With budget cuts at the forefront of local authority planning, Hackney Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for Finance will be in the spotlight at the Cabinet Question Time debate on 27 July.

Cllr Samantha Lloyd will be questioned by the Overview and Scrutiny Board at the Council about specific areas of finance such as the council property portfolio, benefits, and procurement.

The purpose of the new Question Time approach is for lead Cabinet members to demonstrate transparency and accountability in public, focusing on areas of priority, public concern, or poor performance. The Overview and Scrutiny Board will then provide helpful criticism to support their future work.

Cllr Simche Steinberger, Chair of the Overview & Scrutiny Board: “We’re looking forward to this opportunity to question Cabinet Members publicly, as it’s an important approach to investigating the Council’s performance.”

Cllr Rob Chapman, Scrutiny lead for the first Cabinet Question Time: “Hackney’s scrutiny function has a responsibility to hold local decision-makers to account, and the new Cabinet Question Time will ensure that the decisions taken during hard financial times are open and transparent.”

Other Cabinet Members will be attending Question Time debates at various points throughout the year. For more information about Overview and Scrutiny at Hackney Council, please visit: www.hackney.gov.uk/scrutiny.htm

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