Something that I know bothers Chairperson Alex is when papers come to her scrutiny committee with the recommendation ‘that the report be noted'. “What does that even mean?”, she says. “It feels like we are not even expected to read it, just say ‘oh yeah,’ there it is, thanks’.” She’s had some fun with the word ‘note’ though, suggesting it might stand for: Needs Only Ticking Exercise or Not Open To Engagement or No Objective Transparently Expressed And yes, it is a little unfair to those...
about 17 hours ago • 2 min read
Here’s conversation I had with Vice Chair Jo last week about involving the public in scrutiny. We started by talking about the ‘usual suspects’ of course. Jo “Yes, it really bothers me when people say we have to go beyond the usual suspects in our scrutiny work. I mean, I think that’s all they notice from the outside, those same faces standing up and asking questions at committee meetings. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it can be hard hearing the same points over again, but you have to admire...
7 days ago • 2 min read
Showing you’ve made a difference is a tough one, isn’t it? Last week, thinking about next month’s Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) conference, I was visited by the ghosts of workshops past. Back in 2018 I hosted a workshop on demonstrating the impact of scrutiny, maybe you were there? And, as I know this is something that plays on your mind from time to time, I thought it was worth revisiting.It’s always nice to hear about what’s already working for people and so we spent time making...
14 days ago • 1 min read
I’m looking forward to the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny Annual Conference next month and I hope you are too. Have you been before? Do you find these types of events useful? I certainly do. I think I’ve been to maybe seven or eight over the last 15 years. The first one held by the Centre for Public Scrutiny (as it was then) must have been around 2003, although I reckon my first one was 2010 - the legendary ‘Accountability Works’ event at the historic Brewery venue near the Barbican in...
21 days ago • 1 min read
“Listen to the whispers and you won’t have to hear the screams.” This Native American proverb was mentioned in a newspaper article about gossip that I read recently. It reminded me of scrutiny of course! For ‘whispers’ think of those examples of things that you and your committee members raise from time to time, things heard in the community or from casework. Sometimes these things are dismissed as ‘mere anecdotes’ but I prefer the term ‘anecdata’ as they are indeed a form of data. Down...
28 days ago • 1 min read
“What’s the secret of a good scrutiny recommendation?” Chairperson Alex asked me this the other day and we spent a little time trying to work it out over a coffee. It’s not so much, Alex tells me, that recommendations from scrutiny inquiries don’t get accepted, they nearly always do, it’s more that not much seems to happen as a result. The response that annoys Alex the most is ‘accepted in principle’. For Alex, this often means: “Sounds like a good idea but we’re not going to do anything as...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
On your website it says that scrutiny’s purpose is ‘holding decision makers to account’. But is it clear to you what this actually means? If you were writing an annual report, could you confidently say scrutiny 'held the executive to account’ or ‘ensured accountability’? And how might you back that up? OK, so perhaps it doesn’t worry you too much. After all, everyone knows what accountability means, right? Well, maybe. Let’s unpack it a little and see if we are on a similar page. We can start...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
“Scrutiny meetings feel like a conveyor belt, just one item after another”. This is something I’ve heard a few times when talking to scrutiny committee members. They say: “Just when you are starting to get into the details of something it’s time to move on. You are really only ticking a box and sometimes only noting things. You don’t feel like you can make a difference to anything.” When I ask what they would prefer instead, they talk about having the time to really get into things, maybe...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
A safe space for scrutiny? Would you say that executive members arrive at your scrutiny meeting ‘wearing armour’? Perhaps they are ‘on the defensive’ or ‘determined to stick to their script’? I’m asking as these are things I’ve heard occasionally from scrutineers and thought it might be helpful to reflect on. Whilst this defensiveness might simply be a choice on behalf of the executive member, it might also have something to do with the way they have come to see scrutiny and the experiences...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
A scrutiny chair I know, let’s call them Alex, likes to say, ‘less chalk, more talk’, when inviting people to speak with scrutiny. This is often followed with, ‘this is a committee room, not a classroom!’ What they mean is, ‘we don’t need to waste time setting the scene, let’s get straight into discussion. Our time is limited after all’. ‘Less presentation, more conversation’ might be another way to put this, I guess. I definitely get where Chairperson Alex is coming from. Maybe you do too? A...
2 months ago • 2 min read