Tag: gift ideas

What’s the best present for a scrutineer?


Ever wondered what gift to get for the scrutineer in your life? Yes? Well this is the post for you.

At the birthday special scrutiny meetup we asked: “What is the best present for a scrutineer on scrutiny’s birthday?”

Scrutineers are all different and all special and this is reflected in the replies ranging from ‘well received recommendations’ to ‘SIM enabled iPad’ to ‘wine’ or ‘a winning lottery ticket’.

Check out the list below for your gift inspiration.

Scrutiny gift ideas

  • Visit a Select Committee and have the opportunity to meet with the committee and researchers afterwards for an informal chat and then a drink on the members balcony
  • Huge bag of transparency
  • Reports delivered on time without any chasing
  • Extra scrutiny powers to bring in partners/ access to info please!
  • Well informed Members with good questioning skills
  • Good broadband connection
  • A budget, a fellow scrutiny officer, engaged members, a supportive executive…
  • Chairs who are passionate about their topics
  • Leader & CEX to ask scrutiny to lead a review into our  Covid  response, lessons learnt, what we did well, ready for the next…
  • Parity of esteem with the Executive,
  • Well received recommendations.
  • More power for scrutiny please!  Plus wine (red/white/rose – not fussy!)
  • Cabinet Member altering a report completely because of the work of an overview and scrutiny committee
  • A Cabinet member wanting to be a scrutiny chair!
  • A Winning Lottery Ticket
  • An enthusiastic pro-active Executive; or wine.
  • More power for scrutiny
  • An invitation to undertake a review with lots of resources and fully implemented
  • SIM enabled iPad (internet probs!!)
  • Fully engaged Scrutiny Members
  • A days leave with pay
  • A day with no emails or calls!
  • More creative ways of engaging with residents
  • A group of dedicated, capable, highly intelligent Councillors with an abundance of time to carry out investigations.
  • Consensual Committee working – non partisan scrutiny
  • A Parliament Select Committee grade- smart, sleek, on the ball and knowledgeable Chair; a solid, robust and challenging work programme
  • LGA giving scrutiny parity of esteem and proper recognition at events and panels.
  • Big fat redundancy package for those who have been supporting scrutiny since inception!

Photo and cake credit: Meetup participant