Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence from Members.

Apologies were received from Councillors S Holland, C O’Leary and M Warren. Councillors S Gardiner and L Wardlaw were present as substitutes.

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any personal and/or prejudicial interests in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

In accordance with the Committee Procedure Rules, a total period of 15 minutes is allocated for members of the public to put questions to the Committee on any matter relating to this agenda. Each member of the public will be allowed up to two minutes to speak; the Chair will have discretion to vary this where they consider it appropriate.

There were no registered speakers.

To consider the report which sets out the role and responsibilities of the Constitution Committee.

The committee considered the report which set out the Terms of Reference and Committee Procedure Rules for the Constitution Committee. The report outlined the background to the re-establishment of the committee following the Council’s transition to Leader and Cabinet governance arrangements, and highlighted the Committee’s role in overseeing constitutional, procedural and Member related matters. Members noted that the Terms of Reference had been approved by Full Council and that the Procedure Rules remained unchanged, providing continuity with previous arrangements.

The committee debated the report and its appendices, providing feedback as summarised below:

·       Clarity was needed on the speaking rights for seconders of motions as part of the Committee and Sub Committee Procedure Rules.

·       It was confirmed that access to confidential reports would continue to be determined by the Monitoring Officer under the “need to know” principle, as set out in the Access to Information Procedure Rules.

·       The committee supported the consideration of a new Staffing Committee/expanding the responsibilities of the current Appointments Committee, by the Leader/Cabinet decision-making arrangements Task and Finish Group, in overseeing organisational culture and staff related matters.

·       Improved clarity was required regarding the role of elected members and the support provided to them and if this required further detail to be added to the committee’s terms of reference.

It was highlighted that the committee’s terms of reference had been intentionally drafted in broad terms to provide flexibility and enable the committee to consider a wide range of relevant issues. Making the terms of reference overly prescriptive could unnecessarily limit the committee’s scope, and that the current approach allowed members to determine priorities and areas of focus as the new arrangements continue to develop.

It was acknowledged that these points would be reviewed as part of the autumn review, noting that minor inconsistencies were expected during implementation of the new governance arrangements.

RESOLVED:

That the Constitution Committee

1.    Note its Terms of Reference and the Committee Procedure Rules as appended to the report, which together establish the governance and procedural framework for its operation.

To make appointments to the bodies set out within the report.

The committee considered a report seeking the appointment of sub-committees for the 2026–27 municipal year and the nomination of Members to those bodies, together with appointments to an outside organisation. The report outlined the proposed sub-committees, their roles and political composition arrangements, and noted that such appointments were required in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

It was acknowledged that some nominations were still be confirmed and that the recommendation should be amended to allow these to be submitted to the Head of Democratic Services following the meeting.

RESOLVED (unanimously):

That the Constitution Committee

1.    Appoints the sub-committees for 2026-27, and the member appointments to them as set out below, provided that details of outstanding nominees be submitted to the Head of Democratic Services.

To consider the report on the Leader/Cabinet decision-making arrangements review.

The committee considered the report which set out the proposed approach to reviewing the Council’s recently implemented Leader and Cabinet governance arrangements, following its introduction in May 2026. The report set out the background to the review, including the resolution of Full Council that a review be undertaken in autumn 2026 to identify any improvements to the operation of the new arrangements.

Members raised a number of comments regarding the proposed timescales and questioned whether the review period allowed sufficient time to properly assess the new arrangements. It was agreed that the review would focus on immediate changes which would be presented to the October full Council meeting and that further reviews would be expected to follow, as more experience of the arrangements developed, reporting to the February 2027 full Council if needed.

It was confirmed that all findings from the Task and Finish Group would be reported to the Constitution Committee for consideration before being referred to Full Council.

Overall, members recognised the need for a flexible approach, noting that the October review would represent an initial stage in a continuous process of refining the governance arrangements.

RESOLVED (unanimously):

That the Constitution Committee

1.    Establish a Task and Finish Group (the Leader and Cabinet Review Task and Finish Group), with the composition referred to in paragraph 8 of the report, which will operate according to the guiding principles set out in paragraph 9 of the report.

2.    Agree that the Task and Finish Group should be scheduled to meet on a fortnightly basis, beginning in June 2026.

To consider the Work Programme and determine any required amendments.

The committee considered the Work Programme for 2026–27, which set out the scheduled items for future meetings of the Constitution Committee.

The committee agreed to moving all future meetings of the Constitution Committee to 10.30am, subject to Democratic Services reviewing the calendar of meetings.