The North Northamptonshire Council's Constitution was scheduled for discussion, focusing on the overarching framework that governs the council's operations, decision-making processes, and public participation. The meeting's agenda was structured around reviewing and potentially adopting various procedural rules and governance structures that dictate how the council functions.

North Northamptonshire Constitution

The primary focus of the meeting was the North Northamptonshire Council's Constitution, a comprehensive document outlining the rules and principles by which the council operates. The report pack provided a detailed breakdown of the constitution's various parts, covering everything from the fundamental role of the council and its decision-making processes to the specific procedures for committees, the executive, and officers.

The constitution is divided into nine parts:

• Part One: Summary and Explanation provides an overview of the council's structure and how it operates, including the roles of councillors and employees. It also details the principles of decision-making, emphasizing proportionality, transparency, and best value.
• Part Two: Public Participation and Rights outlines how residents can get involved in the council's work, including rights to speak at meetings, submit petitions, and access information.
• Part Three: Council details the role and functions of the full council, including its responsibility for setting the budget and policy framework, and outlines the meeting procedure rules.
• Part Four: Committees sets out the terms of reference and membership for various committees, including the Planning Committee, Democracy and Standards Committee, Audit and Governance Committee, Health and Wellbeing Board, Employment Committee, and Licensing and Appeals Committee.
• Part Five: Executive describes the role and procedure rules of the Executive, the council's primary decision-making body for executive functions.
• Part Six: Joint Arrangements details how the council collaborates with other local authorities on shared services and statutory bodies.
• Part Seven: Scrutiny outlines the role and procedure rules for Scrutiny Committees, which are tasked with reviewing and challenging the work of the Executive.
• Part Eight: Councillors covers the roles of councillors and office holders, the Member Code of Conduct, and procedures for handling member complaints.
• Part Nine: Officers details the management structure, officer scheme of delegation, list of proper officers, officer code of conduct, officer employment procedure rules, contract procedure rules, and financial procedure rules.

The report pack also included a glossary of terms used within the constitution, definitions of key concepts such as Key Decisions and Executive, and detailed procedural rules for various council functions, including planning, licensing, and employment matters. The intention was to ensure clarity and accessibility in how the council operates and makes decisions.