Carolyne Culver of the Green Party was elected as the member for Ridgeway ward on West Berkshire Council in 2019, a seat she retained in 2023. Following this election, she was appointed Chair of WBC’s Scrutiny Commission, an increasingly demanding role which she discharges in addition to all her normal ward work. But what exactly is the Scrutiny Commission and what does it do? Who better to ask than its Chair: so, we caught up with Carolyne between meetings, casework and Zoom calls to ask her a few questions about the body and why its work is so important.
First of all, tell us what the Scrutiny Commission does.
The Scrutiny Commission is a committee of nine councillors responsible for reviewing the decisions, policies and services of West Berkshire Council (WBC) and, in some cases, those of other organisations and partners.
For example, the Commission acts as the Council’s Crime and Disorder Committee, which means the Thames Valley Police superintendent for our area comes to give a presentation and answer questions once a year. His most recent visit was on 24 September and the recording can be viewed on the WBC page on YouTube (as can all other Scrutiny Commission meetings). We also invite Thames Water and the Environment Agency to come to a special meeting each year to answer our questions. The next one will be taking place at 6pm on 17 October and broadcast live on YouTube.
If readers know what the function of a parliamentary select committee is, then it’s similar to that. We dig into lots of topics and ask searching questions of the councillors who lead the council, and the officers. We can make recommendations to the leadership of the council about how things might be run more efficiently and effectively in future. We are a conduit for the concerns of the residents too, and many of the questions we ask are informed by the many conversations we have with residents.
Does it have the power to compel people to attend, as Commons select committees do?
Any councillor or member of staff is compelled to attend if asked. We cannot compel other organisations or individuals to attend, but if we invite them they usually say yes because they want their own experiences and points of view to be heard. Turning up to be questioned shows a willingness to be transparent and held to account, which the public appreciate, rather than hiding away from public scrutiny.
Since May 2023, West Berkshire’s one has, for the first time, been chaired by an opposition member. As the current Chair, how’s that working out?
I am really enjoying the challenge and have learned a lot. I think this is probably the most interesting role I have ever had in my life. Having a chairman who is not from the political party leading the council (currently the Liberal Democrats), or from the official opposition (currently the Conservatives), is healthy because it means the chairman is not distracted by trying to protect or attack the administration.
I’m interested in the nitty gritty of the issues and will ask searching questions regardless of whether this helps or hinders the major parties. Previously, the chairman was from the political party leading the council, which led to accusations of the council ‘marking its own homework’ (I’m sure the then chairman would challenge this accusation…) But I don’t have to fear anyone or bend to any pressure.
What qualities does the role require?
Curiosity, attention to detail, an open mind, a healthy scepticism and a willingness to stand up to people in positions of power.
Who decides what matters get looked at?
Concerns and questions are raised by residents, councillors and council staff: but ultimately, the nine members of the Scrutiny Commission decide which topics it looks at.
Do members of the public have an influence over this? if so, how?
Yes, members of the public can make suggestions online by clicking here. Other ways of contacting us can be found at the foot of this page.
I regularly hear from members of the public. I appear to be a magnet for people who are vexed about various issues…
What power does the Commission have to enforce its decisions or recommendations?
The Scrutiny Commission makes recommendations to the council Executive (ie the cabinet that leads the council). It is up to WBC’s Executive which of the recommendations it will accept and act upon. It’s the same with a parliamentary select committee, which also cannot make the government do anything. However, the Executive does accept many of our recommendations. From a political leader’s point of view, it’s good to be seen to take other views on board. The Scrutiny Commission needs to be better at tracking the long-term impact of its recommendations. That’s something we’re looking at right now.
You’ve been the Chair now for about eighteen months: what have been the most important issues you’ve considered in that time?
At our September meeting, we looked at the biggest financial challenge facing the council: the Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) High Needs Block which is the funding for the young people with the most complex needs.
These costs are rising for many reasons: more children are surviving difficult birth experiences which leave them with long-term needs; more money is being spent on SEN diagnosis; councils are obliged to draw up support plans and find (often very expensive) private provision if the young people cannot get the education and support they need in a standard school; and demand has been increased by factors including the long-term impact of Covid on children’s ability to socialise and an increase in the number of children excluded from mainstream schools.
The list is long. But the fact is WBC is £9m in deficit and this could rise to £15m or more by March 2025. Currently councils are allowed to account for these deficits “off the books” but this arrangement is set to expire in 2026. Unless the government finds extra funding, scores of authorities across the country could be bankrupted overnight.
We have also looked at the draft waste strategy in recent months. This is out for public consultation at the moment. If you haven’t participated yet please search for ‘West Berkshire Council consultations’ online. Thames Water and the Environment Agency are attending Scrutiny Commission on 17 October, where there will doubtless be another robust and enlightening discussion about flooding and sewage.
There are also sub-committees called task and finish groups. Tell us a bit about them.
Task and finish groups are sub-committees of the Scrutiny Commission, where a smaller group of five councillors discuss a topic in a lot of detail. The report from the Covid task and finish group was published at the September Scrutiny meeting. We have just embarked on a task and finish group about the Sports Hub: following that, we’ll have one about project management. We’re also considering having a task and finish group about housing but we haven’t discussed the details of that yet.
If you had the power to change one thing about how the Scrutiny Commission operates, what would it be?
To have more resources. We are only supposed to meet four times a year but we have met 10 times in 17 months, because of the great variety of topics we have needed to look at, with two more meetings scheduled between now and Christmas.
The Scrutiny Commission has a wonderful clerk, Gordon Oliver, who acts as secretary to the Commission, organising the meetings, inviting and briefing guests, marshalling all the paperwork we need and taking minutes. He is passionate about the scrutiny process and regularly sends me links to what other councils are doing, and best practice in scrutiny. If the Commission had another Gordon it could do a lot more…
The image above shows Carolyne Culver with overflowing sewage in the background, something that has recently been a recurring feature of her casework.
