Labour leader Alan Baldock has today appointed a new cabinet to lead Canterbury City Council. The cabinet sees the formation of new portfolios representing Labour’s commitment to both Climate Change and the Coastal Communities. The cabinet is comprised of 9 with three members being appointed from the Liberal Democrats – four out of our six appointments are women ensuring that the cabinet is gender balanced overall.
Despite campaigning against the cabinet structure the, now revised, Constitution of the Council doesn’t allow Labour to return to the committee structure until at least 2026. We will however be commissioning a community governance review within the first two years of a Labour administration looking at a number of ways of improving transparency and giving more decision making powers back to local communities.
The new cabinet posts are as follows:
Leader: Alan Baldock
Alan will have overall responsibility for the Local Plan, delivering of our 100 day change programme and monitoring Cabinet performance. He will lead on a Community Wealth Building Strategy, a new district wide anti-poverty strategy and a review of the Corporate Plan. He will lead the Community Governance Review and has responsibility for Markets.
Housing: Pip Hazelton
Pip will lead on ensuring our council homes are safe, suitable and meet the aspirations of our tenants. She will have responsibility for council waiting lists, homelessness and the delivery of affordable rent in the district. Pip will lead on a new neighbourhood locality model designed to ensure tenants receive a more responsive service and tenant participation.
Climate Change & Biodiversity: Mel Dawkins
Mel will have an overarching brief to ensure our 2030 targets can be met across the district, she will develop a district Clean Air Strategy and establish a Climate Change Commission (People’s Assembly) to lead on the issue. Mel will deliver Labour’s manifesto promise to develop citizen science projects and take forward to the work of the biodiversity working group which reported in March.
Heritage, Open Spaces, Waste & Recycling: Charlotte Cornell
Charlotte will lead on the Levelling Up Fund and its vision for Canterbury City Centre, developing and promoting our heritage assets and museums. She will review our conservation planning guidance and have responsibility for parks, playgrounds and protected open spaces.
Charlotte will be the councils lead on delivering a waste and recycling solution that works across the district, managing the grounds, public conveniences and street cleaning contracts.
Community, Culture, Safety & Engagement: Connie Nolan
Connie will lead on our work with charities, community interest companies and the non profit sector, delivering revised community forum opportunities and grant programmes. She will have responsibilities for festivals, expanding district wide art and leisure offers, diversity and inclusion. Connie will lead on the formation of a new Youth Forum for the district.
This new brief include enforcement, street safety and working with the police to keep our community safe.
Coastal Towns: Chris Cornell
Chris will have responsibility for coastal safety and by laws across the coast and an overarching brief designed to deliver investment, economy and cultural growth in our coastal towns. He will work on delivering clean waters for our swimmers, high street regeneration and new traffic plans for Whitstable and Herne Bay.
He will work with the leader on a Community Governance Review and seek to expand tourism opportunities and leisure facilities in this area.
Our new coalition partners will fill the briefs for Property, Performance & Oversight (Michael Dixey); Finance (Mike Sole) and Tourism, Movement and Rural Development (Alex Ricketts). Labour councillor Pat Edwards will be appointed the Chair of the Planning Committee and lead a cross party working group reviewing the Local Plan.
