How do councillors make decisions?

Staffordshire County Council delivers hundreds of different services, from looking after over 3000 square miles of countryside, 3500 miles of road, over 400 schools, social services, fostering and adoption and trading standards services. 

The county councillors, through a cabinet system, are there to make the major decisions about these services and many others that you use on a day-to-day basis.  

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.

The cabinet is made up of the leader and five 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 six cabinet members for Staffordshire are:

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

Peter Beresford - Children and Young People

The Cabinet don't make decisions on all aspects of services provided by the council,, it has to make sure that these decisions are in line with the council's budget and policies. If it wishes to make a decision which is outside the  budget or policy framework, this must be referred to the full council.

As well as the decisions made by the Cabinet as a whole each Cabinet member has a portfolio - a responsibility for a particular area of the council's work. They have the authority to make delegated decisions on matters within their portfolio.

Cabinet members have support members to help them oversee the services they are responsible for. There are currently ten Support Members who are allocated areas of responsibility. The list below shows who they are:-

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

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 and for effective challenge and scrutiny of the Cabinet and that Portfolio Holder.

Members of the Shadow Cabinet are:-

Philip Atkins - Shadow Leader and Corporate Affairs (Leader of the Conservative Group)
Ian Parry - Shadow Deputy Leader and Finance and Organisation
Bob Fraser - Shadow Member - Schools, Children and Families
Matthew Ellis - Shadow Member - Communities and Partnerships
Robert Marshall - Shadow Member - Highways, Economy and Transportation                                               
Veronica Downes - Shadow Member - Adult Care and Wellbeing

 

Last Modified: 16/05/2008 08:56:16
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