The Constitution of Croydon Council met on Monday 12 February 2024 to discuss the council's governing document. The meeting's agenda was solely focused on reviewing and potentially amending the council's Constitution.

Constitution

The entirety of the meeting was dedicated to the council's Constitution. The report pack provided a comprehensive overview of the document, detailing its structure and content across various parts.

• Part 1: Summary and Explanation provided an introduction to how the council operates, outlining the roles of the Mayor, Cabinet, Full Council, and staff. It explained the Mayor and Cabinet model of governance, the election of the Mayor, and the composition of the Council.
• Part 2: Articles of the Constitution laid out the fundamental rules governing the council's operation, including articles on the Constitution itself, Members, citizens' rights, the Full Council, the Mayor, Scrutiny and Overview, Executive Arrangements, Non-Executive Committees, Ethics, Community Governance, Joint Arrangements, Staff, Decision-making, Finance, Contracts and Legal matters, and the Review and Revision of the Constitution.
• Part 3: Responsibility for Functions detailed how local authority functions are divided between Executive and Non-Executive responsibilities, outlining delegations to Committees and officers.
• Part 4: Rules of Procedure contained various procedural rules, including Council Procedure Rules, Access to Information Procedure Rules, Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules, Executive Procedure Rules, Scrutiny and Overview Procedure Rules, Non-Executive Committee Procedure Rules, Delegations to Executive Directors Decision Making Procedure Rules, Financial Regulations, Tenders and Contracts Regulations, Staff Employment Procedure Rules, Planning and Planning Sub-Committee Procedure Rules, Terms of Reference for the Health and Wellbeing Board, Local Pension Board Procedure Rules, Pension Committee Terms of Reference, and Protocols for Traffic Management Advisory Committee meetings.
• Part 5: Protocols and Codes included general protocols on Decision Making, Staff-Councillor Relations, and the Monitoring Officer, as well as specific protocols for Planning, Licensing Hearings under the Licensing Act 2003, Licensing Hearings under the Gambling Act 2005, and Traffic Management Advisory Committee meetings. It also contained Codes of Conduct for Members and Officers, and an Access to Information Protocol.
• Part 6: Schemes outlined the Scheme of Members' Allowances, the Scheme of Co-option, Terms of Reference for the Corporate Parenting Panel, Terms of Reference for the Independent Panel, and the Executive Mayor's Scheme of Delegation.

The report pack indicated that the Constitution had been subject to numerous amendments since its adoption in 2012, with updates occurring in February 2024. The agenda for the meeting was solely focused on the Constitution itself, suggesting a review or potential update of the council's governing document.