The Constitution of Camden Council met on Monday 20 April 2026 to discuss the Council's governing document. The meeting's agenda focused on reviewing and potentially amending the existing Constitution, which outlines how the council operates, makes decisions, and ensures accountability to its residents.

The Council's Constitution

The London Borough of Camden operates under a Constitution that details its operational framework, decision-making processes, and accountability mechanisms. This document, which has been subject to subsequent amendments since its adoption on 27th June 2001, was revised on 20th April 2026. The Constitution is structured into 15 Articles, supplemented by detailed procedural rules and codes of practice.

The core principles underpinning the Constitution are openness, responsiveness, representativeness, stewardship, and integrity. It aims to achieve clear and transparent decision-making, identify decision-makers, foster inclusive decision-making, provide a focus for community leadership, and ensure the effective and efficient use of resources. The Constitution also seeks to enable the Council to work in partnership with residents and local organisations, support community involvement in the democratic process, help councillors represent their constituents more effectively, and create a robust system for holding decision-makers to public account.

The Constitution outlines the roles and responsibilities of various council bodies and individuals, including:

• The Council: Responsible for adopting and changing the Constitution (except for elements delegated elsewhere), approving the policy framework and budget, appointing and removing the Leader, agreeing terms of reference for committees, and making bylaws.
• The Mayor: Presides over Council meetings to ensure efficient dispatch of business and fair debate, and ensures the Council holds the Cabinet to account.
• Scrutiny Committees: Five committees tasked with policy development and review, scrutinising decisions, making reports and recommendations, considering matters affecting the area or its inhabitants, and hearing 'call-in' of Cabinet decisions. Specific responsibilities are assigned to committees such as the Culture and Environment Scrutiny Committee for environmental matters and the Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee for health scrutiny functions.
• The Cabinet: Responsible for discharging local authority functions not assigned elsewhere, formulating overall policy objectives and priorities, managing revenue and capital budgets, and determining strategies and programmes within the policy and budget framework. The Cabinet is led by the Leader of the Council, who appoints up to nine Cabinet Members.
• Standards Committee: Responsible for promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct among councillors, advising on and monitoring the Code of Conduct, and considering complaints against councillors.
• Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB): A statutory committee responsible for galvanising shared action across the health and care system, jointly assessing local needs, and overseeing the Camden Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
• Pension Board: Established to assist the Administering Authority in securing compliance with Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) regulations and ensuring effective governance and administration of the LGPS for the Camden Pension Fund.
• Audit and Corporate Governance Committee: Provides independent assurance on the adequacy of the risk management framework and internal control environment, overseeing financial reporting and governance processes.
• Planning and Licensing Committees: Specific committees responsible for the discharge of the Council's planning and licensing functions respectively.
• Officers: Employees of the Council who provide advice, implement decisions, and manage day-to-day service delivery. Statutory officers include the Head of Paid Service (Chief Executive), Monitoring Officer (Borough Solicitor), and Chief Financial Officer (Executive Director Corporate Services).

The Constitution also details procedure rules for Council meetings, Cabinet meetings, scrutiny committees, and other committees, as well as rules for access to information, budget and policy frameworks, financial standing orders, contract standing orders, and officer employment procedures. Codes and protocols, including the Camden Code of Conduct for Councillors and the Code of Conduct for Officers, are also integral parts of the Constitution, outlining expected standards of behaviour.

The agenda indicated that the meeting would review the entirety of the Constitution, including its various articles, procedure rules, standing orders, codes, and protocols, to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness in governing the London Borough of Camden's operations.