The Administration Committee of Kensington and Chelsea Council was scheduled to discuss proposed changes to the Council's Constitution and the Members' Allowances Scheme. These discussions were prompted by recent legislative changes affecting electoral registration, the role of the Monitoring Officer, planning committees, and the Local Government Pension Scheme for councillors.

Changes to the Constitution

The committee was set to consider several amendments to the Council's Constitution. These included the appointment of Deputy Electoral Registration Officers, a role recommended by the Electoral Commission to ensure resilience and practical handling of electoral registration duties, particularly in light of the Elections Act 2022. The report indicated that the Head of Chief Executives Office and the Electoral Services Manager would hold these positions.

Additionally, the committee was scheduled to discuss the designation of the Director of Law and Governance as the Council's Monitoring Officer, a statutory role currently held by the Chief Solicitor who was due to leave the council. This change would take effect from 30 June 2026.

Significant changes to the role of Planning Committees were also on the agenda, stemming from the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025. These legislative changes would alter how planning applications are determined, with a greater emphasis on officer delegation and a potential reduction in the size of planning committees to a maximum of 13 members. The report noted concerns from the Lead Member for Residents Services, Planning and Enforcement regarding the elimination of call-in powers and the potential reduction of resident involvement. The report detailed a new Gateway Test for certain applications, requiring agreement between a nominated planning officer and a nominated member, typically the Planning Committee Chair, for a referral to committee.

Changes to the role of the Investment Committee were also to be addressed, driven by the Pension Schemes Act 2026. This Act mandates the delegation of investment strategy implementation to a pool and requires administering authorities to take principal investment advice from the pool.

The committee was invited to recommend that Full Council approve these constitutional changes. It was also proposed that an additional meeting be held in July to further consider amendments related to the Investment Committee, Planning Applications Committee, Planning Committee terms of reference, and the Scheme of Delegations.

Members' Allowances Scheme - Pensions

The committee was also scheduled to discuss proposed changes to the Members' Allowances Scheme for 2026-2027, following the re-opening of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) to councillors. The Local Government Pension Scheme (Elected Member Pensions) Regulations 2026, effective from 11 May 2026, allow councillors to elect to join the LGPS. Under these regulations, a councillor's pensionable pay is calculated based on their basic allowance and any special responsibility allowance. Contributions would be deducted automatically from these allowances.

The report recommended amending the Councillors' Allowances Scheme in the Constitution to include a new section stating: The basic allowance and the special responsibility allowance may be treated as amounts in respect of which pensions are payable. Councillors would also have the option to make additional voluntary contributions (AVCs) to the Pension Scheme. The report clarified that the usual requirement to consider recommendations from the Independent Remuneration Panel did not apply in this specific instance.