A shakeup at the top of Wiltshire Council has been announced, with council leader Ian Thorn confirming changes to cabinet and portfolio holders a year after the new administration was formed.
The biggest change is in the key role of Adult Social Care, where cabinet responsibility moves from Cllr Gordon King (pictured front row, second left) to Cllr Clare Cape (back row, centre), who will take on the mantle alongside her existing responsibilities for Public Health and partnership working with the NHS.
The cost of providing Adult Social Care consumes just under half (46 per cent) of Wiltshire Council's £567 million budget.
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Adult social care helps adults who are disabled, ill, or frail to live safely and independently, through personal care, home care, care homes, and supported living.
Cllr King will take up the new position of Portfolio Holder for Waste, focusing on the ongoing waste transformation programme, which gave the Liberal Democrat administration such a headache in its first year.
Cllr Thorn said: "I’d like to thank Gordon for all his hard work and valuable contribution to Adult Social Care – a vital and complex area of the council that supports many residents.
"Gordon now passes the Adult Social Care mantle to Cllr Claire Cape, and I have no doubt she will build on the strong work already underway. I look forward to working with Claire in her new capacity."
Cllr Thorn said the reshuffle at the top of his administration had given him the chance to create new roles for portfolio holders, who support cabinet members.
Those new 'junior ministers' and their respective roles include: Cllr Alan Bayliss, Portfolio Holder for Climate and Net Zero; Cllr Brian Dalton, Portfolio Holder for Public Health; Cllr Andrew Griffin, Portfolio Holder for Finance and Transformation; Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney, Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Commissioning; Cllr John Wells, Portfolio Holder for Safeguarding and Corporate Parenting; Cllr Jennie Westbrook, Portfolio Holder for Organisational Strategy and Digital.
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"After a year of this administration, this has provided an opportunity to shape the Cabinet and Portfolio Holders so we remain focused on the key priorities – bringing together health and adult social care, and strengthening our approach to major projects such as the Local Plan and waste transformation, with a clear focus on delivery," said Cllr Thorn.
“This is a crucial time, and we have a strong team in place to deliver on what we’ve set out in Our Wiltshire Plan, doing so in a considered and responsible way on behalf of the communities we all represent.”
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