The Council meeting scheduled for 20 May 2026 was primarily focused on the formal procedures following the recent local elections. Key discussions were expected to revolve around the election of borough councillors, the appointment of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and the establishment of various council bodies and committees for the upcoming municipal year.

Election of Borough Councillors

The meeting was scheduled to receive a report from the Returning Officer detailing the results of the borough elections held on 7 May 2026. This report would outline the elected members for each of the London Borough of Camden's 20 wards.

Election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor

A significant item on the agenda was the election of the Mayor of the Borough for the ensuing year, as provided for by the Local Government Act 1972. Following this, the newly elected Mayor was expected to announce the appointment of the Deputy Mayor. Votes of thanks to the past Mayor were also scheduled.

Leader of the Council and Cabinet

The Council was set to elect the Leader of the Council for the term until the next annual meeting after the next ordinary whole council elections. The newly elected Leader would then outline their intentions regarding the Deputy Leader(s) and the Cabinet. Additionally, notification of the Leaders and Deputy Leaders of the opposition groups was to be received.

Establishment of Council Bodies and Appointments

A comprehensive report from the Borough Solicitor was to be considered, outlining the requirements for establishing council bodies within the Constitution for the 2026/27 municipal year. This included agreeing their terms of reference, appointing members, and confirming meeting dates. The report also detailed proposed minor constitutional changes, including an amendment to the wording regarding the affixing of the Council's Common Seal to allow for electronic means, and a change to the allocation of the statutory Section 151 Officer role, which would now rest with the Director of Finance rather than the Executive Director Corporate Services. The report also addressed political balance requirements for committees and the disapplication of proportionality for certain bodies, such as the Health and Wellbeing Board and Licensing Panels.

The report also detailed the terms of reference for various committees, including Scrutiny Committees (Children, Schools and Families; Culture and Environment; Housing; Resources and Corporate Performance; Health and Adult Social Care; and the North Central London Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee), non-executive committees (Licensing, Planning, Pension, and Audit and Corporate Governance), and other statutory bodies like the Standards Committee, Health and Wellbeing Board, and the Pension Board. The proposed membership for these bodies for the 2026/27 municipal year was also to be presented, with nominations from political groups detailed in a supplementary agenda.

The meeting was also scheduled to confirm ongoing delegation arrangements to officers and agree the programme of meeting dates for the municipal year.