The Constitution of Barking and Dagenham Council met on Thursday 14 May 2026 to discuss and review the Council's Constitution. The report pack provided attendees with a comprehensive overview of the Council's governing document, detailing its purpose, operational structure, decision-making processes, and the rights and responsibilities of Councillors, officers, and residents.

The Council Constitution

The meeting's agenda focused entirely on the Council's Constitution, a foundational document that outlines how the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham operates. The report pack provided a detailed breakdown of the Constitution's various parts, covering its purpose, operational framework, and decision-making procedures.

The Constitution is divided into several parts, each addressing a specific aspect of the Council's governance:

• Part 1: Summary and Explanation This section provided an overview of the Constitution's purpose, explaining how the Council operates, how decisions are made, and the roles of Overview and Scrutiny. It also outlined residents' rights in their dealings with the Council.

• Part 2: The Articles This extensive part detailed the core articles governing the Council's operations. It included chapters on:

  • General Principles: Covering the Council's powers, the purpose of the Constitution, and amendment procedures.
  • Members of the Council: Detailing composition, eligibility, election, roles, rights, duties, and conduct of Councillors.
  • Meeting Rules - General: Outlining procedures for notice, quorum, order of business, minutes, voting, and public participation in meetings.
  • The Full Council: Defining its status, membership, responsibilities, and types of meetings.
  • The Cabinet: Explaining its role, legal status, responsibility for functions, and composition.
  • The Health and Wellbeing Board: Detailing its role, membership, responsibilities, and decision-making processes.
  • Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Call-in: Outlining its functions, responsibilities, and the process for calling in decisions.
  • Health Scrutiny Committee: Detailing its specific role in scrutinising health services.
  • Planning Committee: Defining its status, membership, and responsibility for determining planning applications.
  • Licensing and Regulatory Committee: Covering its role in exercising the Council's licensing and regulatory duties.
  • Pensions Committee: Outlining its responsibilities for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Pension Fund.
  • Personnel Board: Detailing its role in employment matters for staff, excluding JNC officers.
  • Audit and Risk Committee: Covering its functions related to internal audit, external audit, governance, risk, control, and financial reporting.
  • Standards Committee: Detailing its role in promoting high standards of conduct among Councillors and co-opted members.
  • Joint Arrangements: Explaining how the Council can enter into joint arrangements with other authorities and organisations.
  • Outside Bodies: Outlining the procedures for appointing members to outside bodies and their roles.
  • Decision Making: Detailing the principles of decision-making, types of decisions, and urgent action procedures.
  • Access to Information: Setting out the public's rights to attend meetings and access documents.
  • Budget and Policy Framework: Explaining the process for developing and approving the Council's budget and policy framework.
  • Officers: Detailing the senior management structure, statutory posts, and functions of officers.

• Part 3: Officer Scheme of Delegation This part outlined the functions delegated to officers, including statutory functions and the general conditions and limitations under which these functions are exercised.

• Part 4: Rules This section contained detailed rules governing various aspects of Council operations, including:

  • Contract Rules: Procedures for procurement and awarding contracts.
  • Financial Regulations: Framework for managing the Council's financial affairs.
  • Employment Procedure Rules: Procedures for appointment, dismissal, and discipline of staff.
  • Land Acquisition and Disposal Rules: Procedures for acquiring and disposing of Council land.
  • Codes and Protocols: Including the Councillors' Code of Conduct, Employees' Code of Conduct, and protocols for Councillor/Employee Relations, filming, and politically restricted posts.

• Part 6: Members' Allowances Scheme This outlined the scheme for allowances payable to Councillors and co-opted members, including basic, special responsibility, travelling, and carers' allowances.

• Part 7: Review, Revision, Suspension, Interpretation and Publication of the Constitution This section detailed the procedures for monitoring, reviewing, revising, suspending, interpreting, and publishing the Council's Constitution.

The report pack provided a comprehensive reference document for understanding the governance and operational framework of Barking and Dagenham Council.