Brighton and Hove City Council's Annual Council Meeting voted in the first Green Party administration in the UK today' following local elections this month when the Greens became the largest party with 23 seats out of 54.The Conservatives in Brighton and Hove now have 18 seats and Labour 13.
The overall turnout rose from 38% in 2007 to 41% this year.
Cllr Bill Randall' a councillor since 2003 and Convenor of the Brighton and Hove Green Group' becomes council leader.
A member of the city's economic partnership and a former chair of housing charity Shelter's National Housing Aid Trust' Bill Randall is a writer and commentator specialising in housing and communities.
He is also a former Trustee of Age Concern Brighton and Hove.
Cllr Amy Kennedy' a councillor in the city since 2007' is named Deputy Leader (Executive)' Planning' Employment' Economy & Regeneration.
She has a professional background in construction and design' having studied architecture. Kennedy currently works for a charity that works to ensures that communities are engaged in planning and the built environment.
Cllr Ian Davey' a councillor since 2007' takes up the post of Deputy Leader (Non-Executive)' Transport & Public Realm. He was elected following a successful career in IT' and then in the community and voluntary sector where he started and ran a local cycle training charity.
In his four years as a councillor' Davey has been group Transport spokesperson and has sat on the Planning' Licensing and Housing management committees.
Cllr Jason Kitcat becomes Cabinet Member for Finance and Central Services' Cllr Liz Wakefield becomes Cabinet Member for Housing' while Cllr Pete West is now Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability.
Cllr Rob Jarrett becomes Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health' Cllr Sue Shanks is Cabinet Member for Children and Young People and Cllr Geoffrey Bowden takes up the Cabinet post of Culture' Recreation and Tourism. Finally' Cllr Ben Duncan is Cabinet Member for Communities and Community Safety.
Bill Randall' Green leader of Brighton and Hove city council' said:
"We have a team of many talents who have a great deal to offer and are ready to take the city forward at a challenging time.
"We are committed to an open book approach in delivering our priorities for this great city. In our first week' we are meeting with trade unions as well as the voluntary and community sector' and we also want to meet with the universities and the business community.
"We will sit down with these and other key partners such as the police and the NHS to see how we can best work together to deliver our vision in the best interests of the city.
"Residents are at the heart of our policies. They have listened to us and now we must listen to them.
"We realise there will be many challenges ahead in these difficult times.
"The city faces unprecedented public spending cuts imposed by the coalition government. Nevertheless we remain determined to address the city's housing crisis' reduce chronic inequality and at the same time protect and improve our environment to deliver our vision of a sustainable and fair city."
For more information please contact the Brighton & Hove Green Party http://www.brightonhovegreens.org/
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