Scrutiny provides councillors with the opportunity to question Cabinet members, officers and others in order to gain knowledge around an issue and make effective, evidenced-based recommendations. It also enables members to capture the views of their constituents to provide community leadership. The principles of effective scrutiny are: being member-led, taking a consensual approach, being evidence based, and providing constructive challenges.

View more about the principles.

The scrutiny function has three scrutiny committees: the Community and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee, the Resources and Public Realm Scrutiny Committee and the Housing Scrutiny Committee. There are a total of 18 scrutiny meetings held during the municipal year, six per committee. This enables an integrated approach within each committee to scrutiny of thematic and related policy and services issues. It also gives the opportunity for members to develop expertise across services and hold detailed discussions.

View more on the scrutiny structure.

The Scrutiny Committees cannot make decisions. Their influence comes from recommendations made to the council's Cabinet or external organisations. Scrutiny can investigate different issues and ask witnesses to attend meetings to inform them of their views. It can also hold its own consultation groups to help it understand how affected parties may feel. Evidence based recommendations give additional weight to the influence of scrutiny. There are steps scrutiny committees can take if it disagrees with a decision made by the Cabinet. A decision can be called in to one of the Scrutiny Committee and referred back to the Cabinet with recommendations for change.

View the full capabilities of the scrutiny committees.

The scrutiny committee will be able to establish task and finish groups which will focus on particular topics or issues of local concern. Through these time-limited reviews of local issues and services, scrutiny activities will not be limited to the members of the committee. Rather all non-Cabinet members can and should participate. These scrutiny reviews will also create opportunities for a broad range of organisations, stakeholders and the public in Brent to get involved in the work of scrutiny.

View more on the task groups

Each Scrutiny Committee will sets its work programme for the year, usually at its first meeting of the year. It is important that the committee has a focused work programme that makes best use of the resources available to it. The work programme should reflect the committee's aims and objectives as well as add value to the work of the council. It is up to the committee to select the items for inclusion in its work programme, but ideas are brought together from a number of sources to assist members in their choices.

View more on Scrutiny work programmes

Members involved in the scrutiny process are keen to investigate and review the issues that matter to people in Brent.
View the various ways you can get involved in the work of the scrutiny committees.

The Scrutiny committees are able to request data and information during committee meetings to assist them in understanding the details of items that are being scrutinised. This data or information is not always available to hand and is subsequently be provided at an agreed date after the committee meeting. Once the data or information is received it is attached to the published minutes of the meeting.

The Local Government Act 2000 requires every Council to establish a mechanism which allows for Executive decisions made but not yet implemented to be “called in” for consideration by scrutiny. This includes decisions taken by Cabinet (collective or individual) or decisions delegated to Chief Officers. Call-in is intended to be used in exceptional circumstances for decisions believed to be contrary to the authority’s decision making principles. By its nature it acts as a delaying mechanism. Through the process of ‘call-in’ decisions can be considered by the Scrutiny Committees or scrutiny panel if deemed more appropriate.

Read more about the call-in process