The Lancashire Combined County Authority's Constitution was the sole focus of this meeting, with attendees scheduled to review and discuss the foundational document that outlines the authority's governance, decision-making processes, and operational procedures. The report pack provided a comprehensive overview of the proposed Constitution, detailing its various parts, articles, and procedural rules.

The Constitution

The meeting's agenda was dedicated to the review and discussion of the Lancashire Combined County Authority's (LCCA) Constitution. This document, dated June 2026, serves as the overarching framework for how the LCCA operates, makes decisions, and ensures transparency and accountability to the public. The Constitution is divided into eight parts, covering an introduction, articles, responsibility for functions, procedure rules, protocols and ethical standards, member allowances, management structure, and a complaints and feedback procedure.

The report pack detailed the background of the LCCA, established in February 2025, and its role in championing Lancashire's interests. It also outlined the LCCA's responsibilities across various sectors, including Skills and Adult Education, Housing Regeneration and Planning, Net Zero and Climate Change, Investment, Innovation and Trade, and Transport. The Constitution itself was presented as a document that sets out how the LCCA works, makes decisions, and follows procedures to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and accountability.

The document also included a comprehensive list of definitions for terms used throughout the Constitution, such as Constituent Councils, Key Decision, and Monitoring Officer. The articles of the Constitution were laid out, detailing the LCCA's establishment, membership, the chairing of the authority, and arrangements for meetings, agenda items, and voting. It also outlined the responsibilities for various functions, the establishment of committees and advisory boards, the role of citizens, joint arrangements, and the structure and responsibilities of LCCA officers, including statutory officers like the Head of Paid Service, Monitoring Officer, and Chief Finance Officer.

Furthermore, the Constitution addressed decision-making principles, financial, contracts, and legal matters, and the process for revising and reviewing the Constitution itself. Detailed procedure rules for LCCA meetings, overview and scrutiny committees, other committees, budget and policy framework, access to information, financial procedures, contract procedures, and officer employment were also included. Protocols for officer and member relations, a members' code of conduct, and a members' allowance scheme were also part of the proposed Constitution. Finally, the document outlined the LCCA's management structure and its procedure for handling complaints and feedback.

The report pack also contained appendices detailing the Seven Principles of Public Life, guidance on registering interests, an employee code of conduct, and an officer-member protocol, all of which are integral to the LCCA's governance framework. The Members' Allowance Scheme was also detailed, outlining the allowances payable to members and co-opted members, including provisions for travelling and dependants' carer's allowances.

The meeting's agenda items, as outlined in Article 4 of the Constitution, covered the frequency and location of LCCA meetings, decision-making by consensus or voting, and the process for adding items to the agenda by Constituent Members, Non-Constituent Members, Associate Members, or statutory officers. The types of LCCA meetings, including annual, ordinary, and extraordinary meetings, were also specified, with all meetings to be conducted in accordance with the Rules of Procedure set out in Part 4 of the Constitution.