Minister stresses importance of overview and scrutiny in combined authorities

A government minister has written to the leaders of constituent and non-constituent councils in three recently-created combined authorities to highlight the importance of following good practice on overview and scrutiny.

The letter from Brandon Lewis MP was sent to leaders for the following combined authorities:

  • Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield;
  • Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, St Helens, Sefton and Wirral;
  • West Yorkshire.

The move follows the approval by Parliament of orders establishing the three combined authorities on 1 April.

In the letter, which can be viewed here, Lewis said: “During their consideration of the Orders, Parliament gave particular attention to the Orders’ provisions on the detailed governance and transparency arrangements for the Combined Authorities, including provisions on overview and scrutiny committees.

“We undertook to write to the Leaders of all councils involved in these Combined Authorities to highlight the importance of following good practice on overview and scrutiny, not least to ensure that combined authorities continue to command the confidence of all.”

The minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government said good practice on overview and scrutiny enabled wide cross-party representation effectively and transparently to hold to account a body’s key decision takers, in the case of combined authorities essentially the Leaders of the councils concerned.

He pointed out that the orders required the combined authorities’ overview and scrutiny committee(s) to have members drawn from both the constituent and non-constituent councils.

“Following good practice will mean that members are appointed to these committees with a view to achieving political balance across the councils involved,” Lewis said.

“Good practice also suggests that preferably the Chairman of an overview and scrutiny committee should not be a member of the majority political party represented in the body’s decision making forum – for the Combined Authorities the meeting of their members, again largely the Leaders of the councils involved.”

The minister added that, where a body follows good practice, it will have proper regard to the reports and recommendations of its overview and scrutiny committee(s) “such that those committee(s) not only hold the body to account for past decisions but actively influence the body’s future policy”.”

Lewis concluded: “By following good practice in these ways, the various political parties represented on all the councils concerned will have appropriate involvement and influence in the work of the Combined Authority, maintaining that wide ranging support and continuing commitment which is essential for the success of the Combined Authority.”

See also: Combined authorities and economic prosperity boards: the way forward? by Rob Hann