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. This follows a recent shift in the council's political balance.

Review of Representation of Political Groups and Appointments

A significant item on the agenda was the review of the representation of political groups on the council's sub-committees. This review was necessitated by the formation of a new political group, with five members having resigned from the Labour Group to join the Green Party. The report, titled Review of Representation of Political Groups and Appointments, detailed how the council's membership of 57 councillors had been used as the basis for this review. The report outlined the statutory duties of the General Purposes Committee to determine the representation of political groups on its sub-committees and make appointments accordingly.

The report explained the principles of political balance as prescribed by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990. These principles aim to ensure that the political composition of committees and sub-committees reflects the overall political balance of the council. The current composition of political groups was detailed as: 42 Labour Group councillors (73.68%), 6 Conservative Group councillors (10.53%), 5 Green Party councillors (8.77%), 3 Liberal Democrat councillors (5.26%), and 1 independent councillor (1.75%).

Based on these principles, the report recommended specific allocations of seats on the sub-committees appointed by the General Purposes Committee. For the Pension Fund Sub Committee, the Labour Group's allocation was recommended to decrease by one seat, with this seat being offered to the Green Group. The Senior Staff Appointments Sub-Committee and the Senior Staff Appeals Sub-Committee were recommended to retain their existing allocations. The report also noted that the Public Sector Equality Duty¹ had been considered, with no direct equalities implications identified at this stage.

Appointments to Sub-Committees / Outside Bodies

Following the review of political group representation, the committee was scheduled to consider and agree appointments to the sub-committees. The document Appointments to Sub Committees 2025-26 provided details of these proposed appointments, reflecting the changes in political balance.

For the Senior Staff Appointments Sub-Committee and the Senior Staff Appeals Sub-Committee, Councillor Moeen was listed as a substitute member for the Labour Group, replacing Councillor Farah. The membership for these committees was scheduled to include Councillor M Butt (Chair) and Councillor M. Patel (Vice-Chair) from the Labour Group, along with Councillor Krupa Sheth and Councillor Grahl. Councillor Kansagra was listed for the Conservative Group.

For the Brent Pension Fund Sub-Committee, Councillor Ahmadi Moghaddam was to be reappointed as a representative of the Green Group, filling a seat released by the Labour Group. Councillors Farah and Mitchell were listed as substitute members for the Green Group. The membership was also set to include Councillor Johnson (Labour), Councillor Kennelly (Vice-Chair, Labour), Councillor Choudry (Labour), Councillor Crabb (Labour), Councillor Kansagra (Conservative), and Councillor Molloy (Labour). Elizabeth Bankole from UNISON was listed as a co-opted non-voting member.

The Brent Pension Board was also listed, with full members including Kabir (Labour), Smith (Labour), and David Ewart (Independent Chair). Trade union and employer representatives were also noted, with a vacancy for an employer member.