Adur and Worthing's Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee's annual report
Released: Thursday, 05 September 2024
PRESS RELEASE SENT ON BEHALF OF THE JOINT OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE (JOSC)
Scrutinising local services for better accountability
We have recently published our Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JOSC) Annual Report, showcasing the important work done over the past year to ensure that the voices of our community are heard and that local services and decision making become increasingly transparent and accountable.
What is JOSC?
The JOSC is your local elected watchdog, comprising councillors from both Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council, with Opposition Party chairs. We hold decision-makers - both within and outside our councils - to account. Our mission is to ensure that decisions affecting Adur and Worthing are made with the best interests of our residents in mind and that cabinet members and the councils’ senior leadership team are held to account.
Focus on housing
This year, we put the spotlight on housing—a critical issue for many in our community. We’ve scrutinised the delivery of our housing strategy, pushing for more affordable housing and improved support for those in need. We’re now gearing up for a housing-themed meeting in November to review the next steps in making our communities better places to live.
Engaging with key local services
We didn’t stop at council matters. The Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner and local police commander were in the hot seat, answering your questions and those from councillors in a public Q&A session. This was your chance to directly question how law enforcement serves our area.
Holding Southern Water accountable
Our local water company continues to be under the public spotlight. While Southern Water declined our invitation to discuss their service issues, thanks to our persistent efforts, they’re now engaging with scrutiny groups across the region. We’ll keep advocating to make sure they answer to our residents and to your democratically-elected representatives.
Continuing to improve what we do
This year, we’ve taken a hard look at how we operate and are making significant improvements to better serve you. Through the work of our JOSC Improvement Working Group, we’ve streamlined our processes and sharpened our focus on the issues that matter most to our community. Our commitment is to be more effective, more responsive, and more transparent in our scrutiny work.
Here’s what we’re doing:
Prioritising what matters: We’ve implemented a new system to better prioritise topics, ensuring we focus on the most pressing issues that affect our community. This means your concerns are addressed faster and more effectively.
Strengthening public engagement: We’ve improved how we engage with you, making it easier for residents to contribute to our work. Whether through public Q&A sessions or new online tools, we’re committed to giving you a stronger voice in local decision-making.
Improving collaboration: We’ve strengthened our work with external organisations, allowing us to conduct more comprehensive reviews of services that impact your life, helping to ensure that every angle is covered and your needs are met.
What we’ll be scrutinising over the next year
We’ll continue to hold local services to account, focusing on housing supply, how we develop our workforce, communicating with local residents, reviewing Adur & Worthing’s risks, opportunities and its budgets.
Read the full reports
Check out the full reports on what we’ve achieved over the last year and how we continue to improve:
- Read the JOSC’s Annual Report
- Read the JOSC’s Improvement Report
- Read the JOSC’s Work Programme Report
Get involved
Our work is shaped by your feedback. If you have ideas or concerns about local services, now’s the time to share them. If there is a local issue that is having an impact on you, your community or business, you can ask the Adur and Worthing Joint Overview & Scrutiny Committee to investigate it.
(PR24-062)
Page last updated: 05 September 2024