The Hackney Council's Corporate Committee convened on 12 November 2025, and addressed several key items including the approval of the Pay Policy Statement for Chief Officers 2026/27, and consideration of the Planning Code of Conduct, which was ultimately deferred for further revisions. The committee also reviewed the minutes from the previous meeting, and noted the latest draft of the Corporate Committee Work Programme for 2025/26.

Planning Code of Conduct

The committee agreed to defer approving the Planning Code of Practice, so that a number of minor amendments could be made. The code will then be reconsidered at the next Corporate Committee meeting on 18 March 2026.

The Planning Code of Conduct aims to ensure planning decisions are made openly, impartially, with sound judgement and for justifiable reasons. The code applies to councillors at all times when they are involved in the planning process, including decision-making meetings, exercising the functions of the planning authority, meetings with officers or the public, and consultative meetings. The proposed code supplements the council's adopted Code of Conduct for Members and Voting Co-Optees.

Key objectives of the code are to provide clarity and advice to support elected councillors, ensure councillors act reasonably and openly, and protect the council and individual members from allegations of unfairness, maladministration and legal challenges.

The code addresses several areas:

• Training: Requires all Planning Sub Committee members to attend compulsory training prior to their first sub committee meeting and annually thereafter.
• Councillor and Officer Roles: Explains the roles of councillors and officers.
• Ward Councillor Roles: Clarifies that being a councillor for the ward in which a particular application site is situated is not declarable for Planning Sub Committee members, and councillors may deliberate on matters affecting their wards provided they do so with an open mind.
• Interests: Refers back to the current Member Code of Conduct and provides specific guidance if any councillor has a disclosable pecuniary interest¹ in any planning application or is a member of an external body which has made an application for permission.
• Gifts & Hospitality: Refers councillors to the current Member Code of Conduct.
• Predisposition, Predetermination, & Bias: Provides a greater level of guidance on predetermination and bias.
• Council Applications: Clarifies that applications submitted by or on behalf of the council should be treated with the same transparency and impartiality as applications by private developers.
• Councillor and Officer Applications: Sets out the processes should councillors or officers submit a planning application in a personal capacity.
• Pre-Application Discussions: Provides guidance on how councillors can engage with planning applicants.
• Post-Submission Discussions: Provides guidance to all councillors and the Mayor on how they should respond if approached by a developer on a live planning application.
• Lobbying: Recognises that lobbying is a normal and perfectly proper part of the political process.
• Officer Reports: Sets out guidance to committee members on what the report sets out, emphasising the need for members to read the committee report in advance of the meeting.
• Site Visits: Provides details of the purpose and arrangements for Planning Sub Committee member site visits.
• Officer Presentations to Sub-Committee: Explains the purpose of the officer presentation.
• Public Speaking: Provides greater detail on the process for interested parties to register to speak, the allocated speaking time, the key issues of planning for speakers to focus on in their representation and the role of the Planning Sub Committee Chair if a speaker departs from speaking about material planning issues.
• Decision Making - Permitted Considerations: References other material planning considerations that can be considered alongside the local plan[^3].
• Voting on Recommendations: Sets out the process for voting.
• Deferral of Planning Applications: Sets out the process for deferring an application.
• The Political Whip: Sets out that councillors involved in planning determinations must not vote on party political lines.
• Planning Appeals: Explains the process if councillors wish to take part in planning appeals.
• Planning Enforcement: Explains how councillors can support residents in reporting planning enforcement issues.
• Review of Previous Decisions: Notes that arrangements will be made for Planning Sub Committee members to visit a sample of implemented planning permissions throughout the borough every year with briefing notes having been prepared in advance.
• Review of the Planning Code of Conduct: Commits the council to review the code on an annual basis.

The report also notes that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025, which is currently making its way through parliament, delegates power to the Secretary of State to make regulations that require mandatory, standardised training for members of planning committee.

Pay Policy Statement for Chief Officers 2026/2027

The committee approved the Pay Policy Statement for Chief Officers 2026/27. The Localism Act 2011 requires the council to publish an annual pay policy statement setting out its policies relating to the remuneration of its chief officers, the remuneration of its lowest-paid employees, and the relationship between the remuneration of chief officers and employees who are not chief officers.

The chief officers of a local authority are defined in section 43 (2) of the Localism Act 2011. For the purposes of this statement, Hackney's chief officers comprise the Chief Executive Officer, first tier and second tier, grades CO1-CO3.

The Pay Policy Statement also sets out the council's policy as it relates to the remuneration of its lowest paid employees. It sets out the principles governing remuneration within the council in 2026/27.

The council uses three chief officer grades – CO1, CO2 and CO3. The Chief Executive's salary does not correspond to an established council grade and spinal column point; it is a 'spot' salary determined by the Appointments Committee on appointment and may be reviewed by the Mayor with any changes approved by the Appointments Committee.

The council has appointed the Chief Executive as Returning Officer for parliamentary and local elections, and referenda under the Representation of the People Act 1983 and subsequent regulations. The Chief Executive may receive fees for discharging the Returning Officer responsibilities as determined by the governing body responsible for the election. Other Chief Officers may also receive fees if appointed to election roles by the Returning Officer.

The council will publish this Pay Policy Statement and chief officer salary and any severance payments annually on its website in accordance with the transparency provisions.

The council will annually publish the ratio of the pay of its Chief Executive to that of its median and lowest-paid earner.

Consideration of Minutes Of The Previous Meeting and actions list

The committee approved the minutes of the previous meeting, held on 22 September 2025, as an accurate record of those meeting’s proceedings.

Corporate Committee Work Programme 2025/26

The committee noted the latest draft of the Corporate Committee Work Programme for the municipal year 2025/26.