The Democratic Services Committee was scheduled to meet to discuss amendments to the council's constitution. The committee was also scheduled to review the Members' Hub, which is under development.

Amendments to the Constitution

The Democratic Services Committee was scheduled to consider a report on amendments to the council's constitution.

The report pack included several sections of the constitution, including:

• Section 1 – Introduction
• Section 2 – Purpose, Definition, Interpretation and Amendment of the Constitution
• Section 3 – Getting Information and Getting Involved
• Section 7 – Scrutiny Committees

The report pack noted that Clive Pinney, Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer, had made minor amendments to the constitution under delegated authority, and that the Democratic Services Committee was to consider further proposed amendments for consideration at Full Council.

Minor Amendments Made by the Monitoring Officer

The report pack noted that Clive Pinney, Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer, had made minor amendments to the constitution relating to:

• Rule 1.5, to refer to the correct section of the constitution.
• Rule 1.7, to reflect the reduction in the number of county councillors to 68.
• Rule 1.9, to reflect the change of a council term from 4 years to 5 years.

Proposed Amendments for Consideration

The report pack also included proposed amendments to the constitution for consideration by the Democratic Services Committee, including:

• Rule 2.2.2, to amend the definition of Corporate Joint Committee to make it more accurate. The Corporate Joint Committee comprises Powys County Council and Ceredigion County Council, along with a representative from the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority for certain functions[^2]. [^2]: The Brecon Beacons National Park Authority is one of the three national park authorities in Wales, responsible for conserving and enhancing the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
• Rule 2.2.2, to remove reference to Strategic Directors and/or Directors from the definition of Head of Service.
• Rule 2.2.2, to remove reference to Directors from the definition of Deputy Chief Officers .
• Rule 2.2.2, to amend inaccurate reference to Rule 4.40 in the definition of Leader .
• Rule 2.2.2, to remove reference to Rules 19.82 to 19.89 as containing the planning protocol in the definition of Local Representative .
• Rule 2.2.2, to make the definition of Management Team more future proof.
• Rule 2.2.2, to make the definition of Corporate Improvement Plan more future proof.
• Rule 2.7.3, to provide greater clarity regarding minor changes to the titles and roles of officers and the names of council committees.
• Rule 3.9B, to delete reference to strategic director as the council no longer has strategic directors.
• Rule 3.3, to amend the publication of agenda and papers to 5 clear days before a meeting. The report pack noted that the chairs of scrutiny asked for consideration of an amendment to the constitution to provide greater time for consideration of papers. The current constitution provides for agendas to be published 3 clear days before a meeting and a move to provide 5 clear days give one week including a weekend for consideration of papers. The proposed amendment as drafted provide for all reports ( and not just for Scrutiny) 5 clear days before the date of a meeting, and DSC is asked to consider whether this is appropriate or whether the amendment should only to scrutiny.
• Rule 3.7, to amend the period for which the agenda, non-confidential reports and the minutes of the meeting shall be available for inspection and / or on the website to six years.

Scrutiny Committees

The report pack included an extract from Section 7 of the constitution, which describes the role, scope and membership of the council's scrutiny committees.

The extract stated that the council will appoint three scrutiny committees:

• Economy, Residents, and Communities Scrutiny Committee
• Health and Care Scrutiny Committee
• Learning and Skills Scrutiny Committee

The extract also described the terms of reference and areas of responsibility of each committee.

Minutes From Previous Meeting

The committee was scheduled to authorise the Chair to sign the minutes of the previous meeting of the committee held on 2 September 2025 as a correct record.

The minutes from the previous meeting indicated that the committee:

• Elected Councillor Peter Lewington as Vice-Chair.
• Considered amendments to the constitution, recommending to Full Council that:
  • 4.10 is amended to remove the reference to shire-based rotation and that the post of Chair, Vice Chair and Assistant Vice Chair will be nominated by Councillors.
  • Brecon Beacons National Park Authority should be replaced with Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
  • Bilingual agendas should also be published.
  • The Constitution should differentiate between councillors and lay members and that lay members cannot ask questions to Full Council.
  • A petitioner has 5 minutes to present their petition and that the Petition scheme is changed to reflect this.
  • 4.39 should read The Chair upon receiving advice from the Monitoring Officer may reject motions if…
• Noted minor amendments made to the constitution by the Head of Legal and Monitoring Officer.
• Considered the review of the Petition Scheme, recommending to Council that:
  • The Chair of Council upon receipt of advice from the Monitoring Officer will consider whether a petition with over 500 signatures relates to a local issue. If a petition is deemed to be so, it will be referred to the relevant Portfolio Holder and Head of Service to respond to and the local councillor will be advised of this. If the petitioner is dissatisfied with the response from the Portfolio Holder and Head of Service, they could ask that the matter may be escalated to Full Council.
  • If the subject of a petition was the same as an issue debated in Council in the previous six months it would be rejected.
  • A petitioner would not be allowed to make a presentation at a Council meeting where a petition is debated.