The number of Havering scrutiny meetings has fallen considerably since the current administration revised the committee structure last year – despite claims the opposite would be the case.
At a reconvened annual council meeting last June, after the Havering Residents’ Association (HRA)/Labour administration took over from the Conservative group following local elections, a new committee structure was voted through as the first step of a “root and branch” review into how the council operates.
This involved the removal of the highways, adjudication and review, and joint venture working party committees, as well as the consolidation of the scrutiny sub-committees into two overarching groups, plus an overview and scrutiny board.
Similar proposals had been aired before, most recently as part of a proposed amendment to the council’s 2022/23 budget set in March last year.
The amendment, which was ultimately voted down, was put forward by the Hornchurch Residents Association and the Upminster and Cranham Residents Association, later to fall under the wider HRA umbrella.
It proposed a revision of the committee structure with the estimated £218,434 in savings to be allocated to street cleaning and road and pavement maintenance.
At June's council meeting, concerns were raised about the new administration's plans, with Cllr Joshua Chapman (Con, St Edwards) describing the changes without prior consultation as not “democratic”.
Cllr Keith Prince (Con, Squirrels Heath) also voiced reservations, noting that while he did believe the leader wants “to work across all parties”, a consensus “should have been sought” to decide on the revisions.
Council leader Ray Morgon responded by saying the administration had “no fears about being held to account”, telling Cllr Chapman: “You will have ample opportunity to hold this administration to account.”
Cllr Keith Darvill, Labour group leader, added the purpose of the new structure included better resourcing the various committees, and for “them to meet more often” than previously.
However, in an analysis carried out by the Recorder, the opposite is found to be true.
According to our research, the number of meetings held by the two consolidated scrutiny sub-committees (the people overview and scrutiny sub-committee and the places overview and scrutiny sub-committee) and the overview and scrutiny board, over a period of several months last year, appear to be substantially fewer than those recorded using the previous structure the year before.
The joint health overview and scrutiny committee has not been included in our figures as it involves representatives from multiple boroughs plus local health bodies.
Looking at September to November 2022, a total of five scrutiny meetings were held. These consisted of one in November, two in October and two in September.
This compares to 10 scheduled for the same three months the year prior, with five in September - one of which was cancelled - one in October and four in November.
The picture changes very little incorporating the few months beforehand. There were eight scrutiny sessions between July and November, less than half of the 17 over the same period in 2021.
Former council leader and head of the Conservative group Damian White, who sits on the overview and scrutiny board, described the current system as “laughable”.
He told the Recorder he felt that “personally, I do not think it really works”.
“I personally think that the amount of scrutiny that happens in council has been downgraded since the administration has taken over,” he said. claiming the “drop in quality” is “to the detriment of the residents of the borough”.
The overview and scrutiny board, which monitors the effectiveness of the system and scrutinises key issues such as the council’s budget, is however chaired by a HRA councillor, Gerry O’Sullivan. The previous chair was Cllr Darren Wise, of the North Havering Residents Association.
To get the latest news and features direct to your inbox, sign up for one of our newsletters here.
A Havering Council spokesperson said that while the number of scrutiny committees has decreased, “the administration believes that the depth of scrutiny has increased".
They added: "Those scrutiny committees that remain are able to review and challenge council decisions on a more meaningful basis.
“The volume of decisions passing through cabinet and full council is unchanged as it proceeds in accordance with the council’s constitutions. Officer executive decisions are subject to review. Whilst the number of scrutiny committees have decreased, the scope of business which is subject to review is unchanged.
“Any recommendations arising from scrutiny reviews would be available as normal in council agenda papers. Further, recordings of scrutiny committees are available for the public to view on the council’s website.
"The administration’s objective is to create and maintain an open, honest and transparent council."
Cllr Morgon was contacted for comment.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here