The Standards Committee of Hertfordshire Council is scheduled to consider proposed revisions to the Council's Constitution. These revisions focus on updating various annexes, including those pertaining to Council Standing Orders, Standing Orders for Regulatory and Other Committees, and the Substitution Scheme.

Proposed Revisions to the Council's Constitution

A significant portion of the meeting is scheduled to be dedicated to reviewing proposed changes to Annex 6: Council Standing Orders, Annex 12: Standing Orders for Regulatory and Other Committees, and Annex 28: Substitution Scheme of the Hertfordshire County Council's Constitution. These proposed revisions have been developed by the Constitution Working Group (CWG), a cross-party group tasked with reviewing the Council's governance arrangements. The CWG has been supported by external advisors, Bevan Brittan, who specialise in local authority constitutions.

The proposed changes to Annex 6: Council Standing Orders include an extensive reordering and amendment to align with the Model Council Procedure Rules. Specific proposed amendments include changes to the timing and business of annual, ordinary, and extraordinary meetings, clarification on the appointment of substitute members, and an increase in the timeframe for issuing meeting summonses from five to six clear working days. The quorum for meetings is proposed to be defined as one quarter of the whole number of members. There is also a proposal to include an expectation that sessions will not exceed three hours without a break, and that the number of rejected questions will be recorded in the minutes along with the reason for rejection. The number of written questions that can be submitted to Full Council meetings is also set to increase, with limits based on the size of political groups. Furthermore, the time limit for the mover of a motion to speak is proposed to be increased to five minutes, and new provisions regarding previous decisions and motions are to be included. Clarifications are also proposed regarding voting for appointments and options, and the requirement to sign minutes of previous meetings at extraordinary meetings. Provisions concerning members' and public conduct are also set to be clarified.

Changes to Annex 12: Standing Orders for Regulatory and Other Committees are also scheduled for discussion. These include references to 'members of the committee' rather than 'political group spokespersons' throughout, and a change of location to reflect the move of meetings to the Stevenage Campus. The standing orders for committees will also be amended to ensure motions are relevant to a committee's terms of reference and to remove the requirement for them to be relevant to an item on the agenda. The Chair's discretion to allow an increased number of and time for representations to the Development Control Committee is also to be addressed, and provisions regarding disorder are to be amended to replicate those in Annex 6.

Regarding Annex 28: Substitution Scheme, an amendment is proposed to include a new paragraph suggesting that the Council's Substitution Scheme be reviewed and approved by full Council each year at the Annual Meeting. This addition aims to ensure adherence to legal requirements and follows advice from the Group's external legal advisers.

The report indicates that these proposed changes, if supported by the Standards Committee, will be presented to the full Council for formal approval on 19 May 2026. The report also notes that the CWG's work is ongoing, and further revisions to other areas of the Constitution are anticipated.

The meeting is also scheduled to confirm the minutes of the Standards Committee meeting held on 14 January 2026.