Cabinet members

The role of ‘Commissioner’, previously a Junior Cabinet Member, has been updated to reflect a more action-focused role, leading engagement with our community on three key priorities for the council to support our borough to recover from the pandemic.

These roles will have greater visibility and be more outward facing, ensuring the delivery of cross-cutting action. There will be three Commissioners to strengthen governance and political capacity and their portfolios are reflective of post-pandemic priorities and the Council reset.

Reporting structure

The Commissioners will work with the appropriate Cabinet members but report directly to the Leader to ensure portfolios remain interlinked and cross-cutting.

Commissioners are not Members of the Cabinet, do not have any voting rights nor decision-making powers, and nor can they be council spokespeople. They will lead the way as a team ensuring cross-cutting action on priority areas following the pandemic.

1. Except where specifically provided for in the Constitution, or a decision has been taken by myself or by 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:

• Except where paragraph (b) applies, all key decisions shall be taken collectively by Cabinet;
• 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 his/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 published of the Portfolio Holder’s decision.

2. I confirm the delegation of executive powers to officers as set out in:

• The General Scheme of Delegation;
• The Council’s Constitution; and
• As set out in item 9 of this agenda.

and that all officers with delegated powers may in turn delegate those powers to other officers in accordance with the Council’s Constitution and legislation.

3. As executive leader, I reserve my statutory powers to make different arrangements for the discharge of executive functions to those set out above where this is desirable or necessary in the circumstances and following the receipt of legal advice, where appropriate.

Councillor Grace Williams

Leader of the council