10 Things You Should Know About Scrutiny

Whether you have just started working for a Council or have many years of service there’s a very good chance that no one has ever explained what scrutiny is all about. We’ve recognised that we need to raise awareness amongst council staff about the scrutiny function, the work it involves, and its impact.     […]

Cabinet to respond to mental health scrutiny report

Scrutiny councillors have brought the concerns of parents to the fore in an inquiry into children’s mental health services. The inquiry heard how parents of children with mental health issues are often at their wits’ end about how to get help, with confusion about the role and scope of assessment and treatment services available. The […]

Why do we do pre-decision scrutiny?

Pre-decision scrutiny is the process that enables scrutiny councillors to engage with the Cabinet before it takes decisions and there are very good reasons why it should happen. Its an opportunity for consultation with non-executive councillors before Cabinet makes its decision. It enables scrutiny councillors to gain information and develop an understanding on particular issues. […]

How can we improve behaviour in schools in order to improve performance?

The Schools Performance Scrutiny Panel will meet with the Councils Chief Education Officer and relevant staff from the education department to discuss what is being done to help schools deal with behaviour issues in order to improve pupil outcomes and the overall performance of schools in Swansea. Councillors will be discussing Swansea’s behaviour strategy, how […]

What can we do to increase inward investment?

The Inward Investment Scrutiny Inquiry found that Swansea has many assets that could potentially encourage investment to the area like, for example, superfast Broadband, good transport links, relatively low property and rental costs, a large ready loyal labour force and facilities for training, research and development through our Universities and colleges locally.  However, it highlighted that […]

Scrutiny looks at how schools deal with staff competency issues

The Schools Performance Panel at their meeting on the 3 July looked at how the authority tackles the issue of poor performing teachers and the recruitment of senior staff in schools.  The Chief Education Officer and Head of Human Resources attended the meeting to discuss a number of specific issues, particularly around the amount and accuracy […]