Guide to the Councillor Call for Action (CCfA) process

 CCfA is a process that puts you as local councillors at the head of dealing with issues of concern in your local communities. It gives you a central role in calling to account the work of council services and other agencies at a local level. When concerns arise - either as a result of information from individuals, community groups or your own observations, councillors should be able to trigger a response from service providers and help ensure the concerns are dealt with. The CCfA allows you to trigger a scrutiny review. It should be used as a last resort, when a problem cannot be solved.

Download document

A branded version of this document is available to download in various formats:

• Portable Document Format (PDF) - Guide to the CCfA process (PDF, 260 KB)(opens new window) same information as this web version but includes a flow chart and the 'Request by a Member of the Council for an issue of concern in their local community to be referred to an Overview & Scrutiny Committee' form
• Portable Document Format (PDF) - the 'Print entire document' link  found at the bottom of any page can be used produce a plain-text PDF file combining all pages of the document.

The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 introduced a CCfA for local government matters. CCfA also exists in the Police & Justice Act 2006. This allows you to raise crime and disorder issues. Councils were required to start the new CCfA process from 1 April 2009.

In Wiltshire, councillors can already ask an overview and scrutiny committee to review an issue of concern. However, that councillor would either have to be a member of a scrutiny committee, or generate the support of four additional councillors for his/her request. CCfA now provides the opportunity for any individual member of the council to raise an issue of concern for scrutiny.

What makes the CCfA different from a more general request for scrutiny is:

• the focus of the CCfA is on neighbourhood or locality issues and specifically the quality of public service provision at a local level.
• the CCfA represents a genuine local community concern - based on local councillors' judgements - and
• it is a persistent problem that a local councillor has not been able to resolve through local action and discussion with the cabinet or relevant services and agencies
• from 1 April 2009 councillors are under a legal duty to consider requests from members of the public on certain issues.

Scrutiny is not suitable for dealing with individual complaints. The council and partner agencies have separate complaints systems for this purpose. In replying to public requests for CCfA, local councillors will need to make a judgement about whether the issue is a possible CCfA or should be dealt with in another way.

Also, a CCfA is not suitable for dealing with issues that relate to individual 'quasi-judicial' decisions - for example planning or licensing matters.

Councillor

Local concern identified by:

• individual(s)
• partners or community groups
• councillor

Options:

• Councillor determines that the wider community interest might justify CCfA  
• Councillor initiates CCfA to the respective area board by completing the appropriate request form
  • Occasionally the mere initiation of a CCfA resolves the issue.

Or

• Councillor resolved the issue locally

Or

• Councillor rejects consideration of concern and states reasons
• Councillor gives advice about other procedures e.g. complaints

Area Board

In preparing for the area board's consideration, the community engagement manager and the relevant scrutiny officer meet to discuss how the matter might be taken forward in the event that the area board endorses the recommendation. 

Options:

• Area Board considers request form and endorses referral to the relevant O&S Committee

Or

• Area Board rejects request for CCfA and states reason

Or

• Area Board are able to resolve issue locally

O&S Committee

Options: 

• Relevant O&S Committee considers the matter and publishes its report and recommendations
• Relevant O&S Committee will in writing require the executive or other body to consider the report; respond; publish response (if required) within 28 days
• Feedback to the local councillor who submitted the CCfA

Or

• Relevant O&S Committee rejects CCfA/states reasons. Issue raised by the CCfA is recorded for the committee's future work program plans

NB. Feedback to the local councillor should be ensured throughout the process. All CCfA requests are logged with the scrutiny officer and appear as a standard item on the OSC agenda. If considered necessary, the OSC can refer the CCfA direct to an O&S committee in the case of rejection at Area Board level.

There are a number of checks that you should make before deciding to take a possible CCfA matter forward to overview and scrutiny. This is to make sure that the matter is suitable for formal scrutiny. The following basic checks are recommended:

1. Does the issue relate to a 'local authority function'?
2. Does the issue affect all or part of your area, or any person who lives or works in it?
3. Is it an excluded matter? (for example):

• is the matter vexatious, discriminatory or not reasonable to be included on the agenda of an overview and scrutiny committee?
• are the concerns individual complaints?
• do the concerns relate to individual 'quasi-judicial' decisions, e.g. planning or licensing?

4. Are the concerns to do with the quality of public service provision at a local level?
5. Is the issue a genuine local community concern?

Having found that you are unable to resolve your matter of local concern with the cabinet, service department, partner or by any other means, the steps to take in raising a CCfA request are:

1. Complete and submit the CCfA form to your Community Engagement Manager ( form available in the downloadable version of this document or from the scrutiny team)
2. On receiving the form, you should receive a response from the Community Engagement Manager within 5 working days inviting you to a meeting to discuss the matter with the Area Board Chairman
3. Subject to the outcome to this meeting, you will then be informed of the area board meeting date at which your CCfA will be considered, and you will be advised on how to present your CCfA
4. Subject to the outcome of the area board's consideration, the matter raised by the CCfA will either be resolved at that meeting, or referred to the relevant overview and scrutiny committee for further consideration.
5. If your matter is referred to an overview and scrutiny committee, you will be informed of the date of the meeting and advised on your role at that meeting.

For further information please contact committee@wiltshire.gov.uk (opens new window).