How decisions are made
The Cabinet
The Leader of the Council chooses up to nine other councillors to become Cabinet Members. Each of these Cabinet Members looks after particular services and have specific responsibilities.
The Cabinet normally meets 11 times a year. These meetings take place in County Hall in Chelmsford and are open to the public.
A typical Cabinet meeting includes discussion of key issues across members’ areas of responsibility, recommendations to Full Council about policy or the budget and any urgent issues that have come up.
You can find out more about the day-to-day work of Cabinet Members on our Follow the Leader and Cabinet blog.
Cabinet Member decisions
Cabinet Members can take decisions about matters within their area of responsibility, as long they don't go against council policy.
Decisions that have a significant impact on spending or services are known as Key Decisions. These have to be published in the Council's Forward Plan before being acted upon.
All decisions are subject to a three-day call-in period. This means that if a councillor on a Scrutiny Committee asks for the decision to be reversed or reviewed it must be looked at by a Committee.
Members of the Cabinet
Member | Area of responsibility |
---|---|
David Finch | Leader of the Council with additional responsibilities for Property and Housing |
Kevin Bentley | Deputy Leader, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure |
Ray Gooding | Education and Skills |
Susan Barker | Customer, Communities, Culture and Corporate |
Dick Madden | Performance, Business Planning and Partnerships |
Christopher Whitbread | Finance |
Simon Walsh | Environment and Climate Change Action |
John Spence | Health and Adult Social Care |
Louise McKinlay | Children and Families |
Tony Ball | Economic Development |