The Constitution and Members' Development Committee of Middlesbrough Council met on Thursday 30 July 2026 to discuss revisions to the Teesside Pension Fund Committee's Terms of Reference and to consider various updates to the Council's Constitution. The committee agreed to recommend amendments to the Teesside Pension Fund Committee's Terms of Reference to Full Council and approved a schedule of amendments to the Constitution for recommendation to Full Council, as well as noting minor amendments made under delegated authority.

Teesside Pension Fund Committee - Revised Terms of Reference

The committee discussed proposed amendments to the Teesside Pension Fund Committee's Terms of Reference, which had not been updated since 2017. These revisions were necessitated by changes introduced by the Pensions Act 2026, which has altered the governance landscape for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). The Corporate Director of Finance highlighted that failing to implement these changes could lead to a reportable breach of the law.

Key proposed amendments included reflecting the pooling arrangements with Border to Coast Pension Partnership, allowing employee members of the committee to vote, and updating governance arrangements in line with the Pensions Act 2026. The committee also considered a proposal to change the quorum for the Teesside Pension Fund Committee from one-third of members to four members, aligning it with other Middlesbrough Council committees.

The committee ORDERED that the proposed amendments to the Teesside Pension Fund Committee's Terms of Reference were agreed and recommended to Full Council for approval.

Constitution Updates - Quarterly Report

The committee reviewed a report detailing suggested amendments to the Council's Constitution. These included changes to the quorum waiting time for council meetings, amendments following the approval of the Members' Scheme of Allowances, and various minor updates.

A significant amendment proposed for recommendation to Full Council was to extend the time allowed for a quorum to be present at a Council meeting from five minutes to fifteen minutes. This change was intended to provide a longer period before a meeting is abandoned due to a lack of attendees.

The committee also noted amendments that had already been approved by Full Council following the adoption of the Members' Scheme of Allowances on 20 May 2026. These included changes to the Basic Allowance for councillors, an increase in the mileage rate for travel expenses, and provisions for members to opt into the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Furthermore, the committee noted a schedule of minor amendments to the Constitution that had been authorised by the Monitoring Officer under delegated powers. These included the addition of a definition for Deputy Chief Officer, updates to the process for submitting public questions, and the replacement of specific email addresses with a link to an online form. Changes were also made to reflect the introduction of the LGPS Senior Officer role and to update references to the Chief Finance Officer's delegated powers concerning the Pension Fund.

The committee ORDERED that:

• The amendment to paragraph 4.8.10 (b) to extend the waiting time for a quorum from five minutes to fifteen minutes was recommended for approval by Council.
• The amendments made to the Constitution following Full Council's approval of the Members' Scheme of Allowances on 20 May 2026 were noted.
• The amendments to be made to the Constitution by the Monitoring Officer under delegated authority were noted and would be reported to the next meeting of Full Council.