The Procedures Committee of Aberdeenshire Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, to consider proposed amendments to the Council's Scheme of Governance. The meeting will also review the Programme of Work and discuss the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Annual Review of Scheme of Governance

A significant portion of the meeting is scheduled to be dedicated to the Annual Review of the Scheme of Governance. This review proposes targeted amendments to various aspects of the Council's governance framework.

Key areas for proposed changes include:

• Standing Orders: Amendments are suggested to Standing Order 5.2 to introduce a distinct, Chair-controlled opportunity for members to ask clarification questions of officers before formal debate commences. This aims to create a clearer distinction between information gathering and advocacy, leading to more informed debate. The proposed changes would also allow for brief factual clarifications during debate, at the Chair's discretion, and would ensure that existing planning and other statutory or quasi-judicial procedures continue to take precedence. The report notes that the Council's existing arrangements for the rules of debate are considered robust and compare favourably with those in other Scottish local authorities.
• Committee and Officer Powers: Several proposed amendments are scheduled for discussion, including:
  • The deletion of powers related to Regeneration Action Plans, as the Council has adopted a broader place-based approach.
  • Delegating authority to determine the allocation of discretionary administration grants to Community Councils to officers, to streamline the process.
  • The deletion of a power to consider requests for grants or loans for special projects from Community Councils, as this is no longer considered necessary due to existing Area Committee budget processes.
  • The inclusion of 'Partnership Place Plans' to align with current community planning terminology.
  • Amendments to finance and procurement provisions to ensure consistency, particularly regarding grant funding.
  • The removal of specific delegations for authorising support to businesses exceeding £30,000 and for approving grants exceeding £20,000 from Regeneration Town Action Plans, as these are no longer required.
  • Granting specific delegated authority to the Head of Customer and Digital Services to protect and manage the Council's intellectual property rights.
  • Expanding the Head of Finance's delegated authority to write off irrecoverable debts to include all relevant circumstances.
  • Clarifying the financial threshold for the Head of Property and Facilities Management's delegated authority for property sales or leases.
• Planning Delegations: The review of planning delegations for major and national energy developments is scheduled for discussion. While current arrangements are generally considered effective, the report notes that the Committee may consider whether an alternative approach would be beneficial for proposals affecting more than one Area Committee. Consultation responses under the Electricity Act 1989 are proposed to remain delegated to the Head of Planning and Economy.
• Financial Regulations: An amendment is proposed to clarify the trigger for referral of anticipated overspends on capital expenditure, ensuring a single, unambiguous threshold.
• Policy Development and Review Framework: Amendments are proposed to explicitly reference place-based considerations during policy development, implementation, and review, aligning with the Council's Place Strategy.

The report on the Annual Review of the Scheme of Governance is available in the Public reports pack.

Programme of Work

The Committee is also scheduled to consider updates to the Programme of Work. This report provides an overview of ongoing or requested work and indicates when future reports are likely to be presented to the Committee. The Programme of Work includes updates on the Annual Review of the Scheme of Governance, consideration of the Pre-determination Hearing process, the Member Promoted Issue Procedure, and updates on Area Committee Scheduling. The Programme of Work is detailed in the Public reports pack.

Public Sector Equality Duty

Members will be reminded of their legal duty under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010¹ to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation; advance equality of opportunity; and foster good relations between those who share protected characteristics and those who do not. They will consider whether to adopt a resolution to uphold this duty and will be directed to consider the contents of any Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA)² provided within reports.