The Constitution and Members' Development Committee of Middlesbrough Council was scheduled to consider updates to the council's constitution. This included a quarterly report on proposed amendments and a review of the minutes from a previous meeting.

Constitution Updates - Quarterly Report

The committee was scheduled to review a quarterly report detailing proposed amendments to the council's constitution. This report, prepared by Charlotte Benjamin, Corporate Director of Legal and Corporate Services, was intended to outline minor amendments that had been or would be actioned under the delegated authority of the Monitoring Officer. The report indicated that the constitution is a living document that necessitates regular review and revision to ensure ongoing compliance with applicable legislation and established procedures, as well as to promote clarity and ease of use.¹

The report was scheduled to present a schedule of amendments. Some of these were to be recommended for approval by Full Council, while others were to be actioned by the Monitoring Officer under delegated powers. The report noted that there were no suggested amendments for approval at Full Council within this particular report.

Among the amendments to be noted was a proposed change to the wording of paragraph 4.8.10 (b), which was scheduled to extend the waiting time to achieve a quorum at a Council meeting from five minutes to fifteen minutes. This change was intended to allow a longer period of time for a quorum to be present.

Other amendments were scheduled to be noted as having been made following Full Council's approval of the Members' Scheme of Allowances on 20 May 2026. These included updates to paragraph 5.10.8, which would allow members to opt into the Local Government Pension Scheme² in accordance with the Local Government Pension Scheme (Amendment) (Elected Member Pensions) Regulations 2026. The report also detailed proposed changes to the basic allowance for members, increasing it from £7,608 to £8,330 per year, and a proposed increase in the mileage allowance rate from £0.45 to £0.55 per mile.

The report also outlined proposed amendments authorised by the Monitoring Officer under delegated powers. These included changes to the definition of Chief Officer to include Deputy Chief Officer, and updates to the process for public questions, replacing an email address with a link to a Council Question form. The email address for submitting questions to the Mayor, Executive Members, or Committee Chairs was scheduled to be updated to monitoringofficer@middlesbrough.gov.uk.

Further proposed amendments were scheduled to address the role of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Senior Officer, updating references from the Chief Finance Officer and clarifying responsibilities in line with the Pensions Act 2026³ and associated regulations. For instance, paragraph 10.25.8 was scheduled to be deleted, and paragraph 10.27 was scheduled to be updated to include the LGPS Senior Officer's responsibilities. Similarly, paragraph 12.6.121 was scheduled to be rephrased to reflect the LGPS Senior Officer's delegated powers in relation to the Pension Fund.

The report also noted a proposed amendment to paragraph 10.14.2 concerning the Staff Appeals Committee, which was scheduled to be authorised to consider appeals from any officer other than a statutory Chief Officer, and to remove the consideration of grading from its remit, replacing it with any other dismissal.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee was also scheduled to receive and note the minutes from the previous Constitution and Members' Development Committee meeting, which was held on 30 July 2026. The minutes from that meeting indicated that a working group would be convened by the Monitoring Officer to examine the budget process and determine whether any changes were required to the Constitution. Additionally, proposed amendments to the Teesside Pension Fund Committee's Terms of Reference were agreed and recommended to Full Council for approval. These amendments were in response to changes in the governance landscape for the Local Government Pension Scheme introduced by the Pensions Act 2026.