Scrutiny getting the advice of experts to help drive council forward

Business and technology experts are among those being invited to advise Shropshire Councillors on developing policy, as the council’s new-look scrutiny committees gather momentum.

Shropshire Council’s scrutiny committees – cross-party political groups which debate policy and advise the council’s Cabinet – were changed earlier this year as the council continues to adapt to the changing needs of its residents.

Now the work of the council’s scrutiny committees is being held up as an example for others to follow.

The safe and confident communities scrutiny committee, chaired by Joyce Barrow, councillor for Oswestry Rural, set up a task and finish group to examine the new approach to adult social care, making about 30 recommendations which the council’s Cabinet accepted.  This work has been taken on board by other councils as an example of how scrutiny committees should influence policy.

Meanwhile, representatives from the Community Transport Consortium have been talking to the protecting and enhancing our environment scrutiny committee about how best to support community bus and voluntary transport schemes in the future.  A task and finish group has been set up to look at this in more detail over the coming year.

That committee, chaired by Vince Hunt, member for Oswestry West, has also been looking at how and why utility companies dig up Shropshire’s roads to carry out repair work, and how they reinstate them afterwards, with the least disruption to residents and motorists.

Another committee, the enterprise and growth scrutiny committee, chaired by Steve Davenport, councillor for St Martins, is now regularly holding discussions with experts about how to boost Shropshire’s economy.  For example, representatives from local estate agents recently briefed councillors about the state of the current property market, as the committee looked to ensure enough units were available for businesses in Shropshire.

And the healthy communities scrutiny committee, chaired by Gerald Dakin, councillor for Whitchurch South, debated proposed changes to Shropshire’s hospital services earlier this year, and regularly holds the county’s health services to account to improve provision for patients.

Council leader, Keith Barrow, said:

“We’re making the scrutiny committees much more open and creative, inviting experts from business and other organisations to inform councillors’ thinking, which is working really well.  Councillors are enjoying this new approach and more ideas and valuable input is coming from our scrutiny committees than ever before.”