The Council Constitution of Lambeth Council met on Wednesday 15 July 2026 to discuss and potentially approve a revised Constitution for the London Borough of Lambeth. The report pack provided to attendees detailed the proposed changes and the structure of the Constitution, which outlines how the council operates and makes decisions.

The Constitution of the London Borough of Lambeth

The primary item scheduled for discussion was the entirety of the London Borough of Lambeth's Constitution. This comprehensive document, as outlined in the Public reports pack Wednesday 15-Jul-2026 19.00 Council Constitution.pdf, details the framework for the council's operations, decision-making processes, and the rights and responsibilities of residents, councillors, and officers.

The Constitution is structured into several parts, covering:

• Part I: The Constitution
  • This section provides a summary of the Constitution, outlines its core principles, and details the relationship between residents and the Council. It also defines the roles of the Full Council, the Mayor, and Members of the Council, alongside the Lambeth Council Petition Scheme. The roles of officers and the principles of decision-making are also covered, along with the process for reviewing and revising the Constitution.
• Part II: Executive Functions
  • This part details the functions of the Cabinet, including its procedure rules and how meetings are conducted. It also outlines the roles of Cabinet Advisory Panels, the Health and Wellbeing Board, and the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules. Functions delegated to the Cabinet, Cabinet Committees, or Individual Cabinet Members are also specified, alongside 'Local Choice Functions'.
• Part III: Scrutiny Functions
  • This section covers the introduction to scrutiny functions, the procedure rules for scrutiny committees and commissions, and how the public can be involved. It details the general powers and roles of scrutiny, the terms of reference for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and its sub-committees, and who may sit on these committees. The procedures for Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings, including 'call-in' procedures and Councillor Calls for Action (CCfA), are also outlined. Policy review and development, rights of access to information for scrutiny members, and the process for scrutiny committee meetings are detailed.
• Part IV: Full Council and Committees Procedure Rules
  • This part covers the procedures for the Annual Meeting of the Council, Ordinary Meetings, and Extraordinary Meetings. It also details the procedure rules for committees, sub-committees, and quasi-judicial meetings such as the Planning Applications Committee and Licensing Committee.
• Part V: Scheme of Delegation
  • This section outlines the Scheme of Delegation, including Financial Regulations, and details powers delegated generally to the Chief Executive and Corporate Directors, as well as specific officer delegations. It also covers functions delegated to officers and specific officer delegations.
• Part VI: Ethical Governance
  • This part addresses the Standards Functions, including the Standards Committee and its Hearings Sub-Committee. It also details the Members' Code of Conduct, including arrangements for dealing with standards allegations, and the Officers' Code of Conduct. Politically Restricted Posts are also defined.
• Part VII: Access to Information
  • This section details the Access to Information Procedure Rules, outlining councillors' rights of access to information and the procedures for excluding the public from meetings when necessary.
• Part VIII: Rules, Codes and Protocols
  • This part includes various rules, codes, and protocols governing finance, contracts, legal matters, corporate governance, officer employment, and members' allowances. It also covers protocols on councillor and officer relations, social media use for councillors, gifts and hospitality, and disclosure and barring service (DBS) checks for elected members.
• Part IX: Officer Employment Procedure Rules
  • This part sets out the rules governing the recruitment, appointment, disciplinary action, and dismissal of officers.
• Part X: Members' Allowances
  • This section details the allowances and expenses payable to councillors, including basic allowances, civic expenses, childcare and dependent care allowances, and travel and subsistence expenses. It also outlines the Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) and civic allowances for various roles.
• Part XI: Partnership Arrangements and Outside Bodies
  • This part describes the Council's joint arrangements with other authorities and partners, including principal consultative and partnership bodies like the Lambeth Together Care Partnership and the Western Riverside Waste Authority. It also details delegations to joint committees and functions discharged by other bodies.
• Part XII: Management Structure
  • This section refers to the availability of the Council's senior management structure chart.

The report pack provided a comprehensive overview of the proposed Constitution, aiming to ensure clarity and accessibility for all stakeholders.