The new leader of the Conservative Group on BCP Council, Cllr Drew Mellor, has announced his Shadow Cabinet. “This is a time for experienced, collaborative leadership and I am pleased to bring this team forward to support and positively challenge the current administration.
The priority for all of us now is working collaboratively with the full Council membership in the face of the grave and unprecedented challenges facing our Residents from the Coronavirus pandemic. The importance of the BCP Council response to this threat to all of us supersedes any political considerations and the Conservative Group pays tribute to the huge mobilisation efforts led by the Council Officers to ensure all Residents who need and deserve help and advice receive it promptly. Led by Government, considerations towards employment and job security are hugely important and the Shadow Cabinet I have appointed have that vital range of commercial and political experience along with human empathy and compassion for the challenges all our Residents are facing at this time.
As with every ‘exit strategy’, my Conservative Shadow Cabinet is already looking beyond the current stage of the crisis to ensure the financial health of BCP Council is robustly thought through. We cannot let this national emergency endanger the work in progress across our Council’s future plans and we fear that the current ‘Cabinet of political Compromises’ in a minority led administration just will not be capable of ensuring a safe direction of travel post-Coronavirus. We need to be working together and pooling experience.
Alongside our reaction to the Coronavirus pandemic we mustn’t lose sight of the once in a generation opportunity to deliver on what our residents were promised through the Local Government Reorganisation process and I firmly believe my future cabinet will provide the unified and credible Leadership our Residents expect and deserve.”
Shadow Cabinet:
Drew Mellor – Leader and Transformation
Mohan Iyengar – Finance and Resources
Phil Broadhead – Regeneration, Tourism and Economy
Tony O’Neil – Connectivity
Mark Anderson – Environment
Jane Kelly – Neighbourhoods
May Haines – Community Safety
Karen Rampton – Adults and Health
Mike White – Children and Young People
Bob Lawton – Homes
Spoken from the heart as well as the head!
Great writing and hopefully the shadow cabinet will help keep the full cabinet in check and be ready to take over the running at the next full council elections!
So who are the Shadow Cabinet members? Strange to announce a Cabinet and then not name them.
Thanks Steve. Now updated.