The Council elected Cllr Chris Robbins to serve as Leader of the Council at the Council's Annual Meeting on 20 May 2010. Cllr Robbins report at that meeting on the appointment of Councillors to serve on the Cabinet.

Full details of all council committees (dates and memberships) are available as a downloadable list, or individually on the ModernGov pages of the website.

Cabinet Members
Member Responsibilities and portfolios

Councillor Chris Robbins

Cllr Chris Robbins

Leader of the Council

  • Excellence in service provision
  • Council performance
  • Local Strategic Partnership
  • Policy framework
  • Budget strategy
  • Capital strategy
  • Olympics
  • Communications
  • Organisational development
  • Relationship with Central and London Government
  • Finance
  • Regeneration
  • Town centre management
  • Anti-Gangs Strategy

Councillor Afzal Akram

Cllr Akram

Portfolio Lead for Corporate Resources, Business and Employment

  • Transformation Programme
  • Legal and Democratic Services
  • Performance improvement
  • Policy implementation
  • Procurement and commissioning
  • Human Resources
  • Revenues and Benefits
  • ICT
  • Property management
  • Audit
  • Economic Development
  • Businesses
  • Employment
  • Training and skills
  • Residents First – across all Portfolios
  • Waltham Forest Direct
  • Child poverty
  • Liaison with the Unions
  • Various reviews of service areas as agreed with the Leader
  • Providing Value for Money
  • Equalities

Councillor Saima Mahmud

Cllr Saima Mahmud

Portfolio Lead for Housing and Development

  • All Housing functions
  • Partnership with the ALMO, Ascham Homes and Registered Social Landlords
  • Neighbourhood management
  • Planning

Cllr Clyde Loakes

Cllr Clyde Loakes

Portfolio Lead for Environment

  • Street cleaning
  • Refuse collection
  • Recycling
  • Climate change
  • Conservation
  • Waste
  • Traffic and Highways
  • Envirocrime
  • Enforcement
  • Traffic and Highways policy
  • Environmental Health and Trading Standards
  • Walthamstow Market
  • Support to Cllr Pye on Children Safeguarding

Cllr Angie Bean

Cllr Angie Bean

Portfolio Lead for Health, Adults and Older People

  • Adult social services functions
  • Health
  • Older People’s Strategy
  • Supporting People
  • Personalisation Strategy

Councillor Geraldine Reardon

Cllr Geraldine Reardon

Portfolio Lead for Leisure, Arts and Culture

  • Sports and Leisure
  • Lifelong Learning and Adult Education
  • Libraries and Cultural Services
  • Arts
  • Parks and Green Space
  • Cultural Olympiad

Councillor Liaquat Ali

Cllr Ali

Portfolio Lead for Community Safety and Cohesion

  • Crime and Disorder Strategy
  • Drug Action Team
  • Respect Agenda
  • Voluntary sector
  • Relationships with police and fire authorities
  • Community Cohesion
  • Prevent Strategy
  • Civil contingency planning
  • Community Engagement

Councillor Marie Pye

Cllr Pye

Portfolio Lead for Children and Young People

  • Statutory functions under the Children Act
  • Education
  • Children and Young People’s Social Services provision
  • Schools capital projects
  • Early Years
  • Youth provision
  • Youth Offending Team
  • Building Schools for Future programme
  • Children Safeguarding (Supported by Cllr Loakes)

Cllr Anna Mbachu

Cllr Anna Mbachu

Junior Cabinet Member

  • Supports Cllr Pye with Childrens Services

Cllr Ahsan Khan

Cllr Ahsan Khan

Junior Cabinet Member

  • Supports Cllr Loakes on Environment

Cllr Clare Coghill

Cllr Claire Coghill

Junior Cabinet Member

  • Supports Cllr Bean on Health

Cllr Mark Rusling

Cllr Mark Rusling

Junior Cabinet Member

  • Supports Cllr Akram on Employment

Deputy Leader

Exercise of Executive Powers

Deputy Leader

The Leader has determined that the role of Deputy Leader of the Council will continue to rotate amongst Cabinet Members during 2011/12 as follows:

Deputy Leader rotation
Date Councillor
June and July 2011 Councillor Geraldine Reardon
August and September 2011 Councillor Afzal Akram
October and November 2011 Councillor Liaquat Ali
December 2011 and January 2012 Councillor Angie Bean
February and March 2012 Councillor Clyde Loakes
April and May 2012 Councillor Saima Mahmud

Exercise of Executive Powers

The Leader has determined that except where specifically provided for in the Constitution, or a decision has been taken by himself, or by the Cabinet to delegate a decision in a particular matter to a specified individual or body, the following general arrangements shall apply in respect of matters which, under the Constitution, are defined as key decisions:

(a) Except where paragraph (b) below applies, all key decisions shall be taken

collectively by Cabinet;

(b) Where a key decision relates only to a matter within a single Portfolio Holder’s area of responsibility and/or has only a minimal impact on another executive portfolio in the view of the Director of Governance and Law (or her representative), the decision may be taken by the relevant Portfolio Holder, subject to the Director of Governance and Law being satisfied as to the following:

(i) that appropriate consultation has been undertaken on the matter concerned;

(ii) that all relevant matters are set out in a report that is considered by the Portfolio Holder; and

(iii) a proper record is taken of the Portfolio Holder’s decision.

Contact us

Democratic Services
Waltham Forest Town Hall
Forest Road
Walthamstow  E17 4JF

Email councillors@walthamforest.gov.uk
Tel 020 8496 3000