Scrutiny Committees
We are now seeking students to join the Scrutiny Committee of the Students' Union.
You can apply here or read below for more information
Overview of the role
The scrutiny committee is a group of student volunteers who come together to question and hold to account our five full time elected officers.
They meet three times a year and check the progress that the elected officers are making towards:
- What they said they would do when elected (manifesto pledges)
- Achieving their objectives for the year
- Achieving policy of the students’ union
- Attendance at appropriate meetings and that their time is being well spent in these.
They also help the Sabbatical Officers when making decisions and encourage them to consider different perspectives.
What will I be asked to do as part of this role?
You would be asked to read 5 short reports, attend a pre-meeting then interview each of the officers. The pre-meeting will allow you and other members of the committee the chance to discuss the reports and decide what questions you would like to ask the full time elected officers.
After the pre- meeting each elected officer will attend in turn and you will get the opportunity to discuss with them their progress on the work they promised to do, as well as ask the questions that were agreed during the pre-meet. Based on the responses you will score the officer in relation to the level of progress you think they have made.
At the end of the meeting you will discuss your scores as a committee and finalise any recommendations or suggestions you would like to make to the officer team.
The score is accompanied by a comment of praise or areas of improvement and is published on the Students’ Union website.
What is the time commitment for this role?
There are three meetings a year and the total time commitment for each set of meetings is about 7 hours. Made up of about 5 40 minute meetings and two hours to read the reports.
What training would I receive?
Training will provide members with an overview of what scrutiny is and will also ensure you are clear on how the pre-meet, committee meeting, ratings and reports work. You will be given more information on the skills you will need to display in the role as well as the experience you will gain from taking part.
What skills and knowledge would I get from this role?
This voluntary role is a great way to get more involved in the work of the Union without making a big time commitment. You will gain skills in areas such as: Analysing papers and reports, team work, planning and time management, asking analytical questions
What values or personalities might be suited to this role?
You may wish to carry out this role if it is important to you that the Elected officers of the Students’ Union are fulfilling their obligation to University of Salford students’. You may also simply want to find out a little bit more about the Elected Officers do on a day to day basis.
Are there any conflicts of interest I need to consider before I run for the role?
You will be asked when you start the role to disclose any societies, groups or other SU activity that you have either been involved in or are currently involved in.
Any more questions?
Contact Luke Newton l.newton@salford.ac.uk if you’d like a further discussion about the role.
Meeting Dates 2020/21 (please note these dates are provisional and may be subject to change)
- Meeting 1: December 8th 2020
- Meeting 2: March 24th 2021
- Meeting 3: June 9th 2021
All meetings will be held online this year
