The Constitution Committee of Hackney Council met on Tuesday 14 April 2026 and recommended proposed changes to the names and remits of the Council's Scrutiny Commissions to Full Council. The committee also approved the minutes of its previous meeting.

Proposed Changes to Scrutiny Commissions Remits

The committee recommended to Full Council that the names and remits of the Council's Scrutiny Commissions be changed. These proposed alterations aim to better align the work of the scrutiny function with the Council's Strategic Plan and current operating context, following an independent review of scrutiny functions in 2024 and a commitment to review performance management.

Key changes include renaming three commissions:

• The Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission will become the Housing and Homelessness Scrutiny Commission .
• The Health in Hackney Scrutiny Commission will be renamed the Adults, Health & Integration Scrutiny Commission .
• The Skills, Economy & Growth commission will be renamed the Skills, Place & Economy Scrutiny Commission .

The remits of the Housing and Homelessness Scrutiny Commission and the Skills, Place & Economy Scrutiny Commission have also been revised. The former will now encompass a broader range of housing-related issues, including housing strategy, council housing, housing delivery, private sector housing, homelessness prevention, and residential planning. The latter will include community safety, economy and economic regeneration, adult learning and skills, transport, environment, parks and leisure, arts and culture, voluntary and community sector, corporate property, and business planning.

Additionally, the statutory duty to scrutinise the local Community Safety Partnership will transfer from the Housing and Homelessness Scrutiny Commission to the Skills, Place & Economy Scrutiny Commission.

Councillor Margaret Gordon, Chair of the Scrutiny Panel, supported the proposed changes, noting that they would create a better balance of work across the commissions and allow for more focused scrutiny of housing services, which she felt was expected by the community. She also suggested that the approach should be kept under review. Councillor Alastair Binnie-Lubbock welcomed the proposals, highlighting the significant challenges in housing that warranted additional focus. He also enquired about the potential for reviewing terms of reference to include union representation on scrutiny commissions, a point that the Head of Scrutiny noted could be considered in conjunction with the Monitoring Officer.

The committee also resolved that the Monitoring Officer be requested to draft the necessary amendments to the Council's Constitution to give effect to these proposed changes, ready for consideration by Full Council.

Consideration of the Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee approved the minutes of its previous meeting held on 28 October 2025. During the discussion of matters arising from agenda item 7, the Planning Code of Conduct, the Director of Legal Services confirmed that all councillors would be offered planning training, with details being finalised. It was also noted that the proposed revisions to the Planning Code of Conduct had been approved by the Corporate Committee and formally adopted by the Council, forming part of the Council Constitution.