The Constitution of the London Borough of Camden was scheduled for review at a meeting on Wednesday, 27 May 2026. The meeting agenda included discussion of the Council's Constitution, which outlines the framework for its operation, decision-making processes, and procedural rules.

The Council's Constitution

The report pack detailed the entirety of the London Borough of Camden's Constitution, a document adopted on 27th June 2001 and subsequently amended. This Constitution serves as the foundational document for the Council's governance, outlining how it operates, how decisions are made, and the procedures followed to ensure efficiency, transparency, and accountability. It is divided into several parts, including Articles, Responsibility for Functions, Procedure Rules, Standing Orders, Codes and Protocols, Members' Allowance Scheme, and Management Structure.

The Constitution is based on principles of openness, responsiveness, representativeness, stewardship, and integrity. It aims to achieve clear and transparent decision-making, support community leadership, and ensure the effective and efficient use of resources. The document also details citizens' rights and responsibilities in relation to the Council, the roles and functions of the full Council, the Cabinet, Scrutiny Committees, and the Mayor. It further outlines the responsibilities of officers, including statutory officers such as the Head of Paid Service, Monitoring Officer, and Chief Financial Officer.

Specific articles within the Constitution were scheduled for discussion, covering:

• Article 1: The Constitution: Outlining the purpose and principles of the Constitution.
• Article 2: Members of the Council: Detailing composition, eligibility, election, roles, rights, duties, and conduct of councillors.
• Article 3: Citizens and the Council: Explaining citizens' rights to information and participation, as well as their responsibilities.
• Article 4: The Council: Defining the policy framework, budget, housing land transfer, and the functions reserved for the full Council.
• Article 5: The Mayor: Outlining the responsibilities of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
• Article 6: Scrutiny: Detailing the structure, general and specific roles, and proceedings of the five Scrutiny Committees.
• Article 7: The Cabinet: Describing the role, form, composition, and proceedings of the Cabinet, including the Leader and Deputy Leader.
• Article 8: Planning, Licensing, Pensions, Audit and Other Non-Executive Functions: Outlining the appointment and responsibilities of specific committees for these functions.
• Article 9: The Standards Committee: Detailing its composition, role, and procedures for considering allegations of misconduct.
• Article 10: The Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB): Explaining its purpose, vision, legal duties, approach, membership, and meeting procedures.
• Article 11: Pension Board: Outlining its establishment, role, and core functions in accordance with the Public Service Pension Act 2013.
• Article 12: Joint Arrangements: Describing how the Council may establish joint arrangements with other authorities or organisations.
• Article 13: Officers: Detailing the management structure, statutory officers, and the functions of the Head of Paid Service, Monitoring Officer, and Chief Financial Officer.
• Article 14: Decision Making: Setting out the principles, types of decisions, and procedures for decision-making by Council bodies.
• Article 15: Finance, Contracts and Legal Matters: Referencing the Financial Standing Orders, Contract Standing Orders, and procedures for legal proceedings and authentication of documents.
• Article 16: Review, Suspension and Publication of the Constitution: Outlining the duty to monitor and review the Constitution, the process for changes, suspension of rules, and publication requirements.

The report pack also included detailed sections on Part 3: Responsibility for Functions, outlining the specific responsibilities of the Council, the Cabinet, Cabinet Portfolios, and matters delegated to officers. Part 4: Procedure Rules and Standing Orders provided detailed rules for Council meetings, Cabinet meetings, Scrutiny Committee meetings, Committee rules, Access to Information, Budget and Policy Framework, Financial Standing Orders, Contract Standing Orders, and Officer Employment Procedure Rules. Part 5: Codes and Protocols included protocols for Key Decisions, Planning and Licensing, the Camden Code of Conduct, Code of Conduct for Officers, Ministerial and Political Visits, the Petition Scheme, and the Pension Board. Part 6: Members' Allowances Scheme detailed the allowances payable to councillors. Finally, Part 7: Management Structure provided an organisational chart of the Council's top-level structure.

The report pack also contained an Action Tracker and an Agenda Annex detailing updates to the Constitution from December 2022 to May 2026.