Scrutiny is a key part of the democratic arrangements in Sunderland.
Working with Partners
The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 extends the powers of Overview and Scrutiny by introducing a number of new provisions and opportunities.
The new 'Duty to cooperate' requires named partners to participate in the Local Area Agreement and to co-operate with Scrutiny regarding the delivery of local improvement targets by providing information and having regard to the recommendations made by scrutiny.
Previously, only the Health and Well Being Scrutiny Committee possessed a power to be able to comment on the performance an external partner, the National Health Service (NHS). This has now been extended to allow all Scrutiny Committees to operate in the same way with regards to scrutiny of external partners. Named partners will be obliged to attend committee where required to give evidence and to implement any recommendations they make.
External Scrutiny Protocol
To recognise the full benefits of this new role, councillors, officers and partners must understand what each can expect from one another.
To support councillors to take full advantage of this new role and to facilitate and encourage the engagement of partner organisations in the scrutiny process, Sunderland has developed an External Scrutiny Protocol. The protocol was developed in consultation with councillors, senior officers and the Sunderland Partnership to ensure that all partners have a common understanding of the aims of scrutiny.
For more information please read the External Scrutiny Protocol
Contact Us
For further information on the External Scrutiny Protocol and working with partners please contact
Overview and Scrutiny or the Sunderland Partnership.
Overview and Scrutiny
Sunderland Partnership
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