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Have your say before 5 October (opens new window)

New appointment strengthens Council's Executive

Cllr Fiona White

The Leader of the Council, Cllr Julia McShane, has announced a new member to her Executive team. Councillor Fiona White will assume her new role as Lead Councillor for Planning on 8 January 2024.

Cllr White's new portfolio responsibilities include:

  • Planning Applications
  • Planning Enforcement
  • Planning Integration and Improvement
  • Planning Policy

Previously, Cllr George Potter held these within his portfolio. Cllr Potter remains as Lead Cllr for Environment and Climate Change.

Cllr Potter's portfolio responsibilities include:

  • Climate Change
  • Bereavement
  • Green Spaces
  • Parks
  • Countryside
  • Trees
  • Fleet Operations
  • Street Cleaning
  • Waste and Recycling

The Executive now consists of nine councillors from the Liberal Democrat group.

These changes take effect immediately.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Julia McShane, said:

"Welcoming Councillor Fiona White to my Executive is a huge positive for our Council. Her wealth of experience in the field of planning brings a fresh perspective that will undoubtedly help to elevate this area. This transition allows Councillor George Potter to focus more on important climate change and environmental priorities within his portfolio.

"I'm grateful to Cllr George Potter who took on a large portfolio in May, including Planning, and who has helped get our Planning portfolio to a stronger position. In recent months, this includes the important work of overseeing the review of our Local Plan. Now, we have an Executive portfolio holder who can focus exclusively on planning and the Local Plan update process. We're confident that this realignment will strengthen our commitment to serving our communities and delivering our Local Plan."

You can find full details of our Executive and their portfolios.