Constitution and Meetings Protocol

The Constitution

All local authorities are required to have a Constitution in place as defined in section 37 of the Local Government Act 2000.The Constitution provides a single point of reference as to how the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (“the Council”) operates. It contains the rules and procedures for making decisions and managing the Council's business. The contents of the Constitution derive from:

• Statute – Acts of Parliament and Regulations
• Decisions of the Assembly
• Decisions of the Council’s Cabinet

The Constitution is divided into chapters covering:

• Summary and explanation
• Meeting Articles
• Officer Scheme of delegation
• Contract, Financial, Employment and Land Acquisition and Disposal Rules
• Codes and Protocols
• Members Allowance Scheme   

This link takes you to the Constitution. Open the most recent version (at the top of the list). The Parts of the Constitution are referenced throughout the Political Structure section of the App. Scroll through to find the Part referred to.

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Meetings Protocol 

The general meeting rules can be found in Part 2 (Chapter 3) of the Council Constitution. 

At the beginning of each constituted public meeting, the Chair will ask that mobile phones are switched to silent mode and will explain that proceedings will be webcast live over the

internet. Members of the public who attend meetings and who do not wish to appear in a webcast will be advised to sit in the allocated area which is not in camera range.

The protocol on filming, webcasting, photography and the use of social media at Council meetings can be viewed in Part 5 (Chapter 6) of the Constitution.

For further information contact: Alan Dawson, Head of Governance & Electoral Services by email: alan.dawson@lbbd.gov.uk