Being a Witness
What happens if I am asked to be a Witness?
A key part of any “scrutiny” is the running of public hearings to which key “interested parties ” are invited to attend as witnesses.
Gathering evidence is critical to the effectiveness of the scrutiny and is vital that it represents a wide range of views. Hence the Committee is very grateful to individuals or organisations that agree to be witnesses and hence contribute to the rigour and depth of the scrutiny.
The term “evidence” is used to cover any comments, facts or views about the matter of the scrutiny that the witness may have. A copy of the Terms of Reference for the scrutiny, which has previously been approved by the committee, will be supplied to each person or organisation invited to be a witness. It is very helpful for any evidence to include any recommendations for action by the Council or others which the witnesses would like the Committee to consider for inclusion in its Report
The hearings normally comprise of a number of the members of the Improvement Committee listening to the views of the invited witnesses, followed by questions from the members. Invited witnesses will be informed if there are any different arrangements to this.
All witnesses will be treated with courtesy and respect and all questions to witnesses will be made in an orderly manner as directed by the Chair of the meeting. The Council’s protocol on Member - Officer Relations will apply to all internal witnesses.
In detail the process is as follows:
- Interested parties are invited to attend hearings as witnesses to provide their view on the subject of the scrutiny. These hearings are held in public and are publicised through the press but the public are not allowed to participate, except in hearings that are being held specifically to take evidence from the general public and any interested parties who have not been specifically invited to attend as witnesses.
- As the hearings are in public, the press may be in attendance. The hearing is recorded and a full transcript is produced which witnesses have the opportunity to check for accuracy. All evidence (i.e. any written submitted documents/statements and transcripts of hearings) is regarded as being in the public domain unless agreed otherwise with the Committee.
- It would be of significant benefit to the committee concerned if invited Witnesses submit their evidence (or a summary of their evidence) in writing in advance if they are able to. The recommended timescale is one week before the hearing, which enables the evidence to be circulated to the committee members. Please send to the Performance Co-ordinator for the relevant Improvement Committee.
- Witnesses attend the hearing at a specific agreed time and can be accompanied by colleagues if wished. Alternatively, witnesses can attend the entire hearing if they so wish.
- The witness will first be invited by the Chair of the Committee to briefly orally present their evidence in no more than 15 minutes.
- Next, the Committee members will ask the witnesses questions about the evidence they have submitted and the matter of the scrutiny.
- The whole session for each witness will usually last no longer than an hour.
- The Committee may decide to ask a witness to attend for another session at a later date.
The outcome of a “scrutiny” is a report from the Committee that is made public. This report will contain the findings and the recommendations of the committee. These recommendations may be directed to the Executive of the Council or to other external bodies/agencies.
Attending as a witness at a hearing may well be a new experience for you. Any required support will be given and you can contact the officers who are supporting the scrutiny. Meetings can take place in various public venues and at various times; though City Hall is likely to remain the most common location at present. For City Hall meetings, parking is available in the city centre and we are more than happy to pay your travelling costs if you can provide us with receipts for your journey.
