Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Call-in process
  3. Get involved
  4. Annual reports
  5. What’s on in Scrutiny

Residents

Residents can get involved in Scrutiny in many ways. You can:

Come to a meeting

Meeting dates are listed on our What’s On in Scrutiny webpage. Sign up for automatic email alerts when agendas are published. Residents can also get involved by watching meetings online. A link can be found on the agenda page for each panel, or you can view previous meetings and any currently streaming meetings on Merton Council’s YouTube channel.

Suggest a topic for review

Please fill out the Scrutiny Topic Suggestion Form to suggest a topic for inclusion on the scrutiny work programme. 

Scrutiny is more likely to consider an issue if you can show that it affects a significant number of people in Merton and provide evidence supporting your concern.

Contribute your views

If you have a particular interest or expertise in an issue that is being investigated by scrutiny, you may submit written evidence or just share your views with the panels and committee via:

Co-option

All panels are able to appoint residents and community representatives to participate as non-voting co-optees. If you would like to be considered as a co-optee for a particular panel please contact the Policy & Scrutiny team at scrutiny@merton.gov.uk

Partners

To facilitate and encourage the engagement of partner organisations in scrutiny, Merton has an External Scrutiny Protocol. Partner organisations can be involved in scrutiny in the following ways:

  • Requests for Information: Sometimes members will ask for information to be presented by partners to support their work. As outlined in the protocol partners will be provided with sufficient notice and guidance in advance of the meeting of the relevant panel or task group.
  • Co-option onto scrutiny panels or task groups: Members may feel it is of benefit to their work-programme co-opt a non-voting member from a partner organisation onto a panel or task-group to offer their views and bring their expertise and experience to inform the members discussions.
  • Consultation:  Scrutiny at Merton has made a commitment to consult with partners on issues and topics that are being considered as part of the panels work programme.
  • Work programme: Partners will be invited to contribute to the development of the scrutiny panel work programmes to highlight topics and issues of local concern.
  • Merton Partnership.

Improving scrutiny

Partners will be provided with an opportunity to comment on their experience of engaging with scrutiny and how the process may be improved. Get in touch at scrutiny@merton.gov.uk to leave your feedback.