Horsham District Council councillors will be asked to approve a new revised constitution at a meeting of the full Council on 2 April 2025.
The Council’s constitution outlines the structures, powers and functions of a local authority and how it operates.
A cross-party working group, alongside Council officers, has undertaken a wholesale review of the current constitution to take into account recommendations from a recent independent review co-ordinated by the Local Government Association.
Key changes in the proposed new constitution include:
- Creation of an additional scrutiny committee focused on communities, planning and the local economy in order to enhance the scrutiny function and enable more meaningful engagement in policy development.
- An enhanced schedule of regular all-member briefings, replacing the much smaller Policy Development Advisory Groups.
- A single planning committee for the whole District, where members will be required to attend extensive training to make sound decisions that will be rooted in planning policy, while allowing other local members to speak more freely on behalf of residents.
- An increased requirement for members on specialist committees such as planning to undergo relevant training, and an increase to the time allowed for members of the public to speak at planning committee meetings.
- Splitting the licensing function into two committees: one to deal with matters such as the determination of premises licences and the other to deal with a variety of other matters including taxi licensing.
Commenting on the revised constitution proposals, Leader of the Council Cllr Martin Boffey said:
“We committed in our Council Plan to deliver a revised constitution that is fit for purpose, allows for proper scrutiny, and facilitates public engagement. We have taken on board the findings of an independent governance review to create a new constitution which ensures that the roles, responsibilities and processes within the Council are clearly defined.
“This transparency will foster more trust with the public and our key stakeholders, making it easier for everyone to understand how decisions are made, engage in the democratic process and ultimately help us deliver the key objectives of our 2025/26 and future Annual Plans. It delivers on our ambition for the Council to be ‘always listening, learning and improving.’
“The changes proposed to our committees will streamline and enhance our operations. Additionally, the changes to the planning committee comprise a package of measures which will allow for greater public and parish involvement, more consistency in decision-making and a stronger voice for local ward councillors. “
The revised constitution will be presented to the Governance Committee on 24 March and if approved, will then be presented to a meeting of the full Council on 2 April for formal adoption.
If adopted, the print copy will be retained at the Council’s offices for public inspection and more detailed information will be available on the Horsham District Council website.