Changes to Cabinet and Portfolio Holders help council to cut costs

The changes, which will begin today (1 July), will see Cllr Allison Bucknell step down from her Cabinet position and take up a new Portfolio Holder role for Communities, Arts, Heritage and Tourism. This will reduce the number of Cabinet members from nine to eight, and several Cabinet members will also see changes to the portfolios they manage. The number of Portfolio Holders has also been reduced from 14 to 10.

Cllr Philip Whitehead said: The Cabinet and Portfolio Holders are essential to the democratic functions of the council, but we have made these changes to make the administration more efficient, and better placed to help us tackle the challenges faced by COVID-19 and the subsequent recovery.

These changes also represent a 15% saving in the costs of running the administration, which is prudent given the financial challenges we face because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I would like to thank Cllr Bucknell for her hard work as Cabinet Member for Communications, Communities, Leisure and Libraries, and also the Portfolio Holders who have stepped down, Cllr Atiqul Hoque, Cllr Johnny Kidney, Cllr David Halik, Cllr Horace Prickett and Cllr Fleur De Rhe-Philipe, though Fleur will still work closely on the A303 Stonehenge project.

The Cabinet is the council's principal decision-making body and comprises the Leader of the Council and up to nine Cabinet Members.

The full list of appointments is as follows:
Cllr Philip Whitehead, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Military Civilian Integration (MCI) and Communications.
Cllr Richard Clewer, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services, Heritage, Arts and Tourism, Housing, and Communities.
Cllr Pauline Church, Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement, and Commercial investment.
Cllr Laura Mayes, Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Skills.
Cllr Simon Jacobs, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health and Public Protection.
Cllr Toby Sturgis, Cabinet Member for Spatial Planning, Development Management and Property.
Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Cabinet Member for ICT, Digitalisation, Operational Assets, Leisure and Libraries.
Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport, Waste and A303.

Cllr Chris Williams, Portfolio Holder for MCI, Communications, AONB, ESIF and Canals.
Cllr Ashley O'Neil, Portfolio Holder for Climate Change.
Cllr Allison Bucknell, Portfolio Holder for Communities, Arts, Heritage and Tourism.
Cllr Jane Davies, Portfolio Holder for Education and SEND.
Cllr Peter Hutton, Portfolio Holder for Children's Safeguarding.
Cllr Phil Alford, Portfolio Holder for Whole Life Pathway.
Cllr Ben Anderson, Portfolio Holder for Public Health and Public Protection.
Cllr Jerry Kunkler, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Sport.
Cllr Sven Hocking, Portfolio Holder for Highways and Streetscene.
Cllr Robert Yuill, Portfolio Holder for Waste.