Agenda item

From the Meeting of the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities held on 23 March 2026

Further to Minute 54 of the Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities meeting, the City Council considered a report of the Director of Law, Governance and Safer Communities, that sought approval of proposed amendments to the Council’s Constitution.

The Constitutional Advisory Panel, at its meeting on 25^th February 2026, considered a number of proposed amendments to the Constitution following a review to ensure that the Constitution was current, effective and met requirements.

The Constitution sets out how the Council operates, how decisions are made and the procedures which are followed to ensure that decisions are efficient, transparent and accountable to local people.  The purpose of the constitution was to ensure that the Council’s decision-making and governance arrangements help the Council to achieve its corporate aims, objectives and priorities effectively and efficiently.  It also ensures the Council meets its legal duties.

The Monitoring Officer had authority to make minor changes, such as changes to Director’s titles, updating legislative changes and typographical errors.

The Constitution was a living document and was regularly reviewed and benchmarked against other Local Authorities to ensure that it was current, effective, reflected best practice and was up to date.  A number of proposed amendments had been identified as part of this process.  The proposed amendments were set out in the Appendix to the report and, in summary, fell within the following areas:

·  Definition of Main Opposition Group and Shadow Cabinet Members

·  Member Officer Protocol – Part 4D of the Constitution

·  Membership of Scrutiny Boards and the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee

·  Appointment of Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor

·  Motions

·  Street Naming and Numbering

RESOLVED that the City Council approves:

1.  That the following paragraphs be inserted into Parts 1 and 2 of the Constitution:-

Main Opposition Group and Leader of the Main Opposition Group

The Main Opposition Group is the Political Group that has the numerically largest opposition Group.  The Leader of that Group is the Leader of the Main Opposition Group.  In the event of their being more than one Group having the same numerically largest number of seats, all of those Groups will be afforded the same rights.

Shadow Cabinet Members

The Leader of the Main Opposition will be entitled to nominate Councillors to act as Shadow Cabinet Members.  Shadow Cabinet Members have no decision-making powers but will be entitled to attend meetings in their role and speak at the discretion of the Cabinet Member.  They will also be entitled to receive briefings in relation to their Shadow Portfolio.

2.  The amendments to the Member Officer Protocol (Part 4D of the Constitution) as shown as traced changes in the Appendix to this report.

3.  That Paragraph 4.1 in Part 2D of the Constitution in relation to membership of the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee and Scrutiny Boards be amended to read as follows:

4.1  Councillors, except a member of the Cabinet, may be appointed as a member of a Scrutiny Board and the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee.  However, in order to ensure that no Member may be involved in scrutinising a decision in which they may have been directly involved, no former Cabinet Member may sit on a Scrutiny Board relevant to the portfolio they held as a Cabinet Member or the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee (if it relates to their former portfolio) for a period of 12 months.  In addition, any Member who is appointed as a Deputy Cabinet Member may not be appointed to the Scrutiny Board or Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee which is relevant to the portfolio for which they have been appointed as a Deputy Cabinet Member.

4.  That Paragraph 10.1.3 in Part 1 of the Constitution be amended to read as follows:-

10.1.3  The office of Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor will be offered to the Councillor who has had the longest service and has not previously held the office.  If that Councillor declines that offer, then it is offered to the next person in order of length of service.  Any Councillor who declines the offer may take up the offer in a subsequent year.

5.  That the following Paragraph be inserted into the Council Procedure Rules (Part 3A of the Constitution):-

9.11 Every Motion made in pursuance of a Notice of Motion must be lawful and will be regarded as tentative only until this has been confirmed by the Monitoring Officer.  If the Motion is considered to be unlawful, the Monitoring Officer will submit a report on the matter to the next meeting of Council.  No action may be taken on the matter until the Council has considered the advice of the Monitoring Officer.

6.  That the Director of Law, Governance and Safer Communities be delegated authority to determine all matters relation to street naming and numbering, including the naming and renaming of streets and the allocation of property numbers following consultation with the relevant Ward Councillors and relevant Cabinet Member and that the Scheme of Delegation (Part 2M of the Constitution) be updated accordingly.