The Labour Leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Sue Jeffrey has today published the names of her Cabinet for the coming year. A new member is Labour Councillor Alec Brown a Dormanstown Councillor who is taking responsibility for the environment portfolio. Speaking today Cllr Jeffrey said it was a great appointment and would bring real strength and new thinking to the eight strong Labour team who run Redcar and Cleveland Council.
In a letter sent to the leaders of the three opposition groups on the council – Conservative, Lib Dem and Independent – Sue said that despite a recent vote at the Council’s Annual General Meeting which saw an independent Councillor installed as Mayor, and a number of previously Labour chaired Committees being taken over by other parties and independents, Labour, as by far the single largest Party on the council will fill the positions of Leader, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Members.
The letter goes on, “When the Labour Group took control in 2015 I made it clear that we wanted to move to a new inclusive way of working. We recognised we were a minority administration (albeit with by far the largest group) and that we would deliver better decisions if we used the talents of every member of the Council, coming together to make policy by consent. To that end we introduced a range of different opportunities for joint discussion, debate and policy-making that had never happened before. Sadly, the decisions taken at the Annual General Meeting
However, the political composition of the Council has not changed either immediately before or since the AGM, so it is Labour’s leadership team that will be leading the Council in the coming year. This decision accords with the clear wishes of the majority Labour voters in the Borough as shown in the results of the 2015 elections and confirmed recently by the Police Commissioner ballot”
We know we will have to make some big decisions – how to proceed with the clear up of the SSI site, attract new jobs and industry to the Borough, finalise the production of the Council’s Local Plan for housing, transport and business, continue the drive to ensure our schools produce excellent outcomes for all our children and maintain our first class social care for older people. All this at a time when we are faced with £25m of government cuts over the next three years. “
“I am proud of what we have done in our first year despite the difficulties we have faced and look forward to working with all Redcar and Cleveland Councillors to tackle the real challenges that are to come’
