Recently the Lib Dem Group of councillors at Mendip District Council agreed their Shadow Cabinet team for the forthcoming year. The 13 Lib Dem councillors at Mendip (including 5 former Mayors of Frome, Wells and Glastonbury) are the official opposition and face the ruling Conservative group (31 councillors), with 1 Labour and 2 independent councillors. All council seats will be up for re-election in May 2015.

The Shadow Cabinet performs an important role in working to hold the Council executive (Cabinet) to account, challenging decisions where necessary and contributing constructively to the work of the Council on behalf of everyone who lives in the district.

The new Shadow Cabinet team is as follows:

Councillor Danny Unwin (Wells St Thomas ward) was re-elected by the group as Leader of the opposition, and has also taken on the shadow portfolios for Regulatory Services and the Built Environment. Regulatory Services includes licensing and public safety issues as well as enforcement and environmental protection. Danny will be assisted in Built Environment, which includes Planning, Buildings and Housing, by councillors Damon Hooton (Frome Park ward) and Nick Cottle (Glastonbury St. Edmonds ward).

Councillor Brian Beha (Street South ward) was re-elected as Deputy Leader of the opposition, and has also taken on the shadow Finance portfolio.

Councillor Claire Hudson (Frome Park ward) has taken on the Governance, Assets and Public Spaces shadow portfolio (dealing with the Council’s land and buildings, open spaces, HR, democratic services, markets, street cleaning, leisure, health and safety, and CCTV), and is assisted by cllr Adam Boyden (Frome College Ward) on Leisure.

Councillor Helen Sprawson-White is shadowing the Access to Services portfolio, which includes Customer Services, benefits and communication. Councillor Nick Cottle shadows the Policy and Performance portfolio.

Mendip Lib Dem leader Danny Unwin, said “This will be a very important year for Mendip District Council, including to decide how the council maintains and improves public services, how it deals with planning applications, renewable energy, and the future of our leisure centres. Although we are in ‘opposition’ I know our Lib Dem councillors will keep working very hard on issues people care about and to improve the work of the council where we can. We will shortly be preparing our manifesto for the local elections in 2015, and we do want to hear from anyone with ideas on how we can help improve how the council works, so please get in touch”.

Other roles agreed by the Lib Dem group include membership of council Committees, which make important decisions, including on Assets, Planning Board, Licensing, Audit and Standards and informal Working Groups, which also involve councillors Alvin Horsfall, Derek Tanswell, Sharon Snook, Richard Pinnock, Gloria Cawood and Sam Phripp, and to propose cllr Damon Hooton as Chair of the Council’s Scrutiny Board. Official responsibilities were approved at Mendip’s Full Council meeting on Monday 12^th May. A number of Lib Dem district councillors also serve the community at city/town/parish or county levels. Danny and Nick are former mayors of Wells and Glastonbury respectively, and Damon, Alvin and Helen are former Mayors of Frome.

For further details please contact cllr Adam Boyden on aomboyden@yahoo.co.uk, 07809 284817, or see www.adamboyden.mycouncillor.org.uk.

For contact details of all councillors please see: http://www.mendip.gov.uk/article/2134/Councillors-Contact-Details

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