IS there an aspect of life in Middlesbrough that you would like Councillors to investigate?
Proposed ideas could be about issues regarding the environment, health, social care, community safety, regeneration, housing, transport, education or leisure.
Elected members of Middlesbrough Council are involved in the scrutiny of decisions, policies and services that affect Middlesbrough and its residents
There are several panels of Councillors that carry out detailed, evidence-based public reviews of Council services or issues that affect the lives of local people. This can be a useful way of changing the way the Council operates for the better and improving the quality of life of local people.
Some examples of previous panel investigations include:
Safeguarding and Children in Care – To investigate the impact of services both in terms of what is working well and any gaps and barriers, whilst ensuring the needs of each child are paramount.
Bereavement Services – To examine how people in Middlesbrough are affected by funeral poverty and consider ways in which the local authority can assist in helping residents to arrange an affordable funeral.
Private Parking Enforcement – To investigate whether private parking enforcement can be better regulated and controlled.
Breastfeeding in Middlesbrough – To examine how levels of breastfeeding can be improved in Middlesbrough.
Protecting Children from Sexual Exploitation – To assess how the Council and agencies are working to prevent child sexual exploitation.
Safeguarding Adults in Residential Care – To investigate the measures in place to ensure that residential care settings are safe, effective and of high quality.
Wi-Fi Town – To examine the possibility of providing free public Wi-Fi in Middlesbrough Town Centre and Council buildings.
Cllr Jean Sharrocks, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, said: “Councillors will be deciding which topics they want to look into, based on suggestions from a variety of sources including those made by the public.
“As a general rule, topics should relate to community issues that affect the people of the town.
“This will allow you to have a greater say in Council matters by suggesting the holding of enquiries into topics of local concern.”
Anyone wishing to make a suggestion of an issue to be scrutinised by Middlesbrough Council should email scrutiny@middlesbrough.gov.uk by Friday, June 24 2016.