The Conservative Group has formed a majority administration on Bath & North East Somerset Council following the Annual General Meeting held yesterday evening (Thursday 21st May 2015).
Councillor Tim Warren (Conservative, Mendip) was elected as Leader of Council.
He said: “I’m proud to lead the Cabinet as we set to work on ensuring that the Council is efficient and well-run; investing in the future and putting the interests of residents first – right across Bath and North East Somerset.”
There are 7 further Cabinet Members taking responsibility for specific service areas. These are:
- Councillor Charles Gerrish (Conservative, Keynsham North) – Cabinet Member for Finance & Efficiency;
- Councillor Anthony Clark (Conservative, Lansdown) – Cabinet Member for Transport;
- Councillor Michael Evans (Conservative, Midsomer Norton North) Cabinet Member for Children’s Services;
- Councillor Martin Veal (Conservative, Bathavon North) – Cabinet Member for Community Services;
- Councillor Vic Pritchard (Conservative, Chew Valley South) – Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care & Health;
- Councillor Marie Longstaff (Conservative, Keynsham East) – Cabinet Member for Homes & Planning;
- Councillor Patrick Anketell Jones (Conservative, Lansdown) – Cabinet Member for Economic Development.
In addition, there are 7 new roles of Cabinet Assistant.
These Cabinet Assistants will not be full members of the Cabinet, but will be aligned to each Cabinet portfolio and will assist the Cabinet Members in their roles – taking on specific responsibilities and helping to ensure delivery within that portfolio.
The Cabinet Assistants are:
- Finance & Efficiency: Councillor Paul May (Conservative, Publow and Whitchurch);
- Transport: Councillor Matt Cochrane (Conservative, Bathwick);
- Children’s Services: Councillor Emma Dixon (Conservative, Saltford);
- Community Services: Councillor Chris Pearce (Conservative, Kingsmead);
- Adult Social Care & Health: Councillor Lisa O’Brien (Conservative, Keynsham South);
- Homes & Planning: Councillor Bob Goodman (Conservative, Combe Down);
- Economic Development: Councillor Mark Shelford (Conservative, Lyncombe).
The new Chairman of Council is Councillor Ian Gilchrist. The Vice-Chairman of Council is Councillor Alan Hale.
At the meeting, Councillor Warren reaffirmed his commitment to delivering on the promises made within the party’s local election manifesto, which included plans to improve local leisure facilities, deliver more affordable homes, and invest in the area’s transport infrastructure, all under a theme of ‘putting residents first’.
He said: “We’ve got a big task ahead of us and we’re very humbled by the trust residents have put in us, but we’ve got a good team in place of talented individuals with fresh ideas and a clear vision for making our area an even better place to live.
“With the Council’s new administration now officially appointed, we’re ready to roll-up our sleeves and get on with the job of delivering on the commitments made during the election – such as sorting out our area’s transport system and getting the Council’s finances in order.
“There will be difficult decisions ahead, especially when it comes to finding the necessary budget savings within the Council, but B&NES is a great area with huge potential and I’m optimistic about what we can achieve in the next few years.”
Explaining the approach the Conservatives will take to running the Council over the next four years, Councillor Warren added:
“There’s one overriding theme running through everything we plan to do – and that’s ensuring the interests of residents always come first.
“Does this proposal truly serve the interests of local residents? That will be the litmus test we will apply to all decisions in the Council.
“‘Residents first’ was on the front-page of our manifesto, and that is the approach we will take to running the Council over the next four years.”
The Conservatives took control of B&NES Council at the local elections earlier this month, becoming the first political party since B&NES was created to gain an outright majority on the Council, with a total of 37 Councillors against the Lib Dems’ 15 seats, Labour’s 6 Councillors and 2 Green Party seats.
A further 5 Councillors were also elected as independents.
1 Comment
Vipul Patel
Tuesday 26th May, 2015 at 11:10And two Green councillors!!