Cabinet

The cabinet has eight members, including the council leader, Julian Bell, and the deputy leader Councillor Ranjit Dheer. Each member has a specific area of responsibility (also known as a portfolio) and is accountable for the council's everyday decision-making process.

The role and responsibility of a cabinet member include:

• initiating policy
• making decisions and implementing council policies within their portfolio
• acting as spokesperson for the council on services and functions within their portfolio
• being a member of cabinet and sharing the collective responsibility for decisions taken by the cabinet
• developing partnership working with other organisations in the borough

Cabinet members and a brief overview of their portfolio areas:

• Council leader Julian Bell: chairman of the cabinet with overall responsibility for it. Other specific responsibilities include policy overview, elections, local development framework and emergency planning
• Councillor Ranjit Dheer: Community Services and Safety and deputy leader - includes environmental health, libraries, emergency services, safer neighbourhood teams, CCTV and equality and diversity
• Councillor Jasbir Anand: Health and Adult Services - includes health promotion, promoting independence, disabilities, safeguarding adults and supporting people
• Councillor Yvonne Johnson: Finance and Performance - includes benefits service, budget, councillor allowances, customer services, ICT and Human Resources
• Councillor Bassam Mahfouz: Transport and Environment – includes recycling, refuse, street cleaning roads, road safety, environment enforcement, parking services and parks
  
• Councillor Hitesh Tailor: Housing - includes housing allocations, homeless persons and estate regeneration strategy
• Councillor Patricia Walker: Children and Young People - includes fostering and adoption, child protection, primary and secondary education and nursery education
• Councillor Brian Reeves: chief whip and member without portfolio