Lewisham Council is considering significant changes to its constitution, including the removal of Ward Assemblies, following a Governance Committee meeting that was adjourned due to a lack of quorum.

The Governance Committee convened on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, to discuss proposed amendments to the council's governing document. However, the meeting was cut short when a quorum could not be achieved. The specific reasons for the lack of quorum are not provided in the meeting information. According to the meeting's decision record, the meeting was adjourned at 7:15 pm.

Despite the early adjournment, the agenda for the meeting included several key items related to the constitution. One of the most notable proposals was the removal of all references to Ward Assemblies in Article 6.5 of the Articles of the Council. This move aligns with a previous council decision to eliminate Ward Assemblies[1].

Other proposed changes included:

  • Amending Article 6.7 to specifically reference the council's landlord function within the terms of reference for the Housing Select Committee.
  • Including previously omitted wording in Article 9.1, detailing the terms of reference for the Strategic Planning Committee.
  • Removing references to Deputations in the Council Procedure Rules.
  • Amending the Scrutiny Procedure Rules to give the Proper Officer more discretion over placing matters on the agenda. The Statutory Scrutiny Officer requested this amendment because the current rules require the Proper Officer to comply with all requests to place a matter on the agenda. The proposed amendment would allow the Proper Officer to make a decision, in consultation with the relevant Committee Chair, as to whether the item can be taken.
  • Revising the Scheme of Delegation to clarify planning committee authority and move certain decision-making powers between departments. Specifically, Rule 19, concerning decisions about community education service cessation, is recommended to move from the 'Adult Social Care & Health' Heading to the 'Place' Heading. Additionally, Rule 32, concerning decisions about Controlled Parking Zones, is recommended to move from the 'Finance' Heading to the 'Place' Heading.
  • Granting each committee the ability to determine its own start time for meetings. While some members expressed support for a 7:30 pm start time, the majority favoured retaining flexibility. Concerns were raised that later start times could disproportionately affect women and disabled councillors. The recommendation is to include a provision in the Committee Procedure Rules stating: The start time of ordinary committees of the Council for each municipal year shall be determined and agreed by each committee at its first meeting following the Annual General Meeting of the Council.

The Public Reports Pack also included a Declaration of Interests document, reminding members of their obligations to declare any relevant interests.

The agenda for the meeting listed Councillors Susan Wise, James-J Walsh, Sophie Davis, Aisha Malik-Smith, Jacq Paschoud, and Hau-Yu Tam as members summoned to attend.

It is expected that these proposed changes will be brought before the council for approval at a later date.

[1] The meeting information indicates that the council had previously agreed to remove all references to Ward Assemblies from the Articles of the Council and that this decision had already been made. The specific reasons for the original decision are not provided in the meeting information.