The Constitution of Kensington and Chelsea Council meeting scheduled for 14 April 2026 was set to discuss the Council's governing documents, including its constitution, councillor conduct, allowances, and officer relations. The meeting's agenda also included a review of the Council's financial procedures, contract regulations, and audit protocols, alongside the code of conduct for planning matters and the executive-scrutiny protocol.

Constitution Re-adoption and Amendments

The primary focus of the meeting was the re-adoption of the Council's Constitution, which had been previously adopted on 28 January 2026 and was scheduled for amendment on 14 April 2026. The Constitution is a comprehensive set of documents outlining how the Council operates, makes decisions, and ensures accountability to local people. It covers various aspects of the Council's governance, from the roles of councillors and officers to the procedures for meetings and financial management.

Part One: The Council and Local People

This section of the Constitution was scheduled for discussion, detailing the relationship between the Council and its residents. It outlines the structure of the Council, including electoral wards and the number of councillors, and the qualifications required to stand for election. The document also elaborates on the role of councillors as community leaders, their responsibilities in representing constituents, and the importance of adhering to high ethical standards. The Council's adopted values and behaviours, such as Putting communities first, Respect, Integrity, and Working together, were also to be reviewed, alongside the twelve principles of good governance. A significant part of this section was dedicated to the Council's commitments to public participation, detailing principles of accountability, transparency, inclusion, collaboration, and consistency in engaging with the community. It outlined various methods for public involvement, including shaping plans, attending meetings, participating in scrutiny, and understanding the Forward Plan of Key Decisions.

Part Two: Councillors

This part of the Constitution was set to cover several key areas related to councillors:

• The Councillor Code of Conduct: This section details the expected ethical standards and behaviours of councillors when acting in their official capacity. It emphasizes adherence to the Seven Principles of Conduct in Public Life and outlines specific conduct requirements, including championing residents' needs, dealing with representations impartially, exercising independent judgment, and maintaining accountability and transparency. It also covers the registration and disclosure of disclosable pecuniary and other interests, including gifts and hospitality.
• Protocol on Councillors' Rights of Access to Information: This protocol outlines the additional rights of councillors to obtain information held by the Council to effectively undertake their roles, complementing public rights of access under the Freedom of Information Act. It details rights of access to documents related to public meetings and specific entitlements for members of Scrutiny Committees.
• The Councillors' Allowances Scheme: This section details the allowances to which councillors are entitled, including basic allowances, special responsibility allowances, dependants' carers' allowances, and travel and subsistence allowances. It also outlines provisions for parental leave for councillors.

Part Three: The Mayor and Full Council Meetings

This part of the Constitution was scheduled to address the functioning of the Council's formal meetings:

• The Role and Functions of the Mayor: This section was to outline the annual appointment of the Mayor, their ceremonial role as the civic head of the Council, and their responsibilities in chairing Council meetings. It also covered the role of the Deputy Mayor.
• Full Council: This section was to detail the membership, role, and terms of reference of the Full Council. It covers the Council's budgetary and policy framework, including the adoption of the Budget and Council Tax, Local Plan, and various strategies. It also outlines the Council's responsibilities for appointing the Leader and Mayor, making changes to the Constitution, and conferring civic honours.
• Standing Orders (Council and Committee Procedures): This extensive section was to set out the rules for the conduct of meetings of the Council and its committees, ensuring proper decision-making, fair debate, and orderly proceedings. It covers definitions, the Mayor's authority, the chairing of meetings, the order of business at annual, ordinary, and extraordinary meetings, notice requirements, attendance, quorum, admission of the public, minutes, petitions, matters of local concern, and procedures for debating motions and amendments. It also details rules on breach of order, voting, adjournment, and the conduct of councillors.

Part Four: The Executive

This part of the Constitution was to focus on the Council's executive functions:

• The Leadership Team and Executive Authority: This section was to detail the composition and responsibilities of the Leadership Team, which is the Council's executive responsible for most major service, financial, and policy decisions. It outlines the roles of the Leader, Deputy Leader, and Lead Members, as well as Project Champions. It also covers the delegation of executive authority, the Council's budgetary and strategic framework, and the procedures for making Key Decisions and Executive Decisions. The Forward Plan, which provides advance notice of these decisions, was also to be discussed.
• The Distribution of Executive Authority: This section was to specify how executive authority is distributed among the Leader, the Leadership Team, individual Lead Members, and officers. It details the specific portfolios and responsibilities of each Lead Member, including the Leader of the Council, Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Employment, Culture & Economy, Lead Member for Housing, Lead Member for Adult Social Care & Public Health, Lead Member for Communities & Community Safety, Lead Member for Family & Children's Services, Lead Member for Property, Parks & Leisure Services, Lead Member for Environment and Planning, and Lead Member for Finance, Digital, and Efficiency.

Part Five: Committees and Non-Executive Functions

This part of the Constitution was to outline the roles and responsibilities of the Council's various committees:

• Committee Duties, Membership and Chairmanship: This section was to cover the general duties of Council committees, their membership, and the limitation on the terms of office for chairmen and vice-chairmen.
• Terms of Reference of Council Committees: This section was to detail the specific terms of reference for various committees, including the Administration Committee, Adoption and Fostering Panel, Senior Appointments Panel (A, B, C, D, E, F), Audit and Transparency Committee, Health and Wellbeing Board, Joint Health and Wellbeing Board, Investment Committee, Licensing Committee, Licensing Sub-Committees (A and B), the London Councils' Grants Committee, Planning Committee, Planning Applications Committee, Pension Board, and Scrutiny Committees.
• Scrutiny Committees: This section was to detail the general duties of Overview and Scrutiny, including policy development and review, and other powers and duties. It outlines the membership and terms of reference for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and various Select Committees, such as the Adult Social Care and Health Select Committee, Environment Select Committee, Family Services Select Committee, Housing and Communities Select Committee, the North West London Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee, and the Inner West London Mental Health Services Reconfiguration Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Part Six: Joint Arrangements

This part of the Constitution was to cover arrangements where the Council collaborates with other local authorities to exercise functions, including the appointment of joint committees and delegation of functions.

Part Seven: Officers

This part of the Constitution was to detail the roles and responsibilities of Council officers:

• Council Officers and Management Structure: This section was to outline the Council's management structure, the roles and responsibilities of senior officers, and provide a web version of the management structure.
• Functions Delegated to Officers: This section was to detail the statutory roles and functions of key officers, such as the Head of Paid Service, Monitoring Officer, and Chief Finance Officer, as well as the functions delegated to Executive Directors, Directors, and other officers across various departments, including Legal Procedures, Audit, Finance, Human Resources, and departmental specific functions.
• Officer Employment Procedure: This section was to cover the procedures for the recruitment, appointment, and disciplinary action concerning officers, particularly for senior roles like Chief Executive, Executive Directors, and Directors.
• Officers' Code of Conduct: This section was to outline the ethical values and expected behaviour of all officers, based on the Nolan Principles, and detail their responsibilities in business conduct, integrity, and working with colleagues, clients, and the public. It also covered procedures for raising concerns and reporting breaches of the code.

Part Eight: Procedures

This part of the Constitution was to detail the Council's procedural rules:

• Code of Corporate Governance: This section was to outline the Council's commitment to good corporate governance, based on the CIPFA/SOLACE framework. It detailed core principles, behaviours, and actions demonstrating good governance, and the process for the Annual Governance Statement.
• Access to Information Procedures: This section was to set out the public's rights to attend meetings and access documents, including agendas, reports, and minutes, with specific rules on the exclusion of the press and public from meetings where confidential or exempt information is discussed.
• Financial Procedure Rules: This section was to detail the Council's financial governance arrangements, covering financial planning, management, risk management, internal control, financial systems, procedures, and external arrangements. It outlines responsibilities for budgeting, financial management, procurement, and the use of Council assets.
• Audit Procedure Rules: This section was to cover the Council's internal and external audit activities, including access and accountability arrangements for both internal and external auditors.
• Contract Regulations: This section was to guide the processes for ensuring transparency, best value, accountability, and suitable competition in the award of contracts using public funds. It detailed procedures for estimating contract values, evaluation criteria, approval of procurement decisions, contract conditions, modifications, novation, termination, and document retention. It also outlined specific procurement procedures, thresholds, and waiver requirements.
• Legal Procedure Rules: This section was to outline the authority of the Chief Solicitor and Monitoring Officer in issuing legal proceedings, signing documents, and the use of the Council's Common Seal.
• Code of Conduct on Planning: This section was to set out the ethical standards and conduct expected of councillors and officers involved in the planning process, covering issues such as disclosable pecuniary interests, bias, predetermination, lobbying, pre-application discussions, officers' reports, planning appeals, enforcement, and site visits.
• Executive-Scrutiny Protocol: This section was to establish a positive framework for the effective working of the scrutiny function, outlining the roles and responsibilities of Scrutiny Members, Lead Members, and officers, and detailing the process for developing the Annual Scrutiny Work Programme, conducting scrutiny reviews, and responding to scrutiny recommendations.

The meeting was also scheduled to review a log of changes made to the Constitution since its re-adoption on 28 January 2026.