The General Purposes Committee of Croydon Council met on 14 April 2026 to discuss proposed changes to the Council Procedure Rules. The committee agreed to recommend these changes to Full Council for approval, aiming to improve the efficiency and fairness of council meetings, particularly in preparation for potential shifts in political composition following the upcoming local elections.

Proposed Changes to Council Procedure Rules

The main item of business was the consideration of proposed changes to the Council Procedure Rules (CPRs) as detailed in the supplementary agenda¹. These changes, developed by the Constitution Working Group (CWG), aim to enhance the council's ability to conduct its business effectively and prepare for potential shifts in political representation following the May 2026 local elections.

The proposed amendments cover several areas:

• Political Proportionality and Speaking Rights: The rules are being updated to ensure that speaking rights, debating, and the moving of motions are allocated based on political proportionality, reflecting the size of each political group on the council. This approach aims to be fairer by ensuring that representation dictates speaking rights. However, for questions to the Executive Mayor and Cabinet, and for budget and policy framework items, a more inclusive approach will be adopted to ensure broader participation.
• Questions to the Executive Mayor and Cabinet: The total time allocated for questions will increase from 65 minutes to 75-77 minutes, with 70 minutes dedicated to questions and up to 5 minutes for Executive Mayor announcements. The time will be apportioned proportionally based on the number of councillors in each group, with a minimum of two minutes per group. The session will adopt a rotational format, with groups' time subdivided into 10-minute segments. The order of rotation will be determined by the Chair in consultation with political groups. Members will be allowed a maximum of two questions, with a supplementary question counting as one.
• Written Questions: A new provision for written questions is being introduced. Each member can submit one written question per meeting, requiring submission at least 15 working days in advance. A maximum of 35 questions will be permitted per meeting, allocated based on political proportionality, and taken in order of receipt. Responses will be published with the agenda or supplementary papers. The CWG acknowledged the resource implications of this change and agreed to a review after six months.
• Council Debate Motions: The allocation of motions will be based on political proportionality over a four-year term, with a total of 40 motions available. This aims to ensure a fairer distribution of opportunities to propose motions.
• Reports Moved for Debate, Amendments, or Referral Back: Speaking slots for these items will also be allocated based on political proportionality. The rules have been updated to reflect potential changes in council composition and to ensure flexibility.
• Council Tax and Budget Setting Meetings: A more inclusive approach is being adopted for these crucial meetings. Each political group will have the opportunity to ask at least one question, and there will be provisions for ungrouped members. The time for questions to the Executive Mayor and Cabinet Member for Finance will be extended from 15 to 30 minutes each.
• Policy Decisions: The proposals aim to ensure that policy decisions, which are part of the budget and policy framework, are considered with appropriate debate and input from all political groups.
• Other Amendments: Changes include clarifying the definition of local people for petition signatures, streamlining speaking rights on public petitions, updating wording around extraordinary meetings, and adjusting the timing for the presentation of the Annual Scrutiny Report.

The committee agreed to recommend these amended Council Procedure Rules to Full Council for approval. A review of the major changes to question time, including written questions, will be undertaken within six months. The committee also noted the work of the Constitutional Working Group and officers in developing these proposals.