It is vital that there is a clear separation of responsibilities between decision-makers and those responsible for holding them to account. Therefore, all members of the council except members of the Cabinet are eligible to be members of a scrutiny committee. Although cabinet members cannot be members of a scrutiny committee, they attend meetings to answer questions about their actions.
Each Scrutiny Committee is attended by at least one (often several) nominated Cabinet member together with a number of county councillors. For information about each scrutiny committee and their membership, visit our Scrutiny Committee page.
Co-opted Members
Scrutiny committees can decide to co-opt members of the public or representatives from external organisations. Co-opted members are an important asset for overview and scrutiny committees as they can feedback first hand experience about the way the council delivers it services and contribute as a valuable source of advice when new policies or changes to service provision are being considered.
Co-opted members may contribute to the work of the committee by requesting reports for future consideration by the committee, taking part in discussions and becoming members of task and finish groups. However, with the exception of Parent Governor Representatives and Church Representatives, co-opted members may not vote. In addition, co-opted members are not eligible to serve as Chair or Vice Chair of a scrutiny committee.
Parent Governor Representatives and Church Representatives
The council must appoint Parent Governor Representatives and Church Representatives in accordance with the Local Government Act 2000 and the subsequent National Assembly for Wales 'Parent Governor Representatives and Church Representatives (Wales) Regulations 2001'.
The council is required to appoint between 2 and 5 Parent Governor Representatives and 1 Roman Catholic Church Representative to the Education and Leisure Scrutiny Committee.
Both Church and Parent Governor Representatives share the same rights as other co-opted committee members and can contribute to the work of the scrutiny committee by requesting reports for future consideration by the committee, taking part in discussions and becoming members of task and finish groups.
However, unlike other co-opted members, Church and Parent Governor Representatives have the statutory right to vote on any matter that relates to any education functions, which are the responsibility of the council's Cabinet.