Overview and Scrutiny at Dover District Council
Introduction
The Local Government Act 2000
changed the structure under which Councils in England and Wales
operated. Instead of the service committee based decision-making
system that had existed since 1974, the new system was based on
either a directly elected Mayor or a Leader and Executive model
(commonly referred to as a ‘Cabinet’ system). In the case of Dover
District Council, the Cabinet model was adopted.
What is Scrutiny?
Under the Cabinet decision
making model, Councillors fall into one of two categories – either
Executive (a member of the Cabinet) or Non-Executive (not a member
of the Cabinet). It is the role of the Non-Executive Councillors
serving on the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee's to hold
the Executive to account, contribute an alternative view in the
development of policy, and monitor the corporate health of the
organisation.
The aim of scrutiny is to make a
difference by holding to account those that are making decisions
that affect our District, and also by making proposals for major
projects and services that will improve the economic, environmental
and social well being of the District.
Overview and Scrutiny at Dover District Council
The Council has two Overview and
Scrutiny Committee's. The Scrutiny (Policy and Performance)
Committee undertakes the corporate and customer-focused elements of
Overview and Scrutiny while the Scrutiny (Community &
Regeneration) Committee is responsible for the community focused
elements, including health and crime and disorder.
Public Participation in Scrutiny
All meetings of Dover District
Council’s Scrutiny Committees are open to the public and further
details can be found on the website under ‘Access to Information’.
The meetings are usually held at the Council Offices, Whitfield
although from time to time, Scrutiny Committee’s will meet in other
locations as deemed appropriate.
Scrutiny deals with the issues
raised by local councillors and members of the public. Please get
involved by identifying topics for review or helping us with our
enquiries into local issues – see the contact page for details.
Who Supports Scrutiny?
Rebecca Brough, a member of the Democratic Support team,
supports the two Scrutiny Committees. For further information
please contact Rebecca on the details below.
Contact Scrutiny
Telephone: 01304 872304
E-mail: scrutiny@dover.gov.uk
