The meeting of the Constitution of Northumberland Council on Friday 27 February 2026 was scheduled to discuss the Council's Constitution in its entirety. The report pack provided a comprehensive overview of the document, detailing its objectives, principles, and contents, as well as outlining the rights and responsibilities of the public, Members, and officers.

The Council's Constitution

The report pack detailed the Northumberland County Council's Constitution, a document that outlines the arrangements for how the Council conducts its work. It is a legal requirement for councils to prepare such a constitution, which must contain specific details on how the Council manages its business and makes decisions. The Constitution also provides a foundation for relationships between elected Members, employed council officers, and the public, grounded in a consistent set of values and behaviours.

The Constitution is structured into several parts, each addressing a key aspect of the Council's governance:

• Part 1: Introduction to the Constitution provides a summary of the Constitution's objectives, principles, and contents. It also includes an introduction to the County Council and the County of Northumberland, detailing its geography, population, landmarks, and historical administrative structure.
• Part 2: The Rights of the Public outlines the Council's commitments to public involvement and participation in decision-making. This includes information on elections, Local Area Committees, petitions, public rights to access information, and procedures for public speaking at meetings.
• Part 3: The Rights and Responsibilities of Members describes the various roles and responsibilities of elected Members, including their rights to access information and their duties in representing their communities and contributing to decision-making.
• Part 4: The Articles lays out the basic rules governing the Council's business, covering topics such as the Constitution itself, the roles of Members and the public, the Full Council, the Cabinet, Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Regulatory and other Committees, Statutory Committees, Area Committees, Joint Arrangements, Officers, Decision Making, Finance, Contracts and Legal Matters, Review and Revision of the Constitution, Suspension, Interpretation and Publication of the Constitution, the Declaration of Human Rights, and the Northumberland County Fire and Rescue Authority.
• Part 5: Responsibility for Functions (Decision Making) explains who makes decisions within the Council, outlining the principles for decision-making and delegation, the responsibilities of the Council, the Cabinet, and officers, and detailing local choice functions.
• Part 6: Accountability sets out how the Leader and Cabinet are assisted and held to account in fulfilling their responsibilities for executive functions, including the role of Overview and Scrutiny Committees.
• Part 7: Governance and Culture details how the Council conducts its business, including its commitments to values and behaviours, and its systems of internal control. This part includes the Code of Conduct for Elected Members, the Officer Code of Conduct, the Protocol on Member/Officer Relations, the Local Code of Corporate Governance, and protocols for the Monitoring Officer.
• Part 8: Relationships with Partners outlines how the Council engages with other bodies directly relevant to its work, including its interests in Council-controlled or influenced companies.
• Part 9: Procedure Rules (Standing Orders) sets out the rules that the Council follows when making decisions, including Council Procedure Rules, Access to Information Procedure Rules, Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules, Executive Procedure Rules, Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules, Employment Procedure Rules, and Finance and Contract Rules.
• Part 10: Finance and Contract Rules details how monies are managed, including the Council's financial regulations, governance framework, approval thresholds, financial procedure rules, and contract procedure rules.
• Part 11: Regulatory Functions sets out how the Council conducts its regulatory and licensing functions, including guidance for Members dealing with planning and licensing matters.
• Part 12: Members' Allowances Scheme details the scheme for allowances payable to Members, including basic, special responsibility, dependants' carers', and travelling and subsistence allowances.
• Part 13: Other Materials includes a glossary of terms used within the Constitution.

The report pack also included appendices detailing the Seven Principles of Public Life, rules on registering interests, associated protocols, and guidance on gifts and hospitality. The Finance and Contract Rules included appendices on the Annual Assurance and Accountability Statement, the Scheme of Virement, a Guide to Capital, a Business Case template, Risk Appraisal Panel Process, Contract Payment Exemptions, Schools' Financial Regulations, Guidance on Council Trading Operations, and Limits for the Approval of Requisitions and Purchase Orders.

The meeting was scheduled to review and potentially adopt updates to the Council's Constitution, as indicated by the document title V0. NCC Constitution as updated 27.02.26.pdf .