Overview and Scrutiny aims to promote open and
transparent decision-making, democratic accountability and to hold
the Cabinet to account for its actions.
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is
responsible for ensuring that the overview and scrutiny process is
operating effectively and is making a difference for local
people.
It is led by elected councillors, who carry
out work both in committee and outside of the formal committee
process. Overview and Scrutiny Members
are not Members of the Council’s Cabinet and do not make
executive decisions, but they set their own agenda and can make
recommendations to Cabinet/Cabinet Members/Council for policy
development and improvement.
Scrutiny does not just look at the way the
Council does things, it can look at anything that affects the lives
of people in West Suffolk and allows residents to have a greater
say in Council matters.
Each year the Committee produces a Scrutiny
Annual Report which sets out an overview of its work.