Scrutinising the work of the Council

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is the council’s single overarching scrutiny committee. The committee is responsible for scrutinising the whole range of the Council’s functions and responsibilities, as well as other public service providers’ work and its impact on the local community.

The committee holds the statutory responsibilities for health scrutiny and for crime and disorder scrutiny. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee can establish scrutiny ‘commissions’ to undertake reviews of specific matters.

Scrutiny is used to hold public service providers in Lambeth to account and help improve the public services in the area.

Working with citizens and public servants, scrutiny Councillors undertake the following roles:

  1. Monitor, question and investigate the performance of the Council's Cabinet, senior officers and Council services;
  2. Develop, review and make recommendations for the improvement of policy and services;
  3. Hold the Cabinet and officers making decisions on behalf of the Council to account in public; and,
  4. Scrutinise other public service providers’ work and its impact on the local community.

Effective scrutiny improves accountability, ensures transparency of decision-making, contributes to service improvement and acts as a 'check and balance' on decision-makers.