(Updated 19/5/10): Lancaster City Council’s executive decision making body will once again be made up on the basis of proportional representation, with LibDem Councillor Stuart Langhorn again elected as Leader last night.
Under its constitution the city council’s Cabinet and Leader must be elected annually at the first meeting of the municipal year.
At this year’s meeting, held last night, full Council voted again to establish the Cabinet on the basis of proportional representation.
All six of the groups are entitled to take up seats in ratio to the number of members in each of the political groups on the Council.
Coun Stuart Langhorn was elected as Leader of the Council for the forthcoming year to May 2011.
As well as Coun Langhorn (Liberal Democrat) the members of the Cabinet elected for 2010/11 are: Councillors David Kerr and June Ashworth (Independents), Abbott Bryning and Eileen Blamire (Labour), Jon Barry and Jane Fletcher (Green), Paul Woodruff (Free Independent).
Two vacancies remain open for the Conservatives, who recently decided to become the ‘official opposition’.
Also elected at the meeting last night were the chairmen of all the council’s committees. Coun John Gilbert was elected as chairman of Overview and Scrutiny, and he is joined by Coun Roger Sherlock as Chairman of Budget and Performance Panel.
Coun Eileen Blamire was elected as chairman of the Planning and Highways Regulatory Committee.
Other Committee chairmen appointed at the meeting were:
Coun Tony Wade: Licensing Regulatory Committee
Coun Joyce Taylor: Licensing Act Committee
Coun Susan Bray: Personnel Committee
Coun Sheila Denwood: Appeals Committee
Coun Malcolm Thomas: Audit Committee
Coun David Kerr: Appraisal Panel
Coun Karen Leytham: Council Business Committee
In other Council-related news, longtime Conservative leader of their group Roger Mace has stepped down in favour of Councillor Peter Williamson.
“I’m pleased that the result of the general election has demonstrated increased support for Conservatives in the Lancaster District,” says Roger. “That is the objective to which I have been working for a number of years – most particularly as Leader of the Conservative Group on the City Council since 2006.
“In that role, I have been encouraged by the support I have received from my family and my colleagues, and from all the local people who have given their time to help me in various ways.
“I have decided the time has come for another Councillor to lead the Group, and prepare for next year’s City Council elections.”
The Conservatives continued decision to not take up its seats in Cabinet has been given short shrift from some. Green Party cabinet member Jane Fletcher said: “Given the current national spirit of co-operation between the political parties, I was saddened that the local Conservative group would rather be the
opposition than work positively for the good of the district.”
Langhorn back as council leader? God help us.
I would've thought he'd be too embarassed to show his face after the Lancaster market fiasco. His poor showing when he ran for parliament should've told him exactly what most people round here think of him.
What fiasco?
The market has been losing half a million pounds a year. Stuart Langhorn fought for alternatives to be considered. Stuart and Liberal Democrats locally wanted to keep a market but consider options such as re-location.
Unfortunately we've ended up keeping the market as-is and throwing money at consultants to suggest improvements. Then we'll probably have to use even more money we don't have to make recommended changes.
I only hope the market can actually improve now we're tied into keeping it as-is for a minimum of another four years. I also hope the councillors who very happily decided to keep the market no matter what can find cuts elsewhere in the budget that don't affect local services!
What poor showing in the Westminster election?
In an election where the Liberal Democrats nationally swung backwards and forwards in different seats, here in Lancaster & Fleetwood we saw the Liberal Democrats gain the biggest vote percentage increase of 3.5%.
"I only hope the market can actually improve now we're tied into keeping it as-is for a minimum of another four years. I also hope the councillors who very happily decided to keep the market no matter what can find cuts elsewhere in the budget that don't affect local services!"
The Council could save itself a lot of money elsewhere. Closing one of the two town halls would be a start – why do we need both? (Plus, if they closed Lancaster, think how much less traffic there would be between Lancaster and Morecambe…)
The Council also voted to actually spend some money promoting the Market – although there would seem to be little evidence of that since it was decided, with new stall holders again expected to do their own promotion.
Langhorn didn't seem to want to save the Market when he voted to close it in Cabinet in February, but the LibDems have consistently glossed over this since then, as well as blithely ignoring the fact that he thought shacking up with now wound up supermarket ASCO was a good idea – which if they had gone tits up later, could have exposed the Council to costs on a par with 'Blobbygate'.
What I found particularly iniquitous was that the LibDems thought they could claim they had tried to save the Market in their electioneering. Incredibly, it would seem some people believed them.
"What fiasco?" ??
You're joking, right? Langhorn did not want to "consider the options" as you put it – he and his cohorts agreed in principal to jump into bed with Asco, which as the previous commenter points out would have been a mistake of Blobbygate proportions. If it wasn't for the determined protest of Lancastrians and the market traders, the council would now have an empty building and a colossal amount of egg on their faces. And they would still have to pay the rent on the building to boot.
Langhorn and his supporters didn't want a debate or to investigate the best options; they simply wanted to close the market, with a half-hearted plan to put the traders into empty units around the town or move them to the Morecambe market.
And for the record, a 3.5% increase of naff-all is still naff-all.