Buckinghamshire Council Cabinet and Committee members announced

Following the postponement of local elections due to take place on 7 May this year because of the coronavirus crisis, government put into place special arrangements, laid out in the Local Government (Coronavirus)(Structural Changes)(Consequential Amendments)(England) Regulations 2020.

Government specified that all the existing 17 Shadow Executive members will form Buckinghamshire Council’s new Cabinet until the elections in May 2021. Martin Tett would continue as Leader. At the Cabinet meeting on 21 April 2020, Angela Macpherson was also confirmed as a Deputy Leader, alongside Katrina Wood.

Notable changes are the moves of councillor Warren Whyte away from Children's Services and onto Planning, with councillor Mark Shaw, previously on Transport taking over Children's Services.

The members of the Cabinet and their portfolios that have been announced today are:

Martin Tett - Leader

Angela Macpherson - Deputy Leader and Adult Social Care

Katrina Wood - Deputy Leader and Resources

Steve Bowles - Town Centre Regeneration

Bill Chapple - Environment and Climate Change

John Chilver - Property & Assets

Anita Cranmer - Education and Skills

Isobel Darby - Housing & Homelessness

Tony Green - Youth Provision

Clive Harriss - Sports and Leisure

Patrick Hogan - Culture

David Martin - Logistics

Nick Naylor - Transport

Mark Shaw - Children’s Services

Warren Whyte - Planning and Enforcement

Gareth Williams - Communities & Public Health

Fred Wilson - Regulatory Services

Full details of the specific services covered by each portfolio can be found on the Buckinghamshire Council website.

Councillors have also been nominated to the new council committees, according to proportionality arrangements that reflect the current political make-up of the council. These appointments will then be confirmed on 11 May 2020 once the regulations come into force. Membership of Select Committees was also reported.

In the case of Community Boards, all Buckinghamshire Council councillors from the respective area are members of these new Boards. Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health, Gareth Williams, announced the names of Chairmen of these Boards so that they can begin to plan how they will work at a local level.

Details of Board membership and that of other committees can also be found on the Council’s website.

Council Leader, Martin Tett, said: “The new Cabinet is large, as required by Government, but has the advantage of including a strong mix of councillors from all the former councils. This brings a wealth of local knowledge and expertise that will be of great benefit to the new council over the next year as we continue to respond to the current emergency and focus on helping our residents and businesses recover from this crisis.

"We have worked well together as a team since May last year creating the new council and I look forward to continuing this work as we develop the new council for a better future together for the residents and businesses of Buckinghamshire.

“If social distancing measures remain in force, which is likely, the council will be looking at ways to enable committees and the usual business of the council to be conducted effectively, while keeping members safe.

“Similarly, the make-up of committees represents the opportunity to build a strong, new culture, with more diversity and opportunity whilst retaining the expertise of the past."