Greenwich Council has approved significant changes to its Constitution, including new procedures for public and member questions, a revised call-in process for scrutiny, and alterations to the Tenants Oversight and Influence Panel. The decision was made during a lengthy Council meeting on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, despite fierce opposition from Conservative and Independent/Green councillors.
The overhaul, championed by Councillor Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Council, aims to improve meeting efficiency and focus. Key amendments to Part 4 of the Council Constitution include:
- Deputations: The power to determine whether to receive a deputation at Full Council meetings will now rest with the Chief Executive in consultation with the Monitoring Officer, rather than the Mayor. Reasons for refusal will be provided in writing.
- Questions: Deadlines for submitting written questions from both members and the public will be extended to seven working days before the meeting. Member questions will be limited to two per member, not exceeding 100 words each, and public questions will also have a 100-word limit per question, with a maximum of two questions per person. The time allocated for oral questions to Cabinet members has been increased from 10 to 30 minutes, followed by a 10-minute period for oral questions to the Leader.
- Call-in Procedure: The ability to call in an executive decision will now require three non-executive councillors from more than one political group (or two if there are fewer than three groups). Crucially, those calling in a decision must submit supporting evidence, not just assertions.
Opposition councillors, including Councillor Matt Hartley, Leader of the Opposition, described the proposals as political thuggery
and an abuse of power.
They argued that the proposals were not fully originated by the Monitoring Officer and had not been properly discussed by the Constitution Review Working Group. Councillor Majella Anning, Leader of the Independent and Green Group, echoed concerns about the lack of consensus and the rushed nature of the proposals. However, the meeting information does not detail the specific evidence presented by opposition councillors to support these claims.
Despite these objections, an amendment to defer the decision was defeated, and the proposed changes to the Constitution were approved by a vote of 28 to 8, with one abstention.
Proposed Changes to the Constitution Part 4 Council and Committee procedures Overview and Scrutiny outlines the specific amendments made to the Council Constitution.
