Test Valley Borough Council appoints new Member Champions
At last night’s Cabinet meeting, (Wednesday 18 October), Leader of the Council, Phil North appointed the Council’s first Member Champions. The new scheme allows the council to benefit from the experience, knowledge and interests of non-Cabinet members – who are experts in their particular field.
Councillor Phil North said: “I made a commitment to enable more members to be involved in assisting Cabinet in the development of policy and strategy. This cross party scheme will help deliver that aspiration and increase links between the Cabinet and wider Council membership. The members I have appointed have a huge amount of experience in their respective fields and will be fantastic advocates for their areas. I am looking forward to working with them for the benefit of all our residents.”
Appointments were made as follows:
Armed Forces Champion – Councillor Ian Carr
Community Resilience Champion – Councillor Phil Lashbrook
Voluntary Sector Champion – Councillor Iris Andersen
Community Safety Champion – Councillor Ian Richards
Culture & Heritage Champion – Councillor Dorothy Baverstock
Cabinet will commission Member Champions within their particular area of responsibility to:
• Consider the impact of new proposals or proposed changes to Council policy and or, services might have on their specific area of responsibility. This might involve liaising with relevant groups within the Borough.
• Research good practice in other Councils and organisations
• Liaise with external bodies such as the Local Government Association (LGA) to identify relevant research and ideas that could help further the Council’s corporate aims.
Member Champions will be appointed by Cabinet on an annual basis at its June meeting