Practice Guide 2: Pre-decision scrutiny
This guide is about “pre-decision” scrutiny. This is where a council’s overview and scrutiny function looks at a planned decision shortly before (usually two to three weeks) it is made by Cabinet. It is often seen as a contrast with post-decision scrutiny through the council’s call-in arrangements, whereby the implementation of Cabinet decisions can be delayed. Another way of carrying out pre-decision scrutiny is to try to look at a planned decision several months before it goes to Cabinet.
This guide will explore these two different approaches and use this comparison to explore how councils can carry out pre-decision scrutiny effectively.
About the Author: Ed Hammond
Ed leads CfGS's work on devolution, transformation and on support to councils and other public bodies on governance and accountability.
