Labour Councillor Eileen Blamire has been selected as Leader of Lancaster City Council, following the full council meeting on the 23rd May 2011 and will serve in that role for 4 years (2011-2014). The Green group agreed to support Councillor Blamire in return for a share in cabinet places and in return for examination of green policies over the coming months.
Councillor Blamire was the only councillor proposed for leader, with no alternative provided by Conservative nor Independent Councillors.
Lancaster Green group has agreed to enter into an agreement to share cabinet posts with the Labour Group on Lancaster City Council and as such is not a formal coalition in that Green and Labour councillors are free to disagree and to air disagreements publicly, albeit in a measured manner.
Green councillors will be responsible for:-
- Property (including reducing the council’s impact on climate change) – Councillor Tim Hamilton-Cox
- Markets, Outside bodies & Older People – Councillor Jon Barry
Lancaster Greens put forward a number of policy areas as part of the agreement that will be considered over the coming months for both financial and practical feasibility.
Amongst others these include:-
- Generating renewable energy from council homes
- Building more social housing
Jon Barry, Lancaster Green party group leader :-
“The view in the Green group is that our electors expect us to do our best to promote their interests and that we should also be taking the opportunity to promote green and social initiatives.
We believe that the best way to do this is to be on the cabinet.
I have worked with Councillor Eileen Blamire for many years and I feel that we have many areas in common which we can work on to promote the best interests of the district. Of course, if things do not go as we have planned, we can pull out of the agreement at any stage.
One of the items of ‘unfinished business’ is Lancaster Market and I would like to push this forward to a satisfactory conclusion so that the market can start to thrive again and traders can have some certainty about the future of their businesses. By having this responsibility on the cabinet, I am in a strong position to help to make this happen.”
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