On Monday 25th November, Green Cllr Caroline Jackson was elected as leader of Lancaster City Council. The extraordinary general meeting was called following the resignation of Labour Councillor Phil Black as leader on 13th November.
Lancaster is now one of 12 councils across England with a Green leader!
Cllr Jackson immediately announced that at least four members of the previous Cabinet will continue on Cabinet with similar responsibilities: Cllr Caroline Jackson will continue to lead on Housing; Cllr Peter Jackson, leader of the Lib Dems, will become Deputy Leader of the Council while continuing with his portfolio of Communities and Well-being; and Green councillors Tim Hamilton-Cox and Nick Wilkinson will retain their Cabinet portfolios for Finance and Property, and Regeneration respectively.
Cllr Jackson, a Bulk ward councillor in Lancaster for 11 years, and who previously led the council for a two-year period (in 2021-2023), said after the vote:
” I am grateful and honoured to be elected as leader of the Council. I hope to announce the full Cabinet positions by the end of the week, with details about who will lead on the other portfolios.
“I am confident of assembling a good team of new and established members to carry forward the priorities already established in the Council Plan.
“I agree with the sentiments that Cllr Black expressed at the time of his resignation that much has been achieved by the cross-party administration since May 2023. I asked Labour members to reconsider their position but they declined.
There is no doubt that there will be difficult budget decisions to be made by February. Despite a new Labour Government, local authorities like ours who provide essential and highly valued services for our residents and businesses are still finding it necessary to make savings in order to balance the budget. “
(See addendum below for the full Cabinet Positions)
Deputy leader of the Green Group, Gina Dowding said:
“Residents in the district expect us to represent them and as far as possible, their political choices. We know that always means a cross party administration. For most of the last twenty years Greens and Labour have shared in the administration of the city council.
“It is unfortunate that Cllr Black misrepresented the perfectly civil negotiations between the Labour and Green leaders and deputy leaders to revise the leadership roles in recent weeks and it is disappointing that Labour decided to withdraw from working with the Greens and the Lib Dems.”
Cllr Jackson received 30 votes, backed by the Greens, the Lib Dems and an Independent Councillor. Voting against were 19 from Labour and 1 Independent Councillor. The Conservatives and Morecambe Bay Independents abstained from voting. Some Councillors were absent.
Addendum:
On Thursday 29th November, the full cabinet appointments were announced. Caroline will lead a slightly smaller cabinet of 9 members (6 Green, 2 Lib Dem & 1 Morecambe Bay Independent). They are:
- Cllr Caroline Jackson (Green) – Leader of the Council, portfolio for Housing and Homelessness
- Cllr Peter Jackson (Lib Dem) – Deputy Leader of the Council, portfolio for Communities, Well-Being and Partnerships
- Cllr Tim Hamilton-Cox (Green) – portfolio for Finance and Property
- Cllr Nick Wilkinson (Green) – portfolio for Regeneration & Local Economy (Lancaster)
- Cllr Gina Dowding (Green ) – portfolio for Climate Action
- Cllr Sue Tyldesley (Green) – portfolio for Planning
- Cllr Sally Maddocks (Green) – portfolio for Corporate Services
- Cllr Paul Hart (Lib Dem) – portfolio for Environmental Services
- Cllr Martin Bottoms (Morecambe Bay Independent) – portfolio for Regeneration & Local Economy (Morecambe)
Welcoming the new cabinet,Councillor Jackson said:
“I am delighted to have been elected leader, having previously served in the position from 2021-23. The new cabinet is an excellent mix of experience from those who have served previously, along with four new members who bring with them a new perspective and thinking to their areas of responsibility. In particular we welcome two new members, Paul Hart and Martin Bottoms, who are both Morecambe based.
“It’s important to remember that while the leadership of the council may have changed, our priorities have not. The Council Plan runs until 2027 and sets the strategic vision for our services, along with the city council’s commitment to making the most of the district’s many attributes as a great place to live, work and visit.”