The Democracy and Standards Committee met to discuss and approve recommendations to North Northamptonshire Council regarding updates to the council's constitution. Councillors agreed to recommend the updated constitution to the full council, with amendments, for final approval and adoption. The committee also approved the minutes of the previous meeting and noted that there were no declarations of interest from members.

Constitution Update (2025)

The committee reviewed the proposed changes to the council's constitution and agreed to recommend it to full council for approval, with relevant amendments. Kamila Coulson-Patel, Director of Law and Governance, presented the Constitution Update 2025 Report to the committee, highlighting key areas of the review undertaken by the Constitution Working Group. The proposed changes aim to improve the document's flow, remove duplication, address inconsistencies, and enhance accessibility.

Key discussion points included:

• Petition Scheme: The petition scheme is to be removed from the constitution but will remain available on the council website, delegated to the Monitoring Officer for regular review.
• Meeting Procedure Rules: Suggestions were made to simplify the wording of the meeting procedure rules.
• Public Participation: Councillors emphasised the importance of encouraging public participation at meetings and suggested a timeline table within the constitution detailing deadlines for each committee to avoid confusion. Councillor Emily Fedorowycz raised concerns about negative feedback regarding the online petition system, citing registration and verification issues that hamper the democratic process.
• Planning Changes: The decision to allow more than one town or parish council representative to speak at planning meetings for applications affecting multiple areas was welcomed. It was suggested that information on controversial or large applications should be published earlier, with interested parties notified in advance of the committee presentation date.

Councillor Simon Fairhall raised concerns about the council's whistleblowing policy, noting that it is primarily written for staff rather than members of the public. He questioned whether it was the right policy for public concerns and suggested a broader approach might be needed. Ms Coulson-Patel confirmed that the Audit and Governance Committee had already recognised limitations in the policy and that a report to refresh the document was on their forward plan for November.

The appendices to the report detailed specific changes:

• Appendix A: Introduction, Summary, and Explanation, including decision-making processes.
• Appendix B: Public Participation and Rights. This included a proposal to change the deadline for requests to speak at meetings from 5pm to 12 noon two clear days before the meeting, to allow officers more time to make arrangements. There was some debate about this, with some councillors arguing that it could make it more difficult for people to participate, particularly if motions were raised at short notice.
• Appendix C: Meeting Procedure Rules.
• Appendix D: Member Officer Protocol.

Following discussion, Councillor Jon-Paul Carr proposed and Councillor Jonathan Carvetta seconded that the revised constitution be recommended to full Council for approval and adoption. The motion was carried with nine votes in favour.

Approval of Minutes

The committee approved the minutes of the meeting held on 18 August 2025. Councillor Carr proposed the motion, which was seconded by Councillor Chris Munday and carried.

Members' Declarations of Interest

The chair invited the committee to make any declarations of interest, and it was noted that there were none.