The Democracy and Standards Committee of North Northamptonshire Council met on Monday 20 April 2026, electing Councillor Chris Munday as Chair and Councillor Jonathan Carvetta as Vice Chair. The committee reviewed and approved updates to the council's constitution, including changes to the outside bodies procedure, member conduct complaints, and the establishment of a Member Development Working Group. A revised petition scheme was also approved, which aims to increase public participation and streamline the process for submitting petitions.

Constitution Update

The committee discussed and approved several proposed changes to the council's constitution. These updates aim to improve clarity, address inconsistencies, and ensure the document reflects current organisational practices and legislative requirements.

Key changes include:

• Planning Committee and Delegations: Amendments were made to delegations concerning the consultation with the Chair or Vice Chair of the planning committee regarding objections from town or parish councils and objectors. These changes ensure that decision-making is not inhibited in the absence of a Chair or Vice Chair.
• Outside Bodies Procedure: The procedure for appointing members to outside bodies has been reviewed and updated to reflect the council's current governance structure and to provide greater clarity on the definition and categorisation of outside bodies. This includes linking the process to the Audit and Governance Committee and the Shareholder Committee.
• Member Conduct Complaints: Revisions were made to the member conduct complaints procedure to strengthen each stage of the assessment process and clarify how complaints are handled. This includes provisions for pausing complaints involving criminal allegations and addressing issues related to councillors who are no longer serving.
• Scrutiny Committees: The name of the Health Scrutiny Committee will be expanded to Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee to explicitly include oversight of adult social care matters, following a CQC inspection.
• Corporate Parenting: The Corporate Parenting Board will be formally recorded in the constitution as a council body, giving it equal prominence to other governance arrangements.

The committee recommended these revisions to the full council for approval.

Review of Petition Scheme

The council's petition scheme, which had not been reviewed since its adoption in 2021, was updated to enhance public participation and accessibility. The revised scheme includes:

• Lowered Threshold for Local Issues: An additional lower threshold of 500 signatures has been introduced for petitions relating to local issues affecting no more than two wards. These petitions will be considered at a public scrutiny committee meeting.
• Increased Prominence for Scrutiny Committees: Scrutiny committee agendas will now feature a dedicated Public Participation item for the acceptance of petitions, promoting greater public engagement.
• Flexibility for E-Petitions: Lead petitioners will have more flexibility to vary the live period of e-petitions, allowing more time to reach higher signature thresholds.
• Removal from Constitution: The petition scheme will be removed from the council's constitution and managed by the Monitoring Officer, allowing for more agile revisions in the future.

The committee recommended these proposed changes to the full council for approval and agreed that future revisions to the petition scheme should be delegated to the Monitoring Officer.

Member Development Working Group

The committee approved the establishment of a new Member Development Working Group. This group will provide strategic oversight and cross-party input into the council's approach to elected member learning and development. Its key responsibilities will include identifying training needs, shaping induction programmes for new councillors, reviewing the ongoing training offer, and promoting engagement with development opportunities. The group will report to the Democracy and Standards Committee and will operate on an advisory basis. The Chair of the working group will be selected annually.