Scrutiny
Overview and Scrutiny plays an important part in how we make decisions and deliver services in Derby. It acts as a 'watchdog' or 'critical friend' to Council Cabinet and other decision makers by asking the questions members of public would ask about our services, policies and decisions.
How does the Council make decisions?
Key decisions are made by Council Cabinet. A key decision is considered any decision which has a significant impact on two or more wards or has a financial impact of above £250,000.
The Leader of the Council chairs Council Cabinet meetings, and appoints the councillors who will discharge the executive functions of the authority. These councillors are known as Cabinet Members.
Council Cabinet is made up of eight councillors with areas of responsibility (a portfolio) that together cover all services delivered by the Council. To learn more about Council Cabinet, visit the Decision making in Derby page.
What are Overview and Scrutiny Boards?
Councillors who are not Cabinet Members still have an important job to do. These councillors have roles to play on regulatory panels and committees, and the majority sit on one or more of our Overview and Scrutiny Boards.
There are six Overview and Scrutiny Boards, which between them cover all Council functions, as well as services provided by other public bodies such as health, police and the fire service. We also have a Corporate Parenting Committee which considers all issues relating to children and young people in care.
Each Overview and Scrutiny Board is made up of councillors from the different political groups. The number of councillors from each party reflects the political balance of the Council.
The Executive Scrutiny Board is the main body by which the key decisions made by Council Cabinet are reviewed. Executive Scrutiny acts as an umbrella to the other scrutiny boards, with membership comprised of the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of those boards. The five other boards conduct topic reviews pertinent to the authority, aid in policy development, conduct early stage consultation and review service performance.
The six Overview and Scrutiny Boards are:
General Remit
- Executive decisions and the Forward Plan
- Statutory reports and performance issues
- Made up of 5 Conservative, 3 Labour, 2 Liberal Democrat, 2 Reform Derby Group.
Chair
- Councillor Repton
Vice Chairs
- Councillor Dhindsa
- Councillor Martin
- Councillor Evans
Councillors
- Councillor Carr
- Councillor Care
- Councillor Cooper
- Councillor Grimadell
- Councillor Pattison
- Councillor Eyre
- Councillor Prosser
- Councillor Pegg
General Remit
- Finance and Procurement
- Governance, including Legal, Services, Democratic Services and Internal Audit
- Human Resources and Organisational Development
- Digital Services
- Customer Management
- Property Services
- Corporate Health and Safety
- Made up of 3 Conservative, 2 Labour, 1 Lib Dem and 1 Independent councillor
Chair
- Councillor Naitta
Vice Chair
- Councillor Nawaz
Councillors
- Councillor T Pearce
- Councillor Pandey
- Councillor J Khan
- Councillor Ingall
- Councillor Cooper
General Remit
- Regeneration and Economic Development
- Derby Homes and Derby Advice
- Strategic Transport
- Strategic Planning
- Strategic Housing
- Made up of 3 Conservative, 2 Labour, 1 Liberal Democrat and 1 Reform Derby Group
Chair
- Councillor Evans
Vice Chair
- Councillor Ingall
Councillors
- Councillor Pattison
- Councillor Grimadell
- Councillor Pandey
- Councillor S Khan
- Councillor West
General Remit
- Children's Residential Care
- Fostering and Adoption
- Integrated Commissioning
- Early Help and Children's Safeguarding
- Youth Offending
- Adult Learning
- Education quality, standards and performance
- School organisation and provision
- Made up of 3 Conservative, 2 Labour, 1 Liberal Democrat, 1 Reform Derby Group.
Chair
- Councillor Lind
Vice Chair
- Councillor Kus
Councillors
- Councillor Hezelgrave
- Councillor Bonser
- Councillor T Pearce
- Councillor Pandey
- Councillor Eyre
General Remit
- Public Health
- Adult Social Care
- Integration and Direct Services
- Integrated Commissioning
- Includes matters acting as statutory health committee
- Made up of 3 Conservative, 2 Labour, 1 Independent councillor and 1 Liberal Democrat.
Chair
- Councillor Martin
Vice Chair
- Councillor Lonsdale
Councillors
- Councillor Cooper
- Councillor Pegg
- Councillor Grimadell
- Councillor Hussain
- Councillor Froggatt
General Remit
- Community Cohesion and Safety
- Neighbourhood Working
- Highways and Grounds Maintenance
- Street cleansing
- Refuse and Waste Management
- Environmental Health, Trading Standards, Food Safety and Bereavement Services
- Housing Enforcement and Building Control
- Leisure, Culture and Tourism, including Derby LIVE
- Includes matters acting as statutory crime and disorder committee
- Made up of 3 Conservative, 2 Labour, 1 Liberal Democrat and 1 Reform Derby Group.
Chair
- Councillor Dhindsa
Vice Chair
- Councillor Prosser
Councillors
- Councillor Atwal
- Councillor Sandhu
- Councillor Eyre
- Councillor Jennings
- Councillor Pandey
What do Overview and Scrutiny Boards do?
Each Overview and Scrutiny Board has a range of areas they are responsible for examining. These often span both Cabinet Member portfolios and service directorates within the Council.
The boards scrutinise decisions and policies that the Cabinet Members are making, that relate to the issues in their remit. Their role is to hold the decision makers to account by challenging these decisions, ensuring that they have been taken in the best interest of Derby residents as well as improving the quality and delivery of local services.
The scrutiny of decisions is carried out in public in an impartial manner, mainly through scheduled meetings held throughout the year. These meetings can involve thorough questioning of Cabinet Members, council officers and representatives of partner organisations about their decisions and policies.
The main role of the scrutiny boards is to look at policies and proposals before decisions are taken. This enables members to influence the development of service improvements and ensure that the decisions being made are done transparently and in accordance with the council's decision making procedures.
Cabinet Members, council officers, representatives of external organisations or experts on a particular subject may be asked to attend meetings to give information and respond to questions. Board members can also speak to local people who will be affected by the decisions being taken.
The aim of scrutiny is to make sure that decision makers are held accountable and local services are fit for purpose. To increase their understanding of a particular issue, boards may ask for presentations and written reports, or they may request surveys to be carried out or go on fact finding visits.
Scrutiny has legal powers to ask representatives from some other public organisations to attend. These are called 'responsible authorities' and include:
- Police
- Police Authority
- Fire and Rescue Service
- Local Authority
- Probation
- Health Authority
What is meant by a 'call-in'?
If any three councillors feel that a key decision taken by the Cabinet is wrong, they can ask the relevant Scrutiny Board to 'call-in' the decision.
Councillors who ask for the 'call-in' have to prove that the decision is wrong on one of the following grounds:
- Proportionality - the action must be proportionate to the desired outcome.
- Due consultation - professional advice must have been taken from officers.
- A presumption in favour of openness - all relevant information in the public interest must have been disclosed.
- Clarity of aims and desired outcomes.
- Respect for human rights.
Call-in also applies if a record has not been provided of what options were considered, the reasons for that decision and if relevant issues do not appear to have been taken into consideration
If councillors wish to call-in a decision, a notice must be submitted within five working days of the publication of the minutes of the Council Cabinet meeting, stating which of the principles has been breached.
The call-in suspends the implementation of the decision until it has been considered by the Executive Scrutiny Board, which must meet within ten working days to consider it. The views of the board are then referred back to Council Cabinet or in certain circumstances to Council.
For more information, download our call-in procedure which explains the process in greater detail.
Which councillors are members of the Overview and Scrutiny Boards?
Many of the city's Councillors hold positions on the Overview and Scrutiny Boards, you can find out more on the Overview and Scrutiny Board pages.
What Committees are there?
The Council has a number of Committees that cover regulatory topics such as Licencing and Planning, as well Corporate Parenting and Personnel.
Regulatory Committees
Planning Control Committee
(Conservative 5, Labour 3, Lib Dem 2, Reform Derby Group 2)
Chair – Councillor S Khan
Vice Chair – Councillor Care
Councillors – Potter, Hassall, Jennings, T Pearce, Pegg, Nawaz, West, Carr, Bettany, Prosser
Licensing Committee
(Conservative 6, Labour 4, Lib Dem 2, Reform Derby Group 2, Independent 1)
Chair – Councillor Atwal
Vice Chairs – Councillors Hezelgrave, Hussain, A J Graves and Bettany
Councillors – Cooper, A Holmes, Jennings, Pegg, Potter, Pattison, J Khan, Peatfield, Skelton, Testro
Other Committees
Health and Wellbeing Board
Elected members:
Chair – Councillor Poulter
Councillors – Webb, Williams, Martin, Lonsdale, Lind
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, councillor appointments are made by the statutory member, this being the Leader of the Council.
Non-elected members:
Statutory: Robyn Dewis (Derby City Council), Andy Smith (Derby City Council), Steve Studham (Healthwatch Derby), Merryl Watkins (Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Groups)
Non statutory (appointments made by Council): David Cox (Derbyshire Constabulary), Tim Broadley (Derbyshire Community Healthcare Services), Stephen Bateman (DHU Healthcare), Gavin Boyle (Derbyshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust), Kath Cawdell (Health and Wellbeing Network), Jane Chapman (NHS England) Chris Clayton (Derbyshire CCGs), Angelique Foster (Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner), Kim Harper – (Community Action Derby), Ifti Majid (Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust), Paul Simpson (Derby City Council), Perveez Sadiq (Derby City Council), Vikki Taylor (Joined Up Care Derbyshire), Rob Reynolds (Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service) and Bill Whitehead (University of Derby).
Corporate Parenting Committee
(Conservative 3, Labour 2, Lib Dem 1, Reform Derby Group 1, Independent 1)
Chair – Councillor Williams
Vice Chair – Councillor Hezelgrave
Councillors – A Holmes, Pandey, Hussain, Lind, Kus and Independent Vacancy.
Disputes Resolution Committee
(Conservative 2, Labour 1, Lib Dem 1)
Chair – To be determined at first meeting
Vice Chair – To be determined at first meeting
Councillors – Poulter, M Holmes, Repton and Evans
Audit and Governance Committee
(Conservative 4, Labour 2, Lib Dem 2, Reform Derby Group 1)
Chair – Councillor West
Vice Chair – Councillor Willoughby
Councillors – Jennings, Grimadell, T Pearce, Pegg, Hussain, Care and Bettany
Personnel Committee
(Conservative 3, Labour 3, Lib Dem 1, Reform Derby Group 1, Independent 1)
Chair – Councillor Sandhu
Vice Chair – Councillor Carr
Councillors – A Holmes, Eyre, Pandey, Pegg, Dhindsa, Skelton and Prosser.
Conservation Area Advisory Committee
(Labour 1, Conservative 1, Lib Dem 1)
Councillors – Carr, Bonser and Wood
The Chair of the above committee is taken by an independent member
Standards Committee
(Labour 1, Conservative 1, Lib Dem 1, Reform Derby Group 1, Independent 1)
Chair – Councillor S Khan
Councillors – A Holmes, Atwal, A W Graves and Independent Vacancy
What is the Overview and Scrutiny annual report?
The Council is required to publish an annual report detailing activities carried out by Overview and Scrutiny during the year. For more information, download the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2019-20.
Who supports the Overview and Scrutiny process?
A small but dedicated team of Democratic Services Officers support each of the Overview and Scrutiny Boards.
Together with the wider Democracy section, they provide research, advice, guidance and administrative support to scrutiny members.
How can I get involved?
Overview and scrutiny boards conduct their work in an open forum and welcome members of the public to attend meetings and observe proceedings.
We also welcome your views, suggestions and comments on issues affecting the city. Suggestions from members of the public will be considered by boards as part of their discussions on their annual work programme.
You can give your suggestions for consideration by members by emailing committee@derby.gov.uk.