The Role of the Cabinet

The Cabinet is made up of the Leader and six other councillors who are chosen by the County Council from the majority party, currently Labour. Each Cabinet Member has an individual area of responsibility also known as his/her portfolio.

The Cabinet Members for Staffordshire are as follows:

John Taylor - Leader of the Council
Robert Simpson - Deputy Leader of the Council
Peter Beresford - Children and Young People
Edward Boden - Organisation and Performance
Carol Dean - Safer and Stronger Communities
John Wakefield - Economic Prosperity and Sustainable Communities    
Susan Woodward - Healthier Communities and Older People 

 Cabinet Members are assisted by Support Members. There are currently nine Support Members who are allocated areas of responsibility. Currently the nine Support Members for Staffordshire are as follows:-

Jack Barber - Support Member - Performance Management and ICT
Michael Clarke - Support Member - Older People's Services
Maureen Compton - Support Member - Cultural Services
Peter Davies - Support Member - Schools
Eric Drinkwater - Support Member - Youth Service, Community Learning Parnerships and Social Cohesion
David Leech - Support Member - Highways
Richard McDermid - Support Member - Property, Human Resources and Job Evaluation
Peter White - Support Member - Waste
Tony Wilkins - Support Member - Disability Services

There is also a Shadow Cabinet made up of six members of the Conservative Party. Members of the Shadow Cabinet are responsible for familiarising themselves with the specialist area(s) of the County Council's work covered by their corresponding Cabinet member's portfolio and for effective challenge and scrutiny of the Cabinet and that Portfolio Holder; and a role as a County Councillor representing their local communities.

Members of the Shadow Cabinet are as follows:-

Philip Atkins - Shadow Leader, Corporate Affairs and Finance(Leader of the Conservative Group)
Ian Parry - Shadow Deputy Leader and Schools, Children and Families
Veronica Downes - Shadow Member - Adult Care and Wellbeing
Robert Marshall - Shadow Member - Highways, Economy and Transportation
Neal Podmore- Shadow Member - Community Services and Partnerships
Mark Winnington - Shadow Member - Performance and Organisation

Shadow Support Members are:-

Mike Maryon - Support to the Leader
Matthew Ellis - Support Member - HR and ICT
Bob Fraser - Support Member - Schools
Erica Bayliss - Support Member - Young People, Community Learning
Sonja Oatley - Support Member - Community Development
Geoff Morrison - Support Member - Disability Services
Kath Perry - Support Member - Older People's Services
Rex Roberts - Support Member - Planning, Economic Development
Frank Lewis - Support Member - Waste Management
Barrie Mycock - Support Member - Highways
Gill Heath - Support Member - Property                                           

The Cabinet normally meets monthly. Its role is to lead in the preparation of the Council's policies and budget, to lead the community planning process and the attainment of best value.

•  A full list of Cabinet functions can be found here.
•  Details of items considered at meetings of the Cabinet can be found here.

Cabinet members can also make certain decisions known as 'delegated decisions' and details of the types of decisions they can make can be found in Table 4b of Appendix 1 to the constitution. The table can also be viewed by clicking here.

Decisions made by the Cabinet and Cabinet Members delegated decisions are subject to "call-in". This is where non-Cabinet members are given the opportunity to challenge a decision made by the Executive. If this happens, the Cabinet may have to re-consider their decision.

The Cabinet also has to publish a Forward Plan which contains a list of key decisions that the Cabinet are likely to take in the following four months, how and with whom consultation takes place on those matters before the decision is taken, the anticipated date of the meeting that the decision will be taken at, a list of the documents which the Cabinet will consider and the steps to be taken by any person who wants to make representations to the Cabinet about the matter. The Forward Plan for Staffordshire can be found here.

Last Modified: 18/06/2008 10:11:03
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