Guide to being a witness at a scrutiny panel or programme committe

The reason that you may have been asked to be a witness at the Scrutiny Programme Committee or at a Scrutiny Panel is because you are knowledgeable on a particular topic that is being looked at.

Alternatively it could be because the councillors are interested in hearing your opinions, views and experiences on a topic that they are looking at.

Who will be present?

If you are attending the Scrutiny Programme Committee then the following will be present:

councillors (including a chair and vice chair)
a scrutiny officer
a democratic services officer (who will minute the meeting)
a legal officer

Members of the public are welcome to attend however they must sit in the public gallery. Scrutiny Panel meetings are informal meetings therefore only the councillors and a scrutiny officer will be present.

Providing evidence

There are a number of different ways that witnesses may be asked to provide information. These include:

written evidence - this can be in the form of a report or awritten statement or letter. Internal witnesses can obtain report templates by contacting the scrutiny team.
oral evidence - this can be in the form of a presentation, interview or discussion.

The scrutiny officer will have contacted you before the meeting to explain the type of information that is required from you and the format that they would like the information to take.

Before the meeting

If you have any special requirements or if you require any equipment to provide your information then please let the scrutiny officer know so arrangements can be made.

At the meeting

You can arrange to be met by a scrutiny officer who will take you to the meeting. This will also give you the opportunity to ask any questions or address any issues that you may have.