The Constitution and Members' Development Committee met on Thursday 26 March 2026 to note amendments to the council's Constitution. The committee also discussed upcoming changes to the Constitution related to the Local Government Pension Scheme and member standards.

Constitution Updates

The committee noted amendments to the council's Constitution that had been made by the Monitoring Officer under delegated authority. These amendments, which will be reported to the next meeting of Full Council, included updating Director titles to reflect recent Senior Management Team changes, correcting a numbering reference within the rules for the Council Budget Meeting, and amending a paragraph concerning offers received by the council to refer to the correct section of the Constitution. A minor amendment was also made to remove an incorrect Deputy Monitoring Officer title.

Further discussions during this item revealed that a challenge had been identified regarding the definition and recruitment of Deputy Chief Officers, which would be addressed in a future update. Additionally, it was noted that legislative changes from 11 May 2026 would allow elected members to join the Local Government Pension Scheme, necessitating a technical amendment to the Constitution. Members were also invited to provide feedback on areas of the Constitution they wished to see improved, and a query was raised regarding omissions in the Constitution related to member standards and the Code of Conduct, which officers agreed to review.

The Corporate Director of Legal and Corporate Services presented the report on these updates, and the committee ordered that they be noted. The report detailing these amendments can be found in the Minutes of the Constitution and Members Development Committee on 26 March 2026.