It was introduced by the Local Government Act 2000 which created separate Executive and Overview and Scrutiny functions within councils.
Scrutiny holds general powers of oversight on flood risk management although detailed regulations relating to such matters have now expired.
[13] Some combined authority scrutiny committees have struggled with quoracy (having enough members present for the meeting to formally transact business).
[16][17] This guidance focused on the importance of culture, and the attitude and mindset of those in executive and other leadership positions, in ensuring scrutiny's overall effectiveness.
The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 means that public bodies are having to think differently about the long-term sustainability of the design and delivery of services: this in turn has implications for the planning and prioritisation of scrutiny work.
[20] The Wales Audit Office has carried out sustained work to support the improvement of scrutiny in Welsh local authorities.
This may happen a few weeks before a decision comes to be decided by Cabinet, or months earlier where an issue is being considered more fundamentally and options are being developed.
[23] Scrutiny often has a role in in-year performance and finance monitoring, which it undertakes alongside the audit function of the authority.
Overview and Scrutiny Committees in many councils undertake in-depth reviews of particular issues of relevance to local people.
Common to both the English and Welsh jurisdictions, particularly since 2010, has been the acceleration in the development of formal and informal partnership working at local level.
[23][25] This has led to a more outward-looking approach to scrutiny work, with councillors looking at issues as they affect local people rather than carrying out oversight of the council as an institution.
The potential expansion of scrutiny's role has led to some challenges in prioritisation, and the management of resources, to ensure that the function is investigating the right issues at the right time, and in the right way.
[30] The Francis inquiry[31] into the Stafford Hospital scandal revealed that concerns expressed to the local scrutiny committee with responsibility for health issues had not been taken up and investigated.
The inquiry report suggested that scrutiny needed to be properly supported to carry out a central role in a more robust accountability framework within the NHS, to prevent those events recurring.