This course is available to junior lawyers at a discounted rate of £90 + VAT. Click here for more information.
The political landscape in which overview and scrutiny committees operate has been subject to pressures from both communities and local residents, to ensure they focus on issues that are of concern to them. Recent Inquiries have highlighted the need for more and increased openness and transparency of decision making and robust scrutiny of those decisions. Alongside this is the demand placed on the scrutiny function for real time holding to account through increased use of social media and digital technologies.
Scrutiny during the Covid-19 pandemic presented further challenges and opportunities for adapted ways of delivering governance, some of which will be explored during the session.
Member relationships and cross-party issues can either help or hinder scrutiny outcomes. Whilst these, and other pressures, create many challenges for officers who lead, manage and support scrutiny committees, they also provide opportunities for ensuring that scrutiny work is effectively linked to local priorities and outcomes. This practical course will provide space for consideration of these matters, giving attendees the opportunity to engage with the speaker and with each other, share experience and ask questions.
The course will consider the context and different ways of delivering the OSC function and role in a complex governance and accountability framework. It will consider the complexities and challenges faced by officers who are delivering multiple roles supporting committees. Sessions will include:
The legislative context and guidance
Structures and systems in which overview and scrutiny is delivered
Political and organisational culture
Work programming
Good practice examples and case studies
The environment in which officers operate
Member officer roles and responsibilities
Looking forward- nationally and locally
Considering the implications of pandemic on practice
This workshop is for you if you are:
New to supporting overview and scrutiny
Want to explore how best to support scrutiny members
The Statutory Scrutiny Officer
Involved in committee, democratic work and want to broaden your role.
Director of Practice – Governance and Devolution, Centre for Governance and Scrutiny
Natalie Rotherham was, until recently, the Service Lead: Governance, Risk & Assurance at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. In that role, she managed teams responsible for information governance, committee services, internal governance, risk, and security.
Previously, she served as Head of Scrutiny at Hertfordshire County Council. Her Scrutiny work has included considerable experience working with external partners, particularly across the health sector, and more broadly supporting members in committees and task and finish groups. She has supported members conducting scrutiny on SEND, Gambling Harms, Hate Crime, the county’s 3-day budget scrutiny and the annual deep dive into the patient experience and outcomes as part of the health scrutiny function.
Natalie is committed to ensuring scrutiny is robust and respected, working with members and officers to ensure residents interests are represented. She has led induction for new and returning councillors, external training for local government lawyers; and has mentored staff. Additionally, she has worked across a range of local government services and partners.
Natalie is an LGA peer reviewer, CfGS associate and was a chair of governors.
Public Sector Director, Grant Thornton UK LLP
Camilla de Bernhardt Lane is Governance and Leadership Director for the Public Sector at Grant Thornton, and a nationally recognised leader in governance, scrutiny and organisational improvement. She has built a reputation for shaping policy and practice across the UK, combining commercial acumen with deep expertise in accountability, culture and system reform.
Camilla has led high-profile governance and transformation work for councils, public bodies and charities, including supporting organisations in crisis to stabilise and improve. She has contributed directly to national policy, legislation and statutory guidance, and is a respected voice in the governance and scrutiny field.
A charity trustee with an MBA and MSc in Policy Research, she brings credibility, strategic leadership and hands-on delivery experience at both national and local level.
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09:30 - 14:45
Online
