The Governance Committee of Havering Council was scheduled to meet on 26 November 2025 to discuss a review of an individual polling place, constitutional and governance matters, staff member voting rights on the Pensions Committee, and governance at Mercury Land Holdings. Councillor Ray Morgon, Leader of the Council, was scheduled to chair the meeting. Members were also expected to approve the minutes of the previous meeting.

Constitutional Review and Governance Matters

The committee was scheduled to consider changes to the council's constitution, which is being updated under the direction of the Constitutional Working Group (CWG). According to the report pack, the committee was asked to consider the revised constitution and recommend that it be submitted to Full Council for approval and adoption, subject to any changes suggested by the Governance Committee.

The report pack included a table outlining the status of the constitutional review:

• Parts 1 and 2, summarising the constitution and the articles, had been reviewed and updated.
• Part 3, concerning responsibility for functions, had been reviewed and updated, though refinements were still being proposed.
• A new section for Part 4.1, covering access to information for councillors and the general public, had been prepared and approved by the CWG.
• The contracts procedure rules (4.4) were under review, with the hope of being in place by 1 April 2026.
• Council procedure rules (4.5) were likely to be reviewed in 2026.
• Overview & Scrutiny Committee Procedure Rules (4.9) were likely to be reviewed in 2026.
• Planning procedure rules (4.10) had been stood down due to changes in the national approach.
• The Members' Code of Conduct (5.1) was likely to be reviewed in 2026.
• Arrangements for dealing with allegations that a member has failed to comply with the Members' code of conduct (5.2) had been updated and agreed by the CWG.
• The Management Structure Chart (Part 7) was to be deleted.

The committee was also scheduled to review a revised Part 4.1, concerning access to information, and a revised Code of Conduct. The main change to the code of conduct was the introduction of a viability stage, described as:

This is a paper-based exercise to strike out those complaints which are manifestly ill-advised.

Pensions Committee – Staff Member Voting Rights

The committee was to consider a proposal to grant voting rights to a staff representative on the Pension Committee. The council's Pension Committee is responsible for the management of the Council's Pension Fund investment portfolio. Currently, the committee consists of seven councillors, one co-opted member, and two non-voting observers appointed by trade unions. The report pack noted that many other councils allow for one or more staff representatives with voting rights.

The Governance Committee was asked to decide whether to recommend to Full Council that the constitution be amended to allow voting rights for a duly elected staff representative. The report pack included two schedules outlining proposed changes to the constitution and a staff representative election process.

Individual Polling Place Review

The committee was scheduled to review a change within polling district SQ3 in Squirrels Heath Ward. The current polling station, Gidea Park library, is no longer in use. The recommendation was that Squirrels Heath school be used as an alternative venue. The report pack noted that the three ward councillors for the Squirrels Heath Ward had been consulted and agreed with the proposal. If the Governance Committee agreed to the changes, they would be incorporated into the register and ratified at the Full Council meeting on 21 January 2026.

Mercury Land Holdings Governance

The Monitoring Officer was scheduled to give a presentation on governance at Mercury Land Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Havering Council.