The General Purposes Committee of Brent Council was scheduled to meet on Monday 19 January 2026 to discuss changes to the representation of political groups on its sub-committees and to make appointments to these bodies. The meeting's agenda also included the approval of minutes from a previous meeting.

Review of Political Group Representation and Appointments

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to reviewing the representation of political groups on the Council's sub-committees. This review was necessitated by a change in the political balance of the Council, following the resignation of five members from the Labour Group who subsequently formed a new Green Party group. The report presented outlined the current composition of the Council, with 57 councillors, and detailed the proposed allocation of seats on various sub-committees to reflect this new political landscape.

The report, prepared by the Corporate Director Finance & Resources, explained the statutory duty to review and determine representation on sub-committees as soon as practicable after a full Council review. The principles guiding these allocations are set out in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, aiming to ensure that the political composition of committees and sub-committees broadly mirrors that of the Full Council.

The report detailed the following proposed seat allocations for the sub-committees appointed by the General Purposes Committee:

• Pension Fund Sub Committee (7 seats): Labour Group 5, Conservative Group 1, Green Group 1. This represents a reduction of one seat for the Labour Group and the allocation of a new seat to the Green Group.
• Senior Staff Appointments Sub-Committee (5 seats): Labour Group 4, Conservative Group 1.
• Senior Staff Appeals Sub-Committee (5 seats): Labour Group 4, Conservative Group 1.

The report also noted that the General Purposes Committee itself, as an ordinary committee, had already seen its political balance adjusted, with the Labour Group reducing its allocation by one seat, which was offered to the Green Group. The report recommended that the Committee agree the size of each sub-committee, the allocation of seats to political groups, and proceed to make appointments to these sub-committees, giving effect to the wishes of the allocated political groups.

Appointments to Sub-Committees and Outside Bodies

Following on from the review of political group representation, the committee was scheduled to consider and agree specific appointments to the sub-committees. The agenda indicated that details of these membership changes had been attached, reflecting the outcomes of the political balance review. This included specific appointments and substitutions for the Senior Staff Appointments Sub-Committee, the Senior Staff Appeals Sub-Committee, and the Brent Pension Fund Sub-Committee. Notably, Councillor Moeen was listed to replace Councillor Farah as a substitute member on the Senior Staff Appointments and Appeals Sub-Committees, in his capacity as a former Labour member. For the Brent Pension Fund Sub-Committee, Councillor Ahmadi Moghaddam was to be reappointed to a seat released by the Labour Group for the Greens, and Councillors Farah and Mitchell were to be appointed as substitute members for the Green Group. The Brent Pension Board's membership was also listed.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee was also scheduled to approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on Monday 8 December 2025. The minutes from that meeting indicated that the committee had resolved to agree the Council Tax Base for 2026/27, setting the Band D equivalent number of properties and the collection rate for Council Tax. Councillor Mili Patel, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources, had introduced a report on this matter, highlighting the significance of Council Tax as a key funding source for the Council. The report detailed the statutory requirements for calculating the Council Tax base, including anticipated growth and long-term collection targets. The minutes show that the committee agreed to a Council Tax Base for 2026-27 of 110,475 Band D equivalent properties, with a collection rate of 97.0%.¹