Sessions: 10am – 11am, 2pm – 3.30pm, 4pm – 5pm

Sign up for the whole day; attend all three sessions, or dip in and out as you choose.

This workshop will provide an opportunity for scrutiny practitioners (both councillors and officers) to come together to share their experiences of scrutiny, and remote council meetings. After sessions 1 and 2, brief notes of discussions and their outcomes will be drafted and circulated to participants.

Session 1: Plenary plus Q&A (10am-11am)

Short presentations from:

• Ed Hammond and Kate Grigg (CfGS): on the overall approach that councils are taking to their scrutiny duties and to provide a national perspective on the key issues relating to COVID-19 response;
• Cllr Peter Fleming (Leader, Sevenoaks District Council and Chair, LGA Improvement and Innovation Board): a member perspective on remote meetings and talking about the LGA’s support work;
• Cllr Bryony Rudkin (Deputy Leader, Ipswich Borough Council): a perspective from the executive side about the importance of scrutiny in this challenging time;
• Cllr James King (Scrutiny Chair, London Borough of Tower Hamlets): one example of a council putting in place practical arrangements to recommence scrutiny.  

Followed by Q&A.

Session 2: Breakout sessions: scrutiny’s role during the crisis (2pm-3:30pm)

Brief summary of key themes of morning presentations

Participants to be split into breakout groups of three or four to discuss the following topics:

• How have conversations been had, and agreements reached, between scrutiny and the executive about scrutiny’s role and work during the crisis?
• What practical work has scrutiny been able to initiate in the past two months?
• What are some of the biggest priorities, and how is scrutiny seeking to address them?
• What outcomes do you expect to see in the coming weeks?

Return to plenary for summary of discussions

Session 3: Breakout sessions: scrutiny’s role after the crisis (4pm-5pm)

Summary of previous sessions

Participants to be split into breakout groups of three or four to discuss plans for debrief and reflection once the crisis is receding.

• What are your council’s plans to debrief and reflect on the crisis once it begins to recede?
• Is there a plan to return to “business as usual” or are people thinking about doing things very differently in future?
• Are there concerns about the sustainability of the council’s finances once the crisis is over, and how are those concerns being managed?
• What will scrutiny’s role be in all of the above?

Return to plenary for summary of discussion

To sign-up for this CfGS workshop click here.