Report - London Borough of Hillingdon

SCOPING REPORT
Community Partnerships & Economic Development
Overview & Scrutiny Committee
“ Wider participation in Overview & Scrutiny – encouraging the public”
Aim of review
To identify methods for extending public awareness and participation in the
Overview & Scrutiny local democracy mechanism, especially in relation to the
identification of topics being reviewed.
Background and importance
Overview & Scrutiny is a democratic process, all OSC meetings are open to the
public, however only when contentious issues are ‘called in’ do members of the
public (typically only those directly affected by the decision called in) attend.
Local democracy typically suffers more from constituent apathy and lack of
awareness amongst those resident in the area. To address this, members of
the public need to be informed of how the democratic process works, and how
they can influence it. Overview & Scrutiny is a system for checks and balance
and should be representative of the community and ensure that its focus
reflects that of the concerns of the local residents.
Drivers for change
• Low political involvement by the local community at large.
• CPA soon to judge the effectiveness of Overview & Scrutiny and its role
within the Council.
• Overview & Scrutiny has developed substantially over the last two years,
public awareness and involvement is seen as the next step to allow
continued development.
Key questions (Terms of Reference)
• Determine whether there is an audience for Overview & Scrutiny in the
local community.
• What scope is there for public involvement in Overview & Scrutiny?
• What are the current barriers to public involvement?
o Meeting times & access
o Knowledge and awareness of
• The role of O&S
• The impact of O&S
• The committees and their work
o Relevance of work programmes
• How can Overview & Scrutiny publicise itself better / encourage public
involvement?
Community Partnerships & Economic Development OSC report – 18.10.05 Page 24
PART 1 – MEMBERS, PUBLIC & PRESS