Maidstone Borough Council
Strategic Leadership and Corporate Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee
7 April 2015
Communications and Engagement Strategy
While reading the following report you may want to think about:
- What you want to know from the report;
- What questions you would like answered.
Make a note of your questions in the box below.
Questions
I would like to ask regarding this report:
As you read the report
you may think of other questions.
Guidance note - Making Quality Overview and Scrutiny Recommendations
Scrutiny recommendations should seek to make a real difference to local people and the services provided. Recommendations that note a change or request further information fail to resolve problems or make changes. The scrutiny team have identified the following criteria for quality recommendations, they:
· affect and make a difference to local people;
· result in a change in policy that improves services;
· identify savings and maintain/improve service quality; or
· objectively identify a solution.
One way of checking the usefulness of recommendations is to evaluate them against the 'six Ws' set out below:
Good recommendations should answer these questions:
Why does it need to be done? |
This will help ensure the outcome is relevant and in the right context – if a meeting is being requested it will ensure the correct people are invited to attend
|
Who is being asked to do it? |
Without this nothing will get done (no one will take ownership)
|
What needs to be done?
|
Needs to be clear and specific |
HoW will it be done? |
Again, needs to be clear and specific, what is the expected output- for example a report to be written or a meeting to be arranged
|
Where does it need to be done/go?
|
If it’s a meeting – where is it needed If it’s a report – where is it to go, who needs to see it |
When does it need to be done?
|
Crucial to have a timescale – without a deadline it will never get done |
Thinking about these points will help ensure the outcomes of scrutiny are effective and will aid monitoring.