The General Purposes Committee met to discuss updates to the council's constitution and to review the initial plans for the member induction programme in 2026. The committee agreed to changes to the Pensions Board and Standards Advisory Committee terms of reference, and noted changes to the Mayor's Executive Scheme of Delegation, the Legal Services Scheme of Delegation, and the Communities Directorate Scheme of Delegation. Members also provided feedback on the proposed structure and content of the 2026 Member Induction Programme, particularly regarding skills development for councillors.

Member Induction Programme 2026

The committee discussed the initial plans for the Member Induction Programme in preparation for the local elections in May 2026. The aim of the programme is to ensure new councillors are well-prepared for their roles, with a focus on skills development and statutory requirements.

Matthew Mannion, Head of Democratic Services, highlighted key changes being considered for the 2026 programme, including a greater emphasis on skills development, following feedback from the 2022 programme. He noted that while the previous programme was strong on providing information, it was arguably weaker on developing Members' skills.

Several councillors shared their thoughts on the proposed plan:

• Councillor Peter Golds, Chair of Licensing Committee / Licensing Regulatory Committee, emphasised the importance of councillors understanding how to raise issues and the roles of committee chairs.
• Councillor Shafi Ahmed, Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency, suggested a separate session for committee chairs to develop their chairing skills.
• Councillor Abu Talha Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, stressed the need to balance skills-focused training with relevant information, highlighting knowledge gaps among councillors.
• Councillor Shahaveer Shubo Hussain suggested workshops on how to run a surgery, including how to handle difficult situations.

Other suggestions included:

• Using external trainers to provide a wider perspective.
• Conducting a skills audit to identify and utilise the existing skills of councillors.
• Connecting members with Member Enquiry officers to improve the quality of responses to inquiries.

The committee noted the report and agreed to forward any further comments or ideas to Matthew Mannion, Head of Democratic Services, outside of the meeting.

Constitution Updates

The committee reviewed and approved several updates to the council's constitution¹, including changes to the terms of reference for the Pensions Board and the Standards Advisory Committee (SAC). They also noted changes to the Mayor's Executive Scheme of Delegation, the Legal Services Scheme of Delegation, and the Communities Directorate Scheme of Delegation.

Pensions Board Terms of Reference

The committee agreed to a rewording of the 'Quorum' section of the Pensions Board Terms of Reference, as requested by the Pensions Board at their meeting on 30 June 2025. The change aims to clarify the requirements for a meeting to be quorate².

Standards Advisory Committee Terms of Reference

The committee agreed to proposed amendments to the SAC terms of reference, which incorporate recommendations from the Association of Democratic Services Officers review. These amendments primarily involve relocating procedural requirements from Part D to Part B of the constitution to improve navigation and interpretation. As the changes relate to the Member Code of Conduct matters, the changes will be agreed by the full council before being included in the constitution.

Mayor's Executive Scheme of Delegation

The committee noted changes to the Mayor's Executive Scheme of Delegation, which removes officer delegations around collective enfranchisement disposals. These decisions now rest with the Mayor, either in Cabinet or as an Individual Mayoral Decision (IMD). A new table has been created to show situations where 'standard' delegation rules do not apply.

Legal Services Scheme of Delegation

The committee noted that Shupriya Iqbal, Director of Legal and Monitoring Officer, has updated the Legal Services Scheme of Delegation to set out new authorities to sign and seal documents for the council.

Communities Directorate Scheme of Delegation

The committee noted that Simon Baxter, Corporate Director, Communities, has agreed to changes to the Communities Directorate Scheme of Delegation, including adding a new line about serving Section 17 notices requiring registered keepers of vehicles to disclose the driver at the time of an offence.

Minor Corrections to Supplementary Documents

The committee noted minor corrections to typos in the Supplementary Documents to the Constitution.

Constitution Working Group Update

Matthew Mannion, Head of Democratic Services, provided an update on the work of the Constitution Working Group (CWG), including:

• The development of new committee procedure rules.
• A new glossary of terms to be added to the constitution.
• A review of language in Part A of the constitution.
• A review of council procedure rules, with a focus on motions and amendments at council meetings.

The CWG also considered removing the State of the Borough debate from the Council Procedure Rules, re-introducing public questions or other public engagement methods at Council, changes to the threshold to call extraordinary meetings or to request a recorded vote, and speaking times on the Mayor's Report item.