About scrutiny

Scrutiny ensures that how we make decisions is clear and accessible for everyone. It ensures that the people making decisions are held accountable for those decisions.  

Good scrutiny gives residents opportunities to influence and improve the services they receive.  

Our Overview and Scrutiny Committee and its Scrutiny Panels examine the work of the Cabinet and hold it to account. This helps us to deliver our community vision.  

It helps us maintain high service delivery standards and improve efficiency and effectiveness.  

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Councils are required by the Local Government Act 2000 to have one or more overview and scrutiny committees as part of their formal political management arrangements.  

These committees can:

  • monitor service delivery and performance  
  • review policies and practices  
  • call executive (Cabinet) members and chief officers to account for their actions  
  • scrutinise certain external organisations and agencies, for example, the health service and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships  
  • make recommendations to the Cabinet and Full Council on matters which affect the area or its residents  

View all scrutiny panels and committees

View calendar of council meetings and agendas 

The call-in process at Royal Greenwich

This is a decision review process within our scrutiny function. It allows for decisions made by the Cabinet, individual Cabinet Members and Directors to be reviewed before implementation. 

Read about the process in Part 4, Section B of our Constitution