A new Lancaster City Council shadow cabinet and leader of the opposition have been announced.
The Lancaster Labour Group revealed its plans for a "constructive and effective opposition" to the current council administration, which was created after a shake-up in local politics towards the end of last year.
Councillor Phillip Black, who resigned as leader of the council in November, will continue to lead the Lancaster City Labour Group under the new plans.
Councillor Black will be leader of the opposition to the new cabinet coalition of Greens, Liberal Democrats and a Morecambe Bay Independent.
“The Labour Group is in a strong position with representation from across the entire district," said Councillor Black on Monday.
"We have split shadow cabinet responsibilities in a straightforward, logical way, along the same lines as council officer directorates. We won’t be tied in knots balancing a desire to favour the voter base in a specific area at the cost of residents of other wards.”
The Labour group said the team will keep track of the work of the council, offering constructive input to cabinet members and council officers to hold them to account on behalf of local residents, and be a "critical friend to the current administration, examining cabinet decisions with clarity of vision and rigour".
Jean Parr - Placemaking and Climate Action for City, Coast and Countryside
Chris Harris – People, Partnerships and Governance
Jason Wood – Finance and Resource
Joanne Ainscough – Environment, Food and Wellbeing
Catherine Potter – Sustainable Growth, Visitor Economy and Culture
Chris Hanna – Property, Housing and Homelessness
Phillip Black – Leader of the Opposition
The new Lancaster City Council cabinet was formed in December 2024, and includes six Greens, who are the largest group on the council, two Lib Dems including deputy leader Peter Jackson, and Morecambe Bay Independent (MBI) Martin Bottoms.
Their new agreement follows the collapse of the previous Labour-Green-Lib Dem cabinet alliance, after Labour and the Greens fell out over who should lead the council, and former leader Councillor Black resigned at a dramatic council meeting at Morecambe Town Hall.
Councillor Caroline Jackson of the Greens (below) was elected the new leader in November.
The cabinet members and their areas of responsibility are:
Caroline Jackson (Green - leader, housing)
Peter Jackson (Lib Dem - deputy leader, communities, well-being and partnerships)
Gina Dowding (Green - climate change)
Tim Hamilton-Cox (Green - finance and property)
Sue Tyldesley (Green - planning)
Sally Maddocks (Green - corporate services)
Nick Wilkinson (Green - Lancaster regeneration and local economy)
Paul Hart (Lib Dem - environmental services)
Martin Bottoms (MBI - Morecambe regeneration and local economy)
The council has 61 elected members, or councillors.
There are 23 Greens, 21 Labour, seven Lib Dems, five Conservatives, three Morecambe Bay Independents and two non-aligned independents.
Read more: Green-Lib Dem-MBI alliance to run new Lancaster City Council cabinet - Beyond Radio
New Lancaster City Council leader elected - Beyond Radio
Lancaster City Council leader dramatically quits as Labour-Green alliance collapses - Beyond Radio
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