New Leader and Deputy Leader at borough council

Cllr Simon Bound has been elected as Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s new Leader.

At the Council meeting tonight (Monday 28 February), Cllr Bound, who has been Acting Leader since Cllr Ken Rhatigan stepped down at the start of February and was previously Deputy Leader, was voted in as Leader and announced his Cabinet.

The new Deputy Leader is Cllr John Izett, who will also be Cabinet Member for Finance and Property.

Cllr Bound said: “I am proud to be heading up the council and to be at the helm of a strong team at a key time for the future of the borough and the services that we provide that people rely on every day.

“I have been elected as leader on the same night that we agreed a budget that invests in frontline services, including street cleaning and an extra waste collection crew. We have committed to up the pace of our drive to achieve our challenging climate change targets and enhance biodiversity.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, we are keen to support our amazing communities who have shown such resilience and empathy for others and to ensure this remains a thriving place with good jobs and great places to live.

“We will be focusing on taking action on the things that people have told us will make the most difference to their lives and are most important to them. We’ve done lots of listening and consulting and it is now time to get on and deliver. We need to take the right decisions and get things moving forward.”

Cllr Bound announced that experienced councillors would be staying in Cabinet roles but with some changes to the areas they cover:

- Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Leisure – Cllr Rebecca Bean

- Cabinet Member for Recycling, Waste and Regulatory Services - Cllr Hayley Eachus

- Cabinet Member for Homes and Economy - Cllr Tristan Robinson

- Cabinet Member for Natural Environment and Climate – Cllr Mark Ruffell.

Two new councillors are joining the Cabinet team, with Cllr Jay Ganesh as Cabinet Member for Planning and Infrastructure and Cllr Jenny Vaux as Cabinet Member for Community Development.

The first meeting of the new Cabinet will be on Tuesday 8 March.