Agenda item

To submit the Scrutiny Annual Report.

To accept the report.

The Chair of the Scrutiny Forum, Councillor Beth Lawton, submitted the scrutiny annual report for 2022/23. She thanked the scrutiny chairs and vice-chairs and all scrutiny members for their work during the year. She also thanked the Service officers for supporting the members and drawing up the report.

Members were given an opportunity to make observations and ask questions. The following matters were raised by individual members:

It was asked whether there was a reference in the report to the Audit Wales inspection of the effectiveness of scrutiny in Gwynedd. In response, it was noted that the report was yet to be published, and that it would be available in early October.

It was noted that the Annual Report did not show the effectiveness of the scrutiny, i.e. how the observations of the scrutinisers on reports or draft strategic plans had influenced the final reports / strategic plans. It was questioned what the purpose of the Annual Report submitted was, and it was asked when the members would receive a report which genuinely looked at the effectiveness of the scrutiny.  In response, it was noted:-

·         That only one improvement proposal was being identified in the draft version of the Audit Wales report was this exact point, i.e. tracking the impact of the scrutiny that happens.

·         That it was proposed to conduct an internal review of scrutiny arrangements in the autumn. A draft timetable for conducting the review would be submitted to the Scrutiny Forum by the end of the month, and indeed, tracking the impact of scrutiny would also be a part of the consideration during this review.

As the Annual Report listed some of the comments made by members when discussing various matters, it was suggested that it would be sensible to use those comments as a starting point for the work of the following year, so that the departments could return in six months or a year with updates on the main matters raised by the scrutinisers the year before. In response, it was noted that:

·         Such comments were always helpful, and if the members had any different ideas on how to get better value from reports, the officers would indeed take those into account next year.

·         It was agreed that there was room for improvement, and that there was a need to make better use of the 'Matters arising from Overview and Scrutiny' standing item on the Cabinet meetings' agenda, and report back to the scrutiny committees on the outcome of the Cabinet's discussions.

It was noted that one got the feeling that the current scrutiny system had been created in order to keep the powers in one place, and although scrutinisers were free to discuss various issues, the link between those discussions and policy changes was not visible.  In response, it was noted that the new members on the Council had been able to add a great deal to the scrutiny system, and in the autumn, the members' ideas and comments could be gathered, as well as the comments of Audit Wales, to see whether there is a way to improve the golden thread between the scrutiny and the decision-making. 

The former chair of the Care Scrutiny Committee noted that he believed the Committee did make a difference, and he referred to the work done to attract staff and highlight shortcomings in the Ambulance Service and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board as examples of what the Committee had achieved over the past two years.

It was asked how many changes had occurred as a result of scrutiny over the past year. It was also suggested that we should not have to wait for Audit Wales to get back to us, and that the data should be readily available to us.  In response, it was noted that:

·         An exact figure could not be provided there and then, but changes had occurred as a result of scrutiny, although this may not have been formally reported back through the scrutiny system.

·         That members needed to be informed how scrutiny had made a difference, and that the information would be collected and shared with the members.

RESOLVED to accept the report.