Lewisham Council's Governance Committee has reviewed proposals concerning officer presence at councillor meetings with developers as part of a wider review of the council's constitution. The committee resolved to recommend these constitutional amendments to the Council, with a vote expected on March 4, 2026.

During the meeting on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, a key point of discussion was the clarification of wording within Constitution Appendix 2, Planning Probity. Specifically, the review focused on the requirement for officers to be present when councillors meet developers. Councillor James-J Walsh sought clarification, suggesting the rule should apply only to members with decision-making influence, not ward representatives meeting on behalf of residents.

The current process, as implied by the discussion, involves a requirement for officers to be present at councillor-developer meetings. The proposed amendment seeks to formally differentiate between members with decision-making influence and ward representatives acting on behalf of residents. The Monitoring Officer agreed to take this amendment away for inclusion in recommendations to the Council, indicating a potential refinement of the existing practice.

This specific amendment is part of a broader review of the council's constitution, which includes several other proposed minor changes. These encompass adjustments to various articles, committee procedures, and delegations. Specific points for discussion in the wider review included the removal of references to ward assemblies, an addition to the Housing Select Committee's terms of reference, the reinstatement of wording relating to the Strategic Planning Committee referral, and the removal of deputations from Council Procedure Rules. Further discussions involved clarification on scrutiny procedure rules, the reinstatement of an omitted section concerning matters reserved to Planning Committees A & B, minor corrections to the Scheme of Delegation, a proposal for each committee to set its own meeting time annually, and a discussion about time limits for Council motions.

The public reports pack for the Governance Committee meeting on February 4, 2026, details these proposed amendments. Public reports pack 04th-Feb-2026 19.00 Governance Committee