CLG Committee holds first public evidence session in local government scrutiny inquiry

The Communities and Local Government Committee will hold its first public evidence session as part of its inquiry into Overview and Scrutiny in local authorities on Monday 16 October at 4pm.

Members will continue the work of the previous committee in the last Parliament in examining the effectiveness of local authority overview and scrutiny committees, which were created by the Local Government Act 2000 as a way of balancing the increased powers of Leaders and Cabinets.

The session will cover a wide range of issues including whether scrutiny committees are effective in holding decision makers to account, how committee chairs are selected, whether they are politically impartial and whether committees have sufficient powers to summon witnesses.

The full terms of reference can be found here.

Witnesses schedule: Monday 16 October, Thatcher Room

At 4.00pm:

• Prof Colin Copus, Director of the Local Governance Research Unit, De Montfort University
• Jacqui McKinlay, Chief Executive, Centre for Public Scrutiny (CfPS)
• Cllr Marianne Overton, Leader of the Independent Group, Local Government Association