The Council of Lewisham was scheduled to hold its Annual General Meeting, where attendees were expected to elect a Speaker and Deputy Speaker, review the constitution, and consider committee appointments. The meeting was also set to include the Mayor's annual address.

Here's a more detailed look at the topics included in the agenda:

Election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker

The council was expected to elect a Speaker and Deputy Speaker for the 2025/26 municipal year.

Review of the Constitution

A report pack included a recommendation to approve a new Council Constitution, following feedback from three Governance Committee meetings. The report pack noted that:

The Constitution is the document that governs how the Council makes decisions, how scrutiny operates, how the public engages with the Council and how the Council operates. The Council is required to keep the Constitution under review and the Council’s Monitoring Officer is the custodian of the Constitution.

The proposed changes to the constitution included:

• Deleting references to Local Assemblies.
• Adding wording to Article 6.13 to confirm that political balance rules apply to Task & Finish Groups.
• Adding wording to Article 9 regarding the Terms of Reference for Strategic Planning Committee.

The report pack also detailed proposed changes to the Council Procedure Rules, Executive Procedure Rules, Committee Procedure Rules, Scrutiny Procedure Rules, Budget & Policy Framework, Finance Procedure Rules, Contract Procedure Rules, Employment Procedure Rules, and several codes of conduct and protocols.

Mayor's Delegation of Executive Functions

The council was scheduled to note the Mayor's delegation of executive functions, as outlined in Part III of the Council's Constitution. The report pack noted that details of the Mayor’s delegation of Executive functions were set out in the detailed report entitled Review of the Constitution considered elsewhere on this agenda.

Committee Terms of Reference and Appointments

The council was expected to approve the terms of reference for committees, as detailed in the Review of the Constitution report. They were also scheduled to agree on the allocation of seats and appointments to committees, including the appointment of chairs and vice chairs for 2025/26. A schedule was expected to be available at the meeting.

Appointments to Outside Bodies

The council was scheduled to appoint named members to outside bodies, with a schedule of nominations to be tabled at the meeting.

Calendar of Meetings

The council was expected to agree on a programme of meetings for 2025/26, including ordinary meetings and the next Annual General Meeting.

Approval of Minutes

The minutes from the Council meeting on 5 March 2025 were included in the report pack. The minutes included announcements and communications from Councillor Ese Erheriene about the Elevate 100 employment skills hub in Downham, and from Councillor Edison Huynh about funding for upgrading the lighting systems at the Broadway Theatre with environmentally friendly LED lights, and about Lewisham's 12 libraries being shortlisted by the British Book Awards for the library of the year 2025. The minutes also included a declaration of interest from Councillor Ayesha Lahai-Taylor, who declared an interest because she is a holder of a tenancy in Lewisham. The minutes also included a summary of supplementary questions that were asked and answered. These included questions about non-disclosure agreements, the Casey Review¹, missing looked after children, commemorating Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and investments linked to human right violation. The minutes also included a summary of supplementary member questions that were asked and answered. These included questions about anti-migrant politics and divestment from companies who deal in arms. The minutes also included a summary of the Council Budget 2025/26, including a 4.99% increase in Lewisham's Council Tax element, resulting in a Band D equivalent Council Tax level of £1,644.75 for Lewisham's services and £2,135.13 overall. The minutes also included a summary of the Housing Revenue Account, including an increase in dwelling rents of 2.7% (an average of £3.26 per week). The minutes also included a summary of the Treasury Management Strategy 2025/26, including the prudential indicators and treasury indicators. The minutes also included a summary of the Capital Programme, including the 2025/26 to 2028/29 Capital Programme of £421.4m. The minutes also included a summary of the Climate Budget 2025/26 – 2027/28. The minutes also included a summary of the Pay Policy Statement for 2025/26.