Ref: PR1902
Date: 30/08/08

Wakefield Council's five Overview and Scrutiny committees are planning an ambitious work programme for the coming year which will help the Council and its partners improve public services.

Cllr Betty Rhodes, Chair of the Scrutiny Chairs' Liaison Group, said: "Wakefield has a proud record of openness and transparency and the work of our Overview and Scrutiny Committees plays a vital part in making sure that Council policies and plans are working to the benefit of local people.

"We spend a great deal of time planning our work so that we scrutinise the issues that matter most to the people of this district."

The 2008/9 Work Programme sets out the issues the committees intend to look at over the next 12 months. Over 70 issues have been identified for further investigation, shortlisted from a number of suggestions made by Councillors, Council partners, and members of the public. It is due to be approved by full Council on September 10.

Some of the key issues that we will be looking at over the next 12 months include Wakefield Market, waste collections, parental involvement in schools, crime prevention in schools, drinking of alcohol in public places, and reviewing provision of dementia services in the district.

Overview and Scrutiny is the process by which the Council looks at its own performance, and that of other public sector services to check how well they are doing. Reports go to the Council's Cabinet with recommendations for action which are then progressed by the relevant council service or partner organisation.

The committees, made up of councillors and co-opted members from the local community, aim to improve the way in which services are delivered by looking for new ways of working, reviewing existing policies or suggesting new ones and challenging overall performance.

ENDS