Next week, Cardiff Council is holding its first Children and Young People Scrutiny meeting of the new administration and the committee’s new Chairperson, Councillor Siobhan Corria, is keen to raise awareness about this side of Council business and the important role it plays in helping to shape and improve the services carried out by the authority.
Speaking ahead of next Tuesday’s meeting, which is open to the public and starts at 4:30pm in County Hall’s Committee Room 4, Councillor Corria said:
“The scrutiny process is essential for ensuring the cabinet is delivering efficient and effective services that meet the needs of children and young people in Cardiff.”
Amongst other things, one of the main functions of scrutiny committees is to undertake in-depth reviews of particular issues and put forward recommendations to the cabinet and wider council on how matters can be improved further to best meet citizen needs.
This is often undertaken by committee members questioning cabinet members, council employees and representatives of other organisations on decisions made and policies being pursued in the local area.
However, Councillor Corria is also keen to involve the wider community in the scrutiny process and ensure their views remain at the very heart of any recommendations being made. She adds:
“The committee is looking to increase participation of residents and service users to ensure citizen focussed scrutiny leads to excellent service provision.
“We recognise that many people are not aware of the scrutiny process which is why we are encouraging residents to get involved and share their views. It is important that resident’s comments are reflected in the questions we ask and the committee’s recommendations”.
For more information and advice about Cardiff Council’s scrutiny process, including when public meetings are being held, agenda items and how to get involved, please visit www.cardiff.gov.uk or email [email protected]
