Since 2001 the council has operated under an Executive and Leader system, and since 2007 the “strong Leader” model.
The Executive, comprising the Leader, the Cabinet and certain other parts of the Council’s decision-making machinery, is the part of the council which is responsible for most day-to-day decisions. The Cabinet is made up of the Council Leader and up tp nine other Cabinet Members. These Cabinet Members are also known as Portfolio Holders and they are each responsible for specific functions and/or service areas (known as Portfolios).
Unless the Leader decides otherwise, the Cabinet is responsible for;
· any Executive functions or decisions which involve a recommendation to the Council including budget and policy proposals.
· making key decisions on any matter in the Schedule of Key Decisions and included in the budget.
The Cabinet also receives and responds to reports to the Cabinet (Executive) from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Monitoring Officer and the Chief Finance (Section 151) Officer; and recommendations from Council.
General responsibilities
The general responsibilities of all Cabinet Members include:
The Cabinet Members, and their areas of responsibility, are;
Cllr Noel Ovenden – Leader of the Council
Cabinet Member for Prosperity and Resource
External Role at National, Regional and local level including Joint Working
Overall vision and strategic direction
Budget – Revenue & Capital Spend
ICT and Digital Services
Cllr Steve Campkin – Deputy Leader of the Council
Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport
Climate Change
Air Quality
Waste & Recycling
Sustainable Transport
Cycling strategy
Parking Strategy
Cllr Bill Barrett
Cabinet Member for Homes & Homelessness
Strategic Housing
Homelessness & Rough sleeping
Landlord Services
Cllr Simon Betty
Cabinet Member for Economic Growth & Investment
Corporate Property
Special Projects
Town Centre Assets
Regeneration Sites
Car Parks (Assets)
Cllr Linda Harman
Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing Delivery & Communication
Planning & Neighbourhood Planning
Building Control
Planning Enforcement
Oversight of PR and Communications
Cllr Heather Hayward
Cabinet Member for Performance and Direction
Policy
Performance
Service Innovation
Promotion, Tourism
Art, Heritage & Culture
Cllr Dawnie Nilsson
Cabinet Member for People & Services
Human Resources
Customer Services
Cllr Kate Walder
Cabinet Member for Recreation and Public Spaces
Land Management
Waste & Recycling (Contract)
Town Centre Public Realm
Sports & Community facilities
Oversight of Legal Services
Cllr Liz Wright
Cabinet Member for Communities & Health
Health & Wellbeing
Environmental Health
Equality & Diversity
Safer Streets
Older persons and Ageing well
Overview of Port Health
Support officer: Member Services Telephone: 01233 330349. e-mail: membersservices@ashford.gov.uk