Scrutiny

Find out more about scrutiny at the Combined Authority and how you can get involved.

Contact Scrutiny
What is ‘overview and scrutiny’?

Scrutiny acts as a 'check and balance' to the Mayor and other decision makers at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. It holds them to account for the policies they adopt, the money they spend and the services they provide.

What does scrutiny do? 

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 Mayor or Combined Authority, it does have the power to: 

  • ‘call-in’ decisions and delay their implementation while they are under review, in order to make a case for them to be formally reconsidered or changed
  • submit reports and recommendations to the Combined Authority, which the Combined Authority (or Mayor) is obliged to respond to publicly within two months
  • require any member (or officer) of the Combined Authority to appear before a committee to give evidence
  • request any information held by the Combined Authority including commercially sensitive and private and confidential items
Committee members, meetings and documents

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

Our scrutiny function 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 the main Combined Authority (e.g. the Mayor and council leaders)

The three committees are:

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

Mayor's Questions sessions

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, views and performance on any issue relating to a committee's remit - corporate, economy or transport.  

This municipal year (June 2023 - June 2024), the Mayor's Questions sessions are planned to take place on the following dates/times (which may be subject to change): 

  • 1 December 2023: Transport & Infrastructure Scrutiny - Mayor's Questions (10.00am - 12.00pm, Committee Room 1, Wellington House, Leeds) 
  • 12 January 2024: Economy Scrutiny - Mayor's Questions (10.00am - 12.00pm, Committee Room 1, Wellington House, Leeds) 
  • 8 March 2024 (prev 19 January at 10am): Corporate Scrutiny - Mayor's Questions (2.00pm - 3.30pm, 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 or recorded and uploaded. 

Annual reports

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.

Get involved in scrutiny 

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 Team
Legal, Governance & Compliance
West Yorkshire Combined Authority
Wellington House
40-50 Wellington Street
Leeds LS1 2DE

Scrutiny in our partner councils

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: