Council Fast Facts
About the Council
South Lakeland District Council was formed in 1974 and is one of
six district authorities in Cumbria, the others being ;
Following boundary changes to restore electoral equality, the
number of district wards has been reduced from 47 to 45, and the
number of district councillors from 52 to 51 councillors representing the 45
wards.
All councillors are elected for a term of 4 years. Elections
covering one third of the district are held for three years out of
four. In the fourth year, Cumbria County Council elections are
held. The last district elections were held in May 2008.
From 1974 until the 2006 elections, no one political party was
in overall control of the council. However, at the 2006 elections
the Liberal Democrats gained the majority of seats and so have
overall control of the council.
The political balance of the council from 6 May 2011 is now
-
- 32 - Liberal Democrat
- 17 - Conservative
- 1 - Labour
- 1 - vacancy
How the council Operates
In 2002, following the Local Government Act 2000, the council
adopted a Leader and Cabinet style decision-making structure. The
rules governing the way the council operates are set down in the
Constitution.
All councillors meet together at full Council meetings. Here, councillors
decide the overall policies, set the budget each year and hold the
Cabinet and all committees to account.
The Cabinet is
made up of seven Liberal Democrat councillors who are responsible
for implementing the policies and decisions of council. The
portfolios of the Cabinet members are:
- Leader and Promoting South Lakeland Portfolio - Cllr Brendan
Jameson
- Deputy Leader & Communities & Well Being Portfolio -
Cllr Hilary Stephenson
- Economy and Enterprise Portfolio - Cllr Ian Stewart
- Environment & Sustainability Portfolio - Cllr Clare
Feeney-Johnson
- Housing & Development Portfolio - Mr Peter Thornton
- Central Services Portfolio - Shared by Cabinet colleagues
- Policy, Performance & Resources Portfolio - Cllr Graham
Vincent
Committees
There are two Overview
& Scrutiny Committees which are responsible for monitoring
council performance and carrying out detailed reviews of matters of
local concern. They also monitor Cabinet decisions and can 'call
in' decisions which they feel are not appropriate. The two
committees are:
- Community Services O&S
- Resources O&S
A number of other committees deal with specific areas of council
business. These include Planning, Licensing, Accounts, Audit, Human
Resources, Lake Admin and Standards.
Council Structure
The Leader of the Council is
Councillor Brendan Jameson. The Chairman of the Council is
Councillor Sylvia Emmott and the Vice Chairman of the Council
is
Councillor Brenda Gray
The Chief Executive of the Council is Lawrence Conway.
Political group leaders are:
- Liberal Democrat - Councillor Brendan Jameson
- Conservative -
Councillor James Airey
- Labour - Councillor Mark Wilson
Council Vision & Priorities
The council's vision is "By involving people and creating
opportunities, we will make South Lakeland the best place to live,
work and visit."
The Corporate Plan for 2011 -2015
sets out the council's priorities.
Our values are:
- Valuing people
- Excellence
- Openness
Other Useful Information