Published on Friday 15 June 2018
Plans progressed towards the new Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council as Cllr Janet Walton was elected Chairman of the Shadow Executive Committee at its inaugural meeting on 15 June.
The Shadow Executive has replaced the BCP Joint Committee following last month’s approval of the Structural Changes Order in Parliament. The Committee will provide political leadership and guidance towards implementing the new Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. Members will take key decisions on service delivery for the new council and where necessary make recommendations to the Shadow Authority.
The Shadow Executive is made up of 16 councillors representing Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Members agreed to elect Cllr Janet Walton of Borough of Poole as Chairman and Cllr John Beesley of Bournemouth Borough Council as Vice-Chairman. Cllr Walton also becomes Leader of the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Shadow Council.
Cllr Janet Walton, Chairman of the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Shadow Executive Committee and Leader of the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Shadow Authority, said: "Members of the Joint Committee worked well together putting in place the work programmes that are needed to create the new authority by 1 April 2019. I am confident that the Shadow Executive Committee will continue to build on this collaborative approach and I look forward to continuing the process to create the new council.
"I would like to thank Members of the Executive Committee for supporting me in taking up this role. I am confident that if we build on the collaborative approach we have taken up until this point we will successfully address both the challenges and opportunities we will be faced with before 1 April 2019 and beyond."
Councillors also agreed the process for recruiting the permanent Chief Executive to the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council with the advert going live in July. Interviews will be held in September and it is hoped that the Chief Executive of the new Council could be in post by the end of 2018. Jane Portman was appointed to the Interim role of Head of Paid Service for the Shadow Authority at the inaugural Shadow Authority meeting on 6 June.