The leader of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, Cllr Tony Kingsbury, has announced changes to cabinet portfolios after his Conservative group regained its majority at the local elections.
The council is now made of 28 Conservative seats, 11 Liberal Democrat and nine Labour seats.
Leader Cllr Kingsbury will continue to direct performance, corporate planning and equality and diversity while taking on a wider remit of town centres, regeneration and economic development as the borough looks towards recovery in the months ahead.
The other roles are as follows:
Cllr Duncan Bell will stay on as deputy leader and keeps his resources portfolio – including finance – with the addition of IT, parking, and bereavement and customer services.
Cllr Stephen Boulton keeps his role in environment and planning, adding the asset management of council buildings to the portfolio.
Cllr Nick Pace will assume responsibility for legal services and public health – an important area of focus as we emerge from the pandemic.
Cllr Bernard Sarson will add youth, sport, and leisure to his existing community safety portfolio, following Terry Mitchinson’s decision not to stand for re-election.
Cllr Fiona Thomson will continue to take the lead on climate change and a move to housing will forge closer links between these two key areas.
Commenting on the changes, Cllr Kingsbury said: “My aim in announcing these changes is to ensure the cabinet has the right people with the right responsibilities to focus on supporting the needs of our communities.
"With strong leadership in place, we can continue to deliver our five key priorities that residents and businesses shaped last year in their responses to the Your Welwyn Hatfield survey.
“We face many challenges ahead, but as we look to rebuild our economy and community from the impact of the pandemic, I am confident we have the right people in the right jobs to lead the borough’s recovery.
“I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Terry Mitchinson for his hard work, loyalty and enthusiasm during his years as a councillor and cabinet member.”
Full council will be asked to note the new cabinet arrangements at a meeting on Monday, May 24.
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