The Administration Committee of Kensington and Chelsea Council met on Tuesday 9 June 2026 to discuss proposed changes to the Council's Constitution and the Members' Allowances Scheme. The meeting's agenda also included the confirmation of previous minutes and a report on the Pocklington and Thomas Huggett Apprenticeship Aid Fund Trust.

Changes to the Constitution

The committee was scheduled to consider several proposed amendments to the Council's Constitution. These included the appointment of Deputy Electoral Registration Officers, a role recommended by the Electoral Commission to ensure resilience and the practical undertaking of duties outlined in the Representation of the People Act 1983. The report pack indicated that the committee would consider designating the Director of Law and Governance as the Council's Monitoring Officer, a statutory role currently held by the Chief Solicitor who was due to leave the council.

Significant changes were also anticipated regarding the role of Planning Committees, stemming from the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025. These changes, due to come into effect on 31 October 2026, would alter how planning applications are determined. The report pack noted that the majority of applications currently considered by committee would likely be determined by officers under a National Scheme of Delegation. The size of planning committees would also be strictly limited to a maximum of 13 members. The report pack highlighted concerns from the Lead Member for Residents Services, Planning and Enforcement regarding the elimination of call-in powers and the potential reduction of resident involvement. The committee was informed that a report detailing specific changes to the terms of reference for the Planning Committee and Planning Applications Committee, as well as delegations to officers, would be presented at a future meeting.

Additionally, the committee was to review statutory changes to the role of the Investment Committee, driven by the Pension Schemes Act 2026. This Act mandates the delegation of investment strategy implementation to a pool and requires administering authorities to take principal investment advice from the pool and transfer assets for pool management.

Members' Allowances Scheme - Pensions

The committee was scheduled to discuss proposed changes to the Members' Allowances Scheme for 2026-2027, following the re-opening of the Local Government Pension Scheme to councillors from 11 May 2026. The report pack indicated that the basic allowance and any special responsibility allowance would be treated as pensionable pay. Councillors would need to elect to join the scheme, with contributions deducted automatically from their allowances. The report pack suggested adding a new section to the Constitution to reflect this, stating: The basic allowance and the special responsibility allowance may be treated as amounts in respect of which pensions are payable.

Pocklington and Thomas Huggett Apprenticeship Aid Fund Trust

The committee, acting as trustees for the Pocklington and Thomas Huggett Apprenticeship Aid Fund Trust, was scheduled to review grants made from the fund for 2025/26, which totalled £15,748.06. The report pack noted that no further applications would be considered until May 2026 and that the committee would decide whether the fund should only pay out the income from interest each year. This decision was made in light of the fact that the capital bequest could not be used, and paying out more than the interest would result in a period where the Trust could not make any payments.

Minutes of Previous Meeting

The committee was also scheduled to confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 13 January 2026.