On 17 June, Huntingdonshire District Council held its annual council meeting confirming the appointments for the year ahead including a new Chairman, Vice-Chairman and changes to the Cabinet’s membership.
The meeting was held virtually for the first time and signified the first time that all 52 councillors from across the council had met in public since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cllr John Davies, who has spent the last two years as Vice-Chairman, was elected as Chairman of the District Council, taking over the role from Cllr Richard West, and Cllr Mac McGuire was elected as the new Vice-Chairman of the District Council. Cllr Davies has previously occupied the role of Chairman of the District Council, initially fulfilling the position in 2010.
Executive Leader of the council, Cllr Ryan Fuller, said: “"Firstly, I would like to thank Councillor West for his hard work and dedication as the Chairman of the Council serving for a record term of just over three years. Councillor Davies has been elected to the position and I know he will do a fantastic job of chairing the council, being the first citizen of Huntingdonshire and representing the District Council out there in our community.
"I would also like to welcome Cllr Bywater to the Cabinet, joining to take on a new portfolio of executive responsibilities. Looking forward to the upcoming year there are many areas that my cabinet and I will be focusing on; supporting our economy and investing in our town centres, continuing to provide a helping hand for our communities, maintaining our pride of place and, re-prioritising and re-shaping service delivery."
Seven councillors will make up Cabinet for 2020/2021 including slight changes to executive responsibilities and includes:
- Cllr Ryan Fuller – Executive Leader, Chairman of the Cabinet and Executive Councillor for Housing and Economic Development
- Cllr Jon Neish – Deputy Executive Leader, Vice-Chairman of the Cabinet and Executive Councillor for Strategic Planning
- Cllr David Keane – Executive Councillor for Corporate Services
- Cllr Keith Prentice – Executive Councillor for Leisure and Regulatory Services
- Cllr Marge Beuttell – Executive Councillor for Operations and Environment
- Cllr Jonathan Gray – Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources
- Cllr Simon Bywater – Executive Councillor or Community Resilience and Wellbeing
The council meeting also saw newly appointed Members across the District Council’s various Committees and Panels. A full list of the appointments can be found on the Huntingdonshire District Council website.