The boards may require the attendance of senior councillors, council staff or NHS staff at their meetings and whilst they do not make decisions, they aim to influence those who do by making public recommendations based on the evidence they have gathered, about how services can be improved for local residents.
View our Scrutiny annual reports:
- Scrutiny annual report 2024-25 (PDF, 3.3MB)
- Scrutiny annual report 2023-24 (PDF, 3.6MB)
- Scrutiny annual report 2022-23 (PDF, 3.7MB)
Follow us on Twitter @ScrutinyLeeds for regular updates.
How they work
Scrutiny boards meet regularly during the year to discuss a range of issues relating to their specialised areas and public attendance is welcomed.
In advance of a formal meeting, the boards may gather information in other ways to ensure they are fully informed on an issue. For example, through working groups, one-to-one discussions, site visits, community meetings or questionnaires.
Following a formal inquiry, the boards will often produce a report or statement with recommendations for consideration by council decision makers or external partners.
The boards
There are five scrutiny boards, each specialising in different subjects. Each of their pages has more information including meetings, agendas and minutes. You can also view the annual report and a summary of board:
Adults, Health and Active Lifestyles
Annual report and summaries
Each year we produce a short annual report for all the boards plus a summary for each board. The summary contains more detailed information, useful links and a statement from the Chair at the time, acknowledging key areas of work undertaken by the board.
2024-25
2023-24
2022-23
2021-22
Children and Families
Annual report and summaries
Each year we produce a short annual report for all the boards plus a summary for each board. The summary contains more detailed information, useful links and a statement from the Chair at the time, acknowledging key areas of work undertaken by the board.
2024-25
2023-24
2022-23
2021-22
Environment, Housing and Communities
Annual report and summaries
Each year we produce a short annual report for all the boards plus a summary for each board. The summary contains more detailed information, useful links and a statement from the Chair at the time, acknowledging key areas of work undertaken by the board.
2024-25
2023-24
2022-23
2021-22
Infrastructure, Investment and Inclusive Growth
Annual report and summaries
Each year we produce a short annual report for all the boards plus a summary for each board. The summary contains more detailed information, useful links and a statement from the Chair at the time, acknowledging key areas of work undertaken by the board.
2024-25
2023-24
2022-23
2021-22
Strategy and Resources
Annual report and summaries
Each year we produce a short annual report for all the boards plus a summary for each board. The summary contains more detailed information, useful links and a statement from the Chair at the time, acknowledging key areas of work undertaken by the board.
2024-25
2023-24
2022-23
2021-22
While most decisions are reviewed by just one board, occasionally they may come together to look at a decision or policy collectively.
Call-in
Most of the time scrutiny boards examine existing policy decisions and how they are being implemented, however, occasionally non-executive councillors can also call-in an upcoming decision to scrutiny before it is implemented.
This temporarily suspends implementation of the decision for up to 7 working days whilst it is publicly reviewed in more detail.
A call-in request can be made by either:
- five non-executive councillors from a single political party
- two non-executive councillors from different political parties
Call-in only applies to decisions made within the council. Decisions made by external organisations are not subject to this.
Tenant scrutiny board
The tenant scrutiny board is supported separately by Housing Leeds. Further information on the role and membership of the tenant scrutiny board, along with meeting agendas, notes and reports, can be found on our tenant scrutiny board page.
