The Selection & Constitutional Review Committee met to discuss a Community Governance Review (CGR) of Ashford Borough's urban area, proposed amendments to the council's constitution, and the order of proceedings for the annual meeting. The committee recommended that work begin on the Community Governance Review, and that the Local Government & Polling District Task Group produce draft terms of reference. The committee also agreed to recommend amendments to the Appointment Committee's Terms of Reference, the Contract Procedure Rules, and the Procedure Rules around dealing with petitions and motions at full council meetings.

Community Governance Review

The committee recommended that work commence on a Community Governance Review (CGR) of Ashford Borough's urban area, including the unparished area. The Local Government & Polling District Task Group will be convened to produce a draft Terms of Reference for consideration by the committee, ahead of a full council meeting in October 2025.

A CGR is a review of the community governance arrangements in an area, potentially leading to the creation, merger, alteration or abolition of parishes. The review will focus on the unparished urban area of the borough, to consider whether a town council should be established.

The council is required to ensure that community governance within the area is reflective of the identities and interests of the community, and is effective and convenient. The last CGR in Ashford was undertaken in 2015, with changes taking effect for the 2019 elections. Government guidance recommends that principal councils should continually keep their area under review, and that it is good practice to consider conducting a review every 10 to 15 years.

Mr Cooper, Chair of Kennington Community Council, addressed the committee and asked that Kennington Community Council and all the Urban Parish Councils be involved in defining the scope of the CGR. He noted that Ashford Borough had 41 Civil Parish Councils, including Kennington Community Council. He also raised concerns about the report's underestimation of the challenges and time involved in securing a referendum's success, and the proposal to merge three areas into a Town Council which shared little in common.

The committee noted that Parish, Town and Community Councils would be consulted throughout the process, with two stages of consultation planned. The committee also agreed that a CGR should be pursued before the setting up of Unitary Councils, so that Ashford Borough Council retained control of the process. The potential establishment of an Ashford Town Council and additional layer of Local Government, with an additional precept¹, may not be popular with the public, so this would have to be properly explained as part of the process.

Constitutional Amendments

The committee agreed to recommend amendments to the council's constitution, specifically relating to the Appointment Committee's Terms of Reference, the Contract Procedure Rules, and the Procedure Rules around dealing with petitions and motions at full council meetings.

Appointment Committee Terms of Reference

The committee agreed to amend the Appointment Committee's Terms of Reference to align with The Local Authorities (Standing Orders) Regulations 2001. The amendments remove reference to Assistant Directors, as these posts no longer have a direct reporting line to the Chief Executive. The committee also proposed that an opportunity for an informal meeting between the Leader, Portfolio Holder, and Directors with candidates be included in the formal officer-led recruitment process.

Contract Procedure Rules

The committee agreed to amend the Council's Contract Procedure Rules to ensure they are up to date with new legislation, including the Procurement Act 2023. The amendments include:

• Replacing references to EU legislation with references to UK legislation.
• Deleting clauses relating to VAT, as the Procurement Act 2023 details all thresholds inclusive of VAT.
• Amending tendering and quotation procedures to reflect electronic submissions only.
• Adding guidance on modification of contracts, as per the Procurement Act 2023.
• Updating job titles.
• Simplifying the item on the Transparency Code, explaining the use of the Contracts Register.
• Simplifying the item on tenders/quotations received over estimate.
• Updating the Declaration of Interest item to reflect the requirements under the Procurement Act 2023.

Procedure Rules

The committee agreed to amend the Council's Procedure Rules to clarify the process for responding to petitions and submitting motions at full council meetings.

• Petitions: When a petition is debated at a council meeting, once it has been introduced by the Petition Organiser, the initial response will normally be given by the Leader of the Council or relevant Portfolio Holder, before any other member of the council is invited to speak.
• Motions: Motions on Notice should be framed in a format such as This Council resolves to… and should call for a clear action. The recommended action must be set out separately from any pre-amble or explanatory/background information. Motions on agenda items (other than Motions on Notice) cannot be submitted in advance of the meeting and should be raised and submitted at the meeting itself.

Annual Meeting – Order of Proceedings

The committee considered the Order of Proceedings for the Annual Meeting of the Council. It was confirmed that the existing Mayor and Deputy Mayor would each be nominated for a second year in their respective positions. The Solicitor to the Council and Monitoring Officer will prepare the Order of Proceedings for the Annual Meeting of the Council, based on the advice of the committee.