The Council of Camden Council met on 14 May 2025. The agenda included the election of the Mayor and appointment of the Deputy Mayor, as well as the establishment of council bodies and appointment of members to those bodies. Councillors were also scheduled to discuss the appointment of members to committees, sub-committees, and other bodies within the council's constitution for the upcoming municipal year.

Election of Mayor and Appointment of Deputy Mayor

The meeting was scheduled to begin with the election of the Mayor of Camden for the ensuing year, as required by the Local Government Act 1972. Following the election, the newly elected Mayor of Camden was expected to announce the appointment of the Deputy Mayor. A vote of thanks to the outgoing Mayor was also on the agenda.

Establishment of Council Bodies and Appointments

A report by the Borough Solicitor was prepared for discussion, outlining the requirements for establishing bodies within the council's constitution for the 2025/26 municipal year. The report asked the council to:

• Establish these bodies
• Agree to their terms of reference
• Appoint members to them, including chairs and vice-chairs where appropriate
• Confirm the meeting dates for the bodies for the municipal year.

The report also noted that while there were no proposed changes to the constitution in the report, the council had been amending the constitution on an issue-by-issue basis throughout the year.

Political Balance

The report pack included information on political balance requirements as per the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, which apply to committees and sub-committees, including scrutiny committees. It was noted that proportionality does not legally apply to the Cabinet, the Health and Wellbeing Board, Licensing Panels or the Standards Committee.

The report noted that Councillor Shiva Tiwari had left the Labour Group and joined the Conservative Group, which resulted in the Conservative Group being allocated an extra seat.

The council was asked to agree to continue to disapply proportionality on the Health and Wellbeing Board, Licensing Panels and Standards Committee for the 2025/26 municipal year.

The report pack outlined the four principles that the council has a duty to adhere to when allocating seats on committees:

i) All the seats are not allocated to the same political group;

ii) The majority of the seats go to the political group with a majority on the Council;

iii) Subject to the above two principles, the total number of seats each group has on all ordinary committees of the Council is in the same proportion as the group's share of the total council elected membership; and

iv) Subject to the above three principles, the number of seats each political group has on ordinary committees of the Council is in the same proportion as it holds on the Council as a whole.

Cabinet

The annual appointment of the Cabinet, including the nomination of a Deputy Leader, is a matter for the Leader of the Council. The Leader of the Council was expected to inform the Council of their intentions. The Leader of the Council can also define and amend the terms of the respective portfolios, their titles, delegations to Cabinet Members, Cabinet Advisors, and officers, and the procedural operation of Cabinet. These decisions are political in nature and not subject to call-in¹.

Scrutiny Committees

The constitution provides for the appointment of five scrutiny committees:

• Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee
• Culture and Environment Scrutiny Committee
• Housing Scrutiny Committee
• Resources and Corporate Performance Scrutiny Committee
• Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee

Cabinet Members cannot be appointed to scrutiny committees.

The Children, Schools and Families Scrutiny Committee must include between two and five co-opted parent governors, as well as one Church of England representative and one Roman Catholic representative. The Housing Scrutiny Committee has previously chosen to co-opt three non-voting members who are residents of the borough.

Camden Council has also established the North Central London Joint Health and Overview Scrutiny Committee with the London Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, and Islington.

Non-Executive Committees

The constitution provides for four non-executive committees:

• Licensing Committee
• Planning Committee
• Pension Committee
• Audit and Corporate Governance Committee

The Audit and Corporate Governance Committee also has two independent non-voting members, Fehintola Akinlose and Alan Layton. The council was asked to re-appoint Ms Akinlose and Mr Layton for the 2025/26 municipal year.

The Licensing Committee has five sub-committees, known as Panels, to make decisions on licensing applications. The membership of any Panel cannot exceed three, and only members of the main Licensing Committee can be members of a Panel.

The Audit and Corporate Governance Committee has a number of sub-committees dealing with specific non-executive functions:

• Accessible Transport Appeals Panel
• Appointments Panel
• Statutory Officers’ Appeal
• Executive Directors’ Appeal
• Performance Review
• Staff Appeals Panel

Standards Committee

The Standards Committee has been excluded from the usual proportionality rules, and it was recommended that this continue. The council’s statutorily required Independent Persons, Maggie Redfern and Sue Terry, attend Standards Committee as observers and the council was asked to re-appoint them for the 2025/26 municipal year.

Health and Wellbeing Board

The council is required to have a Health and Wellbeing Board under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, which must include defined non-councillor members, such as a North Central London Integrated Care Board representative. The Leader of the Council appoints the councillors who sit on the Board, and the rules on proportionality are disapplied.

London Councils

Camden is a member of London Councils, along with the other 32 local authorities in Greater London, and some functions are assigned to London Councils’ committees. The Leader appoints the Council’s representatives to sit on the London Councils committees.

Other Miscellaneous Bodies

The council is required to have the following bodies which are not formal committees:

• Pension Board
• Statutory Panel for Statutory Officer Dismissal
• Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE)

Delegations to Officers

All matters not reserved to Council bodies as per the constitution are delegated to the relevant Executive Director to exercise, who may in turn authorise other officers to exercise those functions as per their internal authorisation schemes. The Leader of the Council decides which executive functions are delegated to officers, and full Council agrees the non-executive delegations.

Meeting Dates

The council was asked to agree to the programme of meeting dates for the municipal year.