Toothless tigers? Councillor perceptions of new scrutiny arrangements in Welsh local government

Overview and scrutiny committees have been introduced in England and Wales as part of constitutional arrangements designed to improve local accountability. This article presents a conceptual framework for the evaluation of scrutiny arrangements based on five variables which have been identified as impediments to parliamentary scrutiny. A survey of Welsh councillors suggests that they perceive ‘resources and technical support’, ‘one-party dominance’, and ‘the relationship between scrutiny and the executive’ as factors which may influence the effectiveness of local scrutiny. The paper concludes that these findings have important implications for the extent to which political management reforms can enhance local accountability