Agenda item

The Committee Support Officer presented a report in respect of the East Herts Executive and Overview and Scrutiny Protocol to take effect from 18 March 2025, with a review due to take place in June 2027 following the district council elections.

The Committee Support Officer referred to government guidance issued in April 2024 in respect of Overview and Scrutiny and how this should be conducted. The guidance was shared with the Committee and the protocol set out the principles that should define the relationship between the Executive and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Committee Support Officer explained that the protocol was less procedural than the constitution and was more of a set of principles to guide members of Overview and Scrutiny and the Executive. Members were invited to comment on the protocol and agree to sign up to the protocol prior to approval by the Executive.

Councillor Buckmaster commented on whether there were any differences that could be highlighted compared to what had been happening previously. The Committee Support Officer said that the protocol highlighted the opportunity for Executive Members to report to Overview and Scrutiny Committee on a regular basis.

Councillor McAndrew said that the protocol document had not included the words overview and scrutiny. The Committee Support Officer said that the protocol document was intended to be a guide for how the relationship between the Executive and Overview and Scrutiny should ideally work.

The Chair explained that this committee could still scrutinise external activities and could accept requests for scrutiny form external organisations. He said that this was not reflected in the flow chart and asked that the word Overview be included in the document.

Councillor McAndrew referred to the links in the document and referred to narrative in terms of what Members wanted to get out of meetings of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. He said that Members to date had not got together to consider topics in terms of what was to be scrutinised and what questions were going to be asked, and in particular what outcomes Members were looking for.

Councillor McAndrew commented on training for the committee and referred to a half a day session he had attended some years ago in Westminster followed by observing a Westminster overview and scrutiny meeting. He said that training on offer now was less in depth, and he wondered what training could be on offer moving forward to adopt the scrutiny protocol.

Councillor McAndrew referred to a comment from the chair earlier in the meeting about going out to parishes. He asked about the guidance that stated that a Local Authority should consider how communications officers could help scrutiny engage with the public and how wider internal expertise and local knowledge from Members and Officers might contribute to that engagement.  

Members made a number of comments in respect of performance monitoring and key performance indicators (KPIs). The Chair made the point that the committee looked at the performance indicators that were relevant to the topic that Members were discussing, e.g. herbicides.

Councillor Horner said that the protocol document did indicate that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee could use performance data to identify topics for scrutiny going forward.

Councillor McAndrew referred to the point in the document about how and when scrutiny could best influence policy and development. He asked how this would evolve moving forward.

The Chair said that he had invited the Executive to the forward plan workshop at the end of March. He also said that he had an open invite to the Joint Administration Steering Group where issues were identified for scrutiny by this Committee.

Councillor Woollcombe commented on benchmarking and KPIs and the need for more specifics in that regard. The Chair said that the issue was to what extent this detail needed to be highlighted in the primary document rather than as a link. He said that the Executive could be asked to consider whether they felt that was necessary.

Councillor Woollcombe proposed, and Councillor Swainston seconded, a motion that Overview and Scrutiny have considered and commented on the East Herts Executive and Overview and Scrutiny Protocol and Overview and Scrutiny sign up to the protocol prior to approval of the protocol by the Executive.

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, the motion was declared CARRIED.

RESOLVED – that (A) Overview and Scrutiny Committee have considered and commented on the East Herts Executive and Overview and Scrutiny Protocol; and

(B)   Overview and Scrutiny Committee agree to sign up to the protocol prior to approval of the protocol by the Executive.