Scrutiny

Scrutiny acts as a 'check and balance' to the Mayor and other decision makers at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership - 'the LEP') . It holds them to account for the policies they adopt, the money they spend and the services they provide.

Scrutiny investigates, influences, reports and recommends ways to strengthen policies, improve services, ensure best value for money and secure long-lasting positive benefits for local people.

Although scrutiny does not have the power to make or block any decisions of the Combined Authority (or the LEP), it does have the power to: 

• ‘call-in’ decisions and delay their implementation in order to make a case for them to be formally reconsidered or changed
• submit reports and recommendations to the Combined Authority
• oblige the Combined Authority to respond to its recommendations publicly within two months
• require any member (or officer) of the Combined Authority to appear before it to give evidence
• request any information held by the Combined Authority including commercially sensitive and private and confidential items

All scrutiny work is led by independent, politically-balanced groups of elected councillors known as overview and scrutiny committees.

We recently expanded our scrutiny function so that it now consists of three committees each with 16 cross-party councillors from across West Yorkshire and York who are 'backbenchers' – that is, councillors who are not members of a local council's cabinet or executive.

The three committees are:

• Corporate Scrutiny Committee (chaired by Cllr Peter Harrand, Leeds)
• Transport & Infrastructure Scrutiny Committee (chaired by Cllr Amanda Parsons-Hulse, Calderdale)
• Economy Scrutiny Committee (chaired by Cllr Richard Smith, Kirklees) 

To view a list of all scrutiny committee members, terms of reference, agendas, reports and minutes, see the relevant committee's page.

Every year, each of the three scrutiny committees will question the Mayor of West Yorkshire at least once.

Scrutiny members will have the opportunity to question the Mayor on her plans and performance on any issue pertaining to that committee's respective remit - corporate, economy or transport.  

This municipal year (2022-23), the Mayor's Questions Time sessions fall on the following dates/times: 

• 18 November 2022: Corporate Scrutiny - Mayor's Questions (10.00am - 12.00pm, Committee Room 1, Wellington House, Leeds) 
• 19 January 2023: Transport Scrutiny - Mayor's Questions (10.00am - 12.00pm, Committee Room 1, Wellington House, Leeds) 
• 15 March 2023: Economy Scrutiny - Mayor's Questions (10.00am - 12.00pm, Committee Room 1, Wellington House, Leeds)

All Mayor's Questions are public hearings and are open to the public and press to observe. 

They will also be live streamed here or recorded and uploaded here - for maximum transparency. 

Each year, Scrutiny produces an end of year report summarising all the scrutiny work undertaken over the course of that year and any conclusions and recommendations that were made.

• Scrutiny Annual Report 2018/19
• Scrutiny Annual Report 2019/20
• Scrutiny Annual Report 2020/21 
• Scrutiny Annual Report 2021/22

Scrutiny is keen to hear from members of the public on issues of concern in the West Yorkshire and York area that relate to the functions and responsibilities of the Combined Authority and Local Enterprise Partnership.

You can contact scrutiny in the following ways.

By email:         scrutiny@westyorks-ca.gov.uk

In writing:       

Scrutiny Officer
Legal & Governance Services
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Wellington House
40-50 Wellington Street
Leeds 
LS1 2DE

The Combined Authority's scrutiny committees seek to work closely with scrutiny counterparts at partner councils and in the neighbouring areas.

You can read more about scrutiny at our partner councils on their scrutiny webpages:

• Scrutiny at Bradford
• Scrutiny at Calderdale
• Scrutiny at Kirklees
• Scrutiny at Leeds
• Scrutiny at Wakefield 
• Scrutiny at York 
• Scrutiny in North Yorkshire