
Betts emphasised that the CLG committee is looking for positive examples of local authority scrutiny as well as incidences where the process has failed.
Interested parties are able to make written submissions to the inquiry until 10 March.
Have you got a story to tell? Would you like to become a PSE columnist? If so, click here.