The Committee was aware that key to the success of scrutiny was the ability of Members to check evidence from a variety of sources.  Whilst Members routinely received reports from senior management and had access to performance monitoring reports, it had been proposed that greater access to frontline staff and service users would enable scrutiny Members to triangulate evidence with other sources and would give Members greater confidence in the outcomes of their scrutiny work.  It had, therefore, been agreed at the Committee’s meeting held in July 2017 to establish a programme of Reality Check Visits through which scrutiny Members could engage independently and directly with frontline staff. 

The Chair introduced a report that detailed a visit by a small group of Members to the Cheshire Lines building on 30 July 2018 to enable direct engagement with frontline staff.  Attached to the report as Appendix 1 was the full report for this Reality Check Visit.  It was reported that Members had found the visit to Cheshire Lines useful and informative. The benefits and effects of co-location and agile working were in evidence during the visit, as well as the challenges faced.

Moving forward, the following recommendations had been proposed:

·  SLT to make enquiries to ensure that teams who have experienced a lack of communication now feel informed and continue to have information cascaded to them; and

·  Standardised Pathways and processes have been requested by staff for all online forms, to ensure standard practice within the borough.

RESOLVED: That

(1)  the content of the report and its appendices be noted; and

(2)  the following recommendations be agreed:

·  SLT to make enquiries to ensure that teams who have experienced a lack of communication now feel informed and continue to have information cascaded to them; and

·  standardised Pathways and processes be put in place in respect of all online forms, to ensure standard practice across the Council.