In accordance with the Overview and Scrutiny Panel's terms of reference set out in Part 2, Article 6 of the Newcastle Charter, the Overview and Scrutiny Board has a responsibility to co-ordinate the Council's Overview and Scrutiny activities including agreeing the work programme of the individual panels, agreeing a programme of scrutiny studies and appointing temporary or permanent working groups.

In approving the panels' work programmes, the Overview and Scrutiny Board adopts a "light touch" approach which ensures that their key themes are compatible and there are no areas of duplication. This allows the panels to maintain their independence by selecting  the detailed topics under each theme. They then manage their own work programmes without further recourse to the Board and are free to make adjustments to accommodate additional relevant or emergency items as they occur.

Inclusive work programming and careful scoping of topics is seen as a key factor in effective overview and scrutiny. The Overview and Scrutiny Panels select their main work programme themes after a detailed process of consultation with relevant members and senior officers, external participants and the public through general feedback and articles in City Life. Key documents such as the Corporate Plan, the Forward Plan and regular performance monitoring and budget reports also feed into the process.

View the latest Scrutiny Work Programme (pdf, 93Kb).