Calderdale’s new Reform council is suggesting getting rid of three of the four boards which scrutinise councillors’ decisions.

Councillors will be asked at Calderdale Council’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, May 20, to agree to having only one overall scrutiny committee.

Council scrutiny boards act as watchdogs. They can call-in decisions made by the cabinet, monitor the authority’s performance and hold detailed reviews of local issues.

The call-ins allows scrutiny members to halt a decision and have it re-considered.

Leader of Calderdale Reform UK Councillor Daniel Sutherland.

placeholder image — Leader of Calderdale Reform UK Councillor Daniel Sutherland.

Calderdale Council currently has three specialised scrutiny boards – Adults, Health and Social Care; Children and Young People; and Place – as well as an overall board – Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

All hold regular meetings which are open to the public and press.

There are nine councillors on each of the four scrutiny boards, and the Children and Young People Board also has a number of co-opted independent members.

Members of Calderdale Council, now run by Reform after the party won the most seats at the elections, is being recommended to move to a new method of scrutiny, where there would be only one board – the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC).

According to papers drawn up for a decision at the meeting, this would be “the sole scrutiny board with responsibility for coordinating and managing all scrutiny in Calderdale with a membership of nine councillors”.

The papers say: “The OSC is a formal place for members to co-ordinate the work of overview and scrutiny.

"The chair speaks for overview and scrutiny within the council. It delivers council-wide scrutiny. It should be where the scrutiny work programme is developed and identify suitable topics for detailed review.”

Instead of board meetings, which are open to the public and press, the papers say “effective scrutiny” should be delivered via “detailed reviews, workshops and member-led reports”.

On its Facebook page, Calderdale Reform has said its new leader Councillor Daniel Sutherland had met with the council’s CEO, Robin Tuddenham, and one of the key points discussed was “putting a stop to pointless committees and focus on taking action”.

In-depth reviews carried out by Calderdale’s scrutiny boards previously include domestic violence, winter gritting, river pollution, care homes children’s mental health and SEND provision.