Advice Note for Members on Distinguishing Between their Strategic Role and any Operational Work

15th July 2026

The Standards Commission has reviewed and updated its Advice Note for Members of Devolved Public Bodies on Distinguishing Between their Strategic Role and any Operational Work. The Advice Note now makes it clear that:

• What may be strategic and what may be operational can vary between different public bodies, depending on their size and the sector in which they operate. The distinction between what is strategic and operational may also alter if the size or remit of the member’s public body changes.
• Members may be expected to be provided with more information about operational matters if, for example, significant risks emerge or are identified in respect of the public body’s governance, finances and / or ability to provide services effectively.
• Members may become involved in operational matters that have strategic implications in terms of how the organisation should deploy its resources and / or ones that carry a significant risk to the status or reputation of the public body, or its ability to provide services effectively. It may be that if there is a suggestion the organisation is facing such risks, members will need more information and evidence to enable them to undertake their strategic scrutiny role rigorously, and to allow them to make informed and evidence-based decisions, to mitigate against these and prevent serious governance failures. The Advice Note recognises, however, that the provision of too much operational detail can prevent members from being able to understand the overall position and identify strategic risks. Members are advised that they should, therefore, consider carefully the level of detail and information they are both seeking and that with which they are being provided to ensure it is sufficient and proportionate. 

The revised Advice Note can be found here.