The Constitution Committee of Leicestershire County Council met on Tuesday 28 April 2026. The meeting's agenda included discussions on a proposed protocol for appointing Honorary Aldermen and Alderwomen, and a review and revision of the Council's Constitution.

Protocol on the Appointment of Honorary Aldermen and Alderwomen

A draft protocol was presented for consideration regarding the appointment of Honorary Aldermen and Alderwomen. This honour is intended to recognise past Members who have rendered eminent services to the Council and the local community. The title is a civic honour and does not confer governance rights, voting rights, or financial entitlements. The protocol outlines eligibility criteria, including being a past Member who left office in good standing and has rendered eminent service. Indicative factors for assessing eminent service include length of service, holding significant leadership roles, and outstanding contributions to projects, policy development, or civic life. The protocol also details the nomination process, which would be initiated by Group Leaders, and the decision-making process, requiring a two-thirds majority at a special meeting of Full Council. Provisions are also included for local government reorganisation and successor arrangements. The recommendation was that the County Council be advised to approve this protocol.

Revision of the Constitution

The Committee was scheduled to consider proposed changes to the Council's Constitution as part of a mid-year review. These changes were intended to address several areas, including Articles, Responsibility for Functions, Meeting Procedure Rules, Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules, the Protocol on Member/Officer Relations, and the Members' Allowances Scheme.

Key proposed amendments included:

• Articles: A proposal to allow for the annual rotation of the Chairmanship of the Scrutiny Commission between the Leaders of the two main opposition groups. Changes were also proposed to rename overview and scrutiny committees to reflect recent departmental changes and to update the framework for monitoring and reviewing the Constitution, with a clearer duty on the Chief Legal Officer and Monitoring Officer to keep it up to date.
• Responsibility for Functions: Amendments to the terms of reference for the Corporate Governance Committee to remove reference to standards of conduct by members and co-opted members, with these functions to be transferred to a new Constitution and Ethics Committee. This new committee would combine the existing constitution-related remit with responsibility for promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct for members and co-opted members. The Corporate Governance Committee would also take on responsibility for approving the Council's Annual Governance Statement.
• Meeting Procedure Rules: Proposed changes included provisions for members standing on the Chairman's entry/exit, commencement with prayers, allocated seating when meetings are webcast, and rules regarding public/press filming and live reporting. Other amendments aimed to clarify the order of business, expand the grounds for disallowing questions from elected members and the public, and revise rules on Position Statements and Notices of Motion to provide clearer scope and improve consistency. A change was also proposed to Standing Order 14 to restrict the re-running of substantially similar motions within six months, with an exception for motions of no confidence in the Leader.
• Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules: These rules were to be tidied up, with corrections made to delete duplication. Rule 2 was to be strengthened to reiterate the explicit function for Scrutiny Commissioners to oversee the work of other scrutiny committees. Rule 14, concerning the call-in procedure, was to be revised to clarify which matters can be referred to full Council following a call-in, aligning with guidance from the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny.
• Protocol on Member/Officer Relations: The entire protocol was to be replaced with an updated version, placing greater emphasis on senior Members and Officers modelling expected behaviours and standards, and clarifying the requirement for training. The protocol was also to include a clearer route for raising and resolving Member-officer conduct concerns, encouraging early, informal resolution while setting out formal escalation steps. A Statutory Officers Protocol was also to be appended.
• Members' Allowances Scheme: A new paragraph was to be added to reflect new Regulations permitting members to join the Local Government Pension Scheme.

The recommendation was that the County Council be advised to approve these proposed changes to the Constitution.

The agenda also included standard items such as the minutes of the previous meeting, question time, and any other urgent items the Chairman decided to take. An item concerning Charitable Trusts Update and Grant Application was scheduled to be discussed with the exclusion of the press and public.