Scrutiny in Cheshire East

As of May 2021, Cheshire East Council operates a ‘committee system’ form of governance, which means that the majority of the council’s decisions on how it operates and spends money are made by politically proportionate decision-making Service Committees. Under this style of governance, the council is not required to have a designated overview and scrutiny committee, but is required by law to undertake scrutiny of:

• Crime and disorder/community safety matters (as set out in Section 19 of the Police and Justice Act 2006)
• Flood risk management (as set out in Section 9JB of the Local Government Act 2000)
• Local health services (as set out in Section 244 of the Health and Social Care Act 2006)

It is at the council’s discretion how these requirements are fulfilled. In The November 2020 Council Meeting, full Council resolved that from 2021/22 the Scrutiny Committee will carry out the authority’s statutory scrutiny responsibilities.

How Scrutiny works

There is no single definition of overview and scrutiny. It is generally viewed as an umbrella term covering a wide range of possible roles.

Scrutiny has the following principles:

• to provide a 'critical friend' challenge to decision-makers
• to reflect the voices and concerns of the public
• to be led and owned by Councillors
• to make an impact on service delivery

Find out more about how Scrutiny works 

The Scrutiny Committee may also carry out an in-depth review of service provision and policy on matters that fall within its remit. This is done in the form of a ‘task and finish group’ over a specified period, or a one-day, select committee style ‘spotlight review’ enquiry.

Previous reviews of the council’s overview and scrutiny committees can be found on the Task and Finish Group page. 

Protocol for establishment of joint health scrutiny arrangements for Cheshire and Merseyside (PDF, 190KB)

How you can you get involved in Scrutiny

You can get involved by:

• attending meetings of the Scrutiny Committee
• Contributing evidence to a scrutiny review
• suggesting topics to be considered for scrutiny 

• Find out more about how to get involved with Scrutiny