Cabinet members

Appointment of Leader, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Members

The Leader of the Council is appointed by Full Council for a four year term. The Leader is usually a member of the group with the political majority.

The Leader then appoints up to nine other councillors to serve with them on the Cabinet. These councillors are usually of the same political group as the Leader.

One of the Cabinet Members is appointed Deputy Leader. The Cabinet Members assume responsibility for different key areas of local governance.

Cabinet responsibilities

The Cabinet is responsible for:

Running council services
Ensuring delivery of best value
Implementing policies
Delivering services
Approving new policies other than major policies
Playing a leadership role within the city
Generally promoting the economic, environmental and social wellbeing of the city

We will post decisions made by the Cabinet, also known as ‘Executive Decisions,’ on the Democracy Peterborough website within two days of them being made. View the Executive Decisions (opens Democracy Peterborough website).

The Leader publishes a rolling programme outlining the 'key decisions' likely to be taken over the next few months. This is called the Forward Plan (opens Democracy Peterborough website).

You can see the delegated functions for Cabinet and Cabinet Members in the Executive Functions section (part 3 section 3) of the Council’s Constitution on the Democracy Peterborough website.

Current Cabinet Members

Leader of the Council – Councillor Shabina Qayyum (Labour) (East Ward)
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth and Regeneration – Councillor Mohammed Farooq (Peterborough First) (Hargate and Hempsted Ward)
Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care – Councillor Neil Boyce (Peterborough First) (Glinton and Castor Ward)
Cabinet Member for Children’s Services – Councillor Katy Cole (Labour) (Dogsthorpe Ward)
Cabinet Member for Communities, Poverty and Public Health – Councillor Zameer Ali (Labour) (North Ward)
Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport – Councillor Angus Ellis (Labour) (Park Ward)
Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Governance – Councillor Mohammed Jamil (Labour) (Central Ward)
Cabinet Member for Housing and Regulatory Services – Councillor Christian Hogg (Liberal Democrat) (Fletton and Stanground Ward)

Cabinet Advisors

Cabinet Advisor to the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care – Councillor Ray Bisby (Peterborough First) (Stanground South Ward)
Cabinet Advisor to the Cabinet Member for Housing and Regulatory Services - Councillor Chris Wiggin (Liberal Democrat) (Hampton Vale Ward)

Role of Cabinet Members

Cabinet Members are responsible for:

Leading on developing council policy and make recommendations to the Cabinet.
Develop and sustain excellent and effective working relationships with Corporate Leadership Team officers.
Providing guidance to the Cabinet on running activities.
Giving guidance to the Cabinet on budget priorities.
Demonstrate a strategic understanding of the Council and its service objectives, functions, priorities and resource pressures.
Monitoring performance and make sure policy is delivered.
Leading on improving council services.
Making sure that activities meet the council's overall vision, core values and guiding principles.
Contributing to debate and decision-making.
Working with councillors who are not members of the Cabinet, members of the opposition and officers to make sure that the overview and scrutiny process works correctly.
Appearing before and responding to overview and scrutiny committee reports.
Develop partnership working and forge effective external relationships.
Representing the council at a national and local level.
Act as spokesperson for the policy area or 'portfolio' they are responsible for.
Be cognisant of the interrelationships between portfolio areas.

Areas each Cabinet Member role is responsible for

Areas responsible for:

All functions of the Leader of the Council
Political leadership and strategic direction for the council
Communications
Emergency planning and civil contingencies

Responsibility for the Growth and Regeneration functions of the council including but not limited to:

Growth, regeneration and economic development
Planning and building control
Tourism
City centre
Business Improvement District (BID)
Adult skills and university

Responsibility for the Children’s Services and Education functions of the council, including but not limited to:

Children's Social Work
Safeguarding Children
Services for Looked After Children and Corporate Parenting, Fostering and Adoption
Early Help Services
Specialist Young People Services, including Youth Offending
Education services (excluding certain functions relating to higher education and adult education)
School property maintenance and asset management (excluding disposal)
School admissions and place planning
Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
Early Years

Responsibility for the Communities, Poverty and Public Health functions of the council, including but not limited to:

Heritage, leisure and libraries
Community safety
Community engagement
Refugees and asylum seekers
Mandatory and non-prescribed Public Health services in accordance with Public Health grant conditions
Health protection, public health intelligence and health improvement, with a focus on reducing inequalities
Health and Wellbeing Board and Strategy

Responsibilities for the infrastructure, environmental and climate change functions of the council, including but not limited to:

Highways and transport
Environment and climate change
Environment strategy
Biodiversity
Energy strategy
Waste management
Natural and historic environment
Flood risk management

Responsibility for the Finance and Corporate Governance functions of the council including but not limited to:

Legal
Finance and treasury
Performance and intelligence
Corporate transformation
Governance
Procurement
Registration / Bereavement Services
Commercial strategy / partnerships, property and assets
People services
IT
Equality and diversity

Responsibility for Housing and Regulatory Services, including but not limited to:

Housing Needs
Homelessness Prevention
Housing Strategy
Housing Standards
Trading Standards
Licensing
Environmental Health

Role of Cabinet Advisors

Cabinet Advisors are responsible for:

To assist, support and advise the relevant Cabinet Member(s) in the exercise of their responsibilities.
To oversee a specific area or areas of responsibility within a Cabinet portfolio at the request of the relevant Cabinet Member and/or Leader.
To carry out tasks as agreed on behalf of the relevant Cabinet Member but not to make any formal decisions.
To attend Cabinet to support relevant Cabinet Member, but Advisors cannot vote.
In the absence of the Cabinet Member, to answer questions and speak at meetings of the Council on matters relating to the allocated portfolio area(s).
To substitute for Cabinet Members at meetings, briefings and events as appropriate.
To handle media interviews and enquiries on behalf of the Cabinet Member(s) in their absence.
To provide leadership to the Council and its political administration.