Tower Hamlets Council is set to launch a new digital version of its constitution, aiming to make the document more accessible and user-friendly for residents and councillors alike.
The proposed overhaul moves away from the traditional PDF format to a dedicated website, which will allow for easier navigation, searching, and linking to specific sections. The content has been re-themed to group related information, such as all non-executive committees being presented in one place.
This initiative was discussed and agreed in principle at a General Purposes Committee meeting held on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Matthew Menon, Head of Democratic Services, presented the report on the proposed update, highlighting that the new system, hosted at constitution.opencouncil.network/tower-hamlets/, is a significant step towards improving transparency and ease of use.
Councillor Abu Talha Chowdhury raised a pertinent question about how the success of this initiative would be measured in terms of increased public engagement. Mr. Menon acknowledged this point, explaining that the new system is the first step. Future developments will focus on creating different entry points for different people. So it's kind of like, you come to the front page and say, well, I'm an officer. And it says, okay, for an officer, you need to know these things. If you're a member, it's these things. If you're a resident, it's these things. So we can make it more accessible in that way.
Regarding metrics for engagement, Mr. Menon stated that once the new system is in place, the council can play with this new system and create these new ways in, we can start to think about, OK, how do we let people know this is here? How can we use this on different websites, different pages, different news things and get that engagement?
He added, I mean, it's never going to be the most read page. I mean, I'm not we're not naive, but hopefully it can be more useful. And it's the sort of people who kind of know they want to get involved, but aren't quite sure how I think are the ones we want to reach rather than necessarily aiming for every single person to have read the Constitution.
Support mechanisms are also in place for residents who may be digitally excluded, including the availability of hard copy forms and assistance from officers. Mr. Menon confirmed that the new system is designed to be accessible, and these future developments will further enhance this.
The committee agreed to move forward with the new system, with a full launch planned for the next municipal year after further refinement and assurance work. New Committee Procedure Rules, refined based on previous feedback, will also be submitted to Full Council for approval as part of the updated constitution. The aim of these new rules is to create procedures that are a better fit for the council's committees than the current Council Procedure Rules that most committees are currently using. This update was detailed in the report Constitution Update - New Constitution and New Committee Procedure Rules.
