The Constitution of Tower Hamlets Council met on Wednesday 20 May 2026 to discuss the Council's Constitution, which outlines how the council operates, makes decisions, and ensures accountability to its residents. The meeting's agenda focused on reviewing and potentially adopting the updated Constitution, covering its various parts, codes, and protocols.

The Council's Constitution

The meeting's report pack provided a comprehensive overview of the Tower Hamlets Council's Constitution, detailing its structure and the procedures governing the council's operations. The Constitution is divided into four parts:

• Part A – Summary and Explanation: This section introduces the Constitution, explains how the Council operates, how decisions are made (including key decision thresholds), citizens' rights, the roles of the Speaker, Members, the Mayor and the Executive, Overview and Scrutiny, Regulatory and Non-Executive Committees, the Standards Advisory Committee, and joint arrangements and partnership working. It also outlines the roles of officers and matters relating to finance, contracts, and legal issues. Finally, it covers the procedures for suspending, interpreting, and changing the Constitution and executive arrangements.
• Part B – Responsibility for Functions and Decision Making Procedures: This part details the responsibility for Council functions, including local choice functions, and executive functions. It outlines the terms of reference for the Council and its various committees, other bodies and panels, and joint committees. It also covers the Corporate Scheme of Delegation, the functions of statutory officers, and the procedure rules for Council meetings, access to information, budget and policy framework, executive procedures, and overview and scrutiny.
• Part C – Codes and Protocols: This section includes the Code of Conduct for Members, the Member/Officer Relations Protocol, the Employee Code of Conduct, and specific codes for Licensing and Planning. It also details Financial Regulations, Contracts and Procurement Procedure Rules, Officer Employment Procedure Rules, and the Members' Allowances Scheme.
• Supplementary Documents: These provide linked information, including Directorate Schemes of Delegation, Committee Procedures, the Petition Scheme, and other relevant documents.

The report pack detailed the specific functions and responsibilities of various Council bodies, including the Council itself, the Audit Committee, Development Committee, General Purposes Committee, Human Resources Committee (and its sub-committees), Licensing Committee (and its sub-committee), Licensing Regulatory Committee, Overview and Scrutiny Committee (and its sub-committees), Pensions Committee, Strategic Development Committee, Standards Advisory Committee (and its sub-committee), and the Tower Hamlets Health and Wellbeing Board. It also outlined the terms of reference for other bodies and panels, joint committees, and the executive arrangements.

The procedures for officer employment, financial regulations, contracts and procurement, and members' allowances were also detailed, providing a framework for the council's administrative and financial operations. The report pack also included the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules, which govern how decisions are reviewed and scrutinised, and the Budget and Policy Framework Procedure Rules, which outline the process for developing and approving the Council's budget and key strategies.

The meeting's agenda indicated a review of these constitutional documents to ensure they align with current legislation and best practices for local government governance.