Council Changes May Pave Way For Election Challenge

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Speculation following reshuffle that Cllr Ruth Cadbury may run in 2015

Brentford councillor Ruth Cadbury has stepped down from the Hounslow Council cabinet amid rumours that she may seek to challenge sitting MP Mary Macleod at the 2015 election.

Following a cabinet reshuffle at the Council meeting last night (May 14), Cllr Cadbury is no longer lead member for Regeneration and Planning - she will now chair the council's Planning Committee.

She refused to comment on speculation that she was going to focus on preparing to run for Labour in the Brentford and Isleworth constituency in the next election. Cllr Cadbury said she was looking forward to the challenge of taking on her new role in planning and development.

Conservative MP Mary Macleod took the seat from Labour at the last election in 2010 beating long-time sitting MP Anne Keen by a margin of around 2,000 votes. It is thought there are a number of people interested in becoming the next Labour candidate. A Labour Party source said that a decision will be made in the next three months and Cllr Cadbury is expected to be on the short list.

Cllr Cadbury is one of three Labour councillors representing Brentford ward and was deputy-leader for two years before being replaced by Councillor Colin Ellar in May 2012.

The roles assumed will be in place for the next municipal year.

Councillor Steve Curran will now be led member for Regeneration and Planning, and his portfolio in Education and HR is assumed by Cllr Tom Bruce (Bedfont ward). Other new appointments are Cllr Cllr Shantanu Rajawat (Heston West ward), as cabinet member for adult social care and health services, and Cllr Pritam Grewal, the outgoing Mayor, (Hounslow Central ward), who is the new cabinet member for communications and communities.

Other changes include Cllr Sue Sampson, cabinet member for performance and customer care, now taking responsibility for domestic violence issues, and Cllr Ed Mayne, cabinet member for community safety and regulatory services, taking responsibility for transport and traffic.

The Cabinet carries out most of the council’s functions and makes most of its decisions, except in areas such as planning, licensing and other regulatory matters.

Council leader Jagdish Sharma said: “I would like to thank all the cabinet members over the past year for their hard work and commitment.

“As we move forward, I have selected a cabinet that provides both continuity and new blood, and look forward to working with my colleagues to improve the lives of the borough’s residents.”

The new cabinet portfolios in full are :

Leader of the council, Cllr Jagdish Sharma:

• Overall strategy, vision and direction of the council
• Co-ordination of council policies, strategies and service delivery
• Local strategic partnership
• Liaison with key partners, central Government, MPs
• Budget strategy and finance
• Risk management
• Business Development

Deputy leader of the council and lead member for environment, Cllr Colin Ellar:

• Supporting the Leader
• Organisational transformation
• Clean and safe streets including Hounslow Highways
• Recycling and waste
• Heathrow Airport
• Tackling climate change - energy and carbon strategy
• Biodiversity
• Air quality, flooding, Mogden sewage works
• Gunnersbury Park

Performance and customer care, Cllr Sue Sampson:

• Performance management
• Customer care
• Corporate ICT and legal services Special projects
• Supply chain management
• Domestic Violence

Planning and regeneration, and housing, Cllr Steve Curran:

• Planning and regeneration
• Economic development and jobs
• Skills agenda
• Property management and asset rationalisation
• Hounslow town centre
• Financial inclusion
• Contingency planning
• Housing strategy and Commissioning
• Hounslow Homes (ALMO)
• Housing needs (overcrowding, homelessness, allocations, illegal dwellings etc)

Adult social care and health, Cllr Shantanu Rajawat:

• Adult Social Care - older people, mental health, learning disabilities, physical and sensory disabilities
• Safeguarding vulnerable adults
• Health Partnership and commissioning

Community safety and regulatory services, Cllr Ed Mayne:

• Community safety
• Crime reduction
• Partnership with the police and other agencies
• Parking policy
• Regulatory services including licensing and trading standards
• Transport and traffic

Leisure and public health, Cllr Ajmer Grewal:

• Sport, culture, leisure and recreation strategy
• Promotion of sport and physical activity
• Leisure, libraries parks, culture, cemeteries and crematoria
• Promoting healthy lives - tackling health inequalities
• Heston Leisure Centre
• Promotion of Lampton Park Conference Centre

Children, youth and families, Cllr Lily Bath:

• Statutory lead on children’s services
• Looked-after children
• Children’s Centres and targeted and locality services
• Specialist services including fostering, adoption, youth justice, youth offending and children with disabilities
• Safeguarding children and child protection
• Youth engagement and youth services
• Sport and recreation for children and young people

Communications and communities, Cllr Pritam Grewal:

• Community engagement and involvement
• Community cohesion - strengthening communities by building resilience
• Third Sector capacity building and supporting sustainable growth
• Corporate voluntary sector funding
• Commissioning the voluntary sector
• Area committees
• Communications and consultation
• Education and HR, Cllr Tom Bruce:

• Partnership with schools - performance, integration and improvement
• Addressing rising demand and ensuring choice for families
• Special education needs
• Adult and community, further and higher education
• Human resources and trade union liaison

A full list of appointments to council committees and other formal bodies is available here.

May 15, 2013