Council set to merge committees

A PROPOSAL to merge two scrutiny committees is to go before members of Lancashire County Council at their full council meeting today.

Councillors will be asked to consider merging the scrutiny committees responsible for services for young people and education into a single entity.

To ensure the same level of scrutiny, the committee would meet the same number of times a year as the two former committees combined.

The move is being proposed because the council says there is a significant overlap in the work of the two committees.

Cllr Andrea Kay, chairman of the children’s services scrutiny committee, said: “Merging the two committees would ensure a more effective and coordinated scrutiny of these extremely important areas of council business without the current overlap.

“While it is important to be clear that effective scrutiny cannot be measured purely by the number of meetings held, to ensure there is the same opportunity for scrutiny the new committees would meet the same number of times in a year as the two former committees combined together.”

The new committee would have 22 members if councillors support the proposal. These would include co-opted members representing parent governors from the primary and secondary sector, plus representatives from the Church of England, Roman Catholic Church and Methodists.

It is also suggested that the non-voting co-opted representative from the Youth Council currently on the children’s services committee is retained.

The final decision will be made at the meeting today (Thursday, July 16).