Chairman S Hughes & Vice chair Helen Parr

East Devon announces new appointments

Leader, Chairman and portfolio holders have now been elected at East Devon District Council

At the annual meeting of East Devon District Council, the following key appointments were agreed:

Chairman and Deputy Chairman
Councillor Stuart Hughes, the ward member for Sidmouth Sidford has been elected as the new Chairman of the council for the following civic year. Former Chairman, Councillor Graham Godbeer, invested Councillor Hughes with the Chain and Jewel of Office.

Councillor Helen Parr, ward member for Coly Valley, has been appointed as Vice Chairman of the Council, taking over from former councillor Christine Drew.

Commenting on his appointment as East Devon’s new Chairman, Councillor Hughes said: “I am honoured to accept the position of Chairman and am extremely conscious of the duties and future challenges that come as part of this role. I promise that I will fulfil those duties to the best of my ability and I look forward to tackling any challenges that are presented. I would like to thank the retiring Chairman, Councillor Godbeer, for his hard work in the role and for his skill and fairness when chairing difficult meetings - he will certainly be a hard act to follow. Graham has been a true ambassador for the council and has represented East Devon with courtesy and charm.”

Leader and Deputy Leader
Councillor Paul Diviani, ward member for Yarty, has been re-elected as Leader of the Council, while Councillor Andrew Moulding has been re-elected as Deputy Leader.

Councillor Diviani thanked everyone for allowing him to continue as Leader and said: “I will endeavour to do my best for all the people of East Devon. As a council we will continue to deliver local homes for local people and to cut the housing waiting list by two-thirds this year. We will hold Council Tax for a fifth year, yet we will make no cuts to our frontline services, which are a credit to us as they continue to offer high quality support to residents despite central Government funding cuts.

“It is our intention to maintain the significant progress we have made with the regeneration of our coastal and market towns, which will in turn support the local economy and to continue to conserve, as well as promote, our wonderful rural environment.

“Over the next 12 months it is our firm intention to finalise our Local Plan, which will in turn ensure that we have a housing land supply of almost six years. We will continue to progress our relocation proposals, as our proposed office moves will help us to become even more efficient and to provide excellent value for taxpayers.

“I hope that all our members will understand and support this decisive manifesto that we are undertaking, because the people of East Devon certainly have.”

Cabinet Members and Portfolio holders

The following members have been appointed to the Cabinet:

Corporate Business Portfolio Holder – Councillor Tom Wright
Corporate Services Portfolio Holder – Councillor Phil Twiss
Economy Portfolio Holder – Councillor Philip Skinner
Environment Portfolio Holder – Councillor Iain Chubb
Finance Portfolio Holder – Councillor Ian Thomas
Sustainable Homes and Communities Portfolio Holder – Councillor Jill Elson

Two additional cabinet positions have been created for Members without Portfolio, these will be filled by:
Councillor Eileen Wragg (Liberal Democrats) and Councillor Geoff Pook (Independent).

Committees - Chairmen and Vice Chairmen

Audit and Governance – Chairman, Councillor Mark Williamson, Vice Chairman, Councillor Dean Barrow.
Development Management and Planning Inspections Committee – Chairman, Councillor David Key, Vice Chairman, Councillor Mike Howe.
Employment Appeals – Chairman, Councillor Andrew Moulding.
Housing Review Board – Chairman, Councillor Pauline Stott
Interviewing (Chief Officers) – Chairman, Councillor Paul Diviani, Vice Chairman, Councillor Andrew Moulding.
Licensing and Enforcement – Chairman, Councillor Steve Hall, Vice Chairman, Councillor Jim Knight.
Overview – Chairman, Councillor Peter Bowden, Vice Chairman, Councillor Mike Allen.
Scrutiny – Chairman, Roger Giles (Independent), Vice Chairman, Alan Dent.
Standards – Chairman, Councillor Stuart Hughes.

Member Champions
Business – Councillor Marcus Hartnell
Culture – Councillor John O’Leary
Employment – Councillor Mike Allen
Exmouth Town – Councillor John Humphreys
Flood Alleviation – Councillor Peter Bowden
Health and Wellbeing – Councillor David Foster
Member Development and Engagement – Councillor Maddy Chapman
Neighbourhood Planning – Councillor Mark Williamson
Planning, Design and Heritage – Councillor Christopher Pepper
Procurement – Councillor Graham Godbeer
Rural – Councillor Paul Carter
Tourism – Councillor Alison Greenhalgh
Youth – Councillor Maria Hale

Allocation of seats according to political groups
•         Conservatives                   37 members        63%       56 seats
•         Independents                   15 members       25%        23 seats
•         Liberal Democrats            6 members         10%        10 seats
•         Independent                     1 member