Council's new leadership teams are unveiled

SOUTH Gloucestershire

Council's new joint Liberal Democrat and Labour administration has announced the cabinet that is taking on the administration of the council.

Last month the Voice reported that the two parties had agreed to share power after the Conservatives lost their overall majority, with Liberal Democrat group leader and Frampton Cotterell ward councillor Claire Young becoming the council leader and Labour group leader Ian Boulton, who represents Staple Hill & Mangotsfield ward, becoming co-leader.

Following the first meeting of the new council at the end of May, the other cabinet councillors - four Lib Dems and three Labour - and their areas of responsibility were confirmed.

They are:

Alison Evans (Lab, Woodstock) - cost of living, equalities and public health

Louise Harris (Lib Dem, Dodington) - climate and nature emergency

Maggie Tyrell (Lib Dem, Thornbury) - children and young people

John O’Neil (Lib Dem, Charfield) - adults and homes

Adam Monk (Lab, Filton)resources

Leigh Ingham (Lab, Kingswood) - communities and local place and to help improve the lives of local people. We want to change the way decisions are made and work with residents and communities to ensure they are supportive of our plans. shadow cabinet.

In addition Cllr Young will be responsible for council governance, with Cllr Boulton taking the portfolio for education, skills, employment and business.

Cllr Young said the new cabinet "delivers a broad range of experience across the council’s work areas".

Mike Drew has been elected as this year's chair of South Gloucestershire Council.

Yate North ward councillor Drew, who has 40 years of service, will perform ambassadorial roles, with councillor Franklin Owusu-Antwi (Con, Bradley Stoke North) elected vice-chair.

Cllr Drew is supporting the Motor Neurone Disease Association as his charity of the year, after his younger brother died from the disease five years ago.

Chris Willmore (Lib Dem, Yate North) - planning, regeneration, and infrastructure

She said: "This is an excellent opportunity to put forward a new vision for South Gloucestershire

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The council's Conservative group, which remains the largest even though it no longer has a majority, has announced its

Group leader Sam Bromiley said: "The new administration must put the best interests of residents at the heart of everything it does, and the people of South Gloucestershire can be assured that the Conservative Group will be firmly on their side."

I RECENTLY spent an afternoon in Bristol watching members of HMS Prince of Wales use their right to parade "with drums beating, colours flying, and bayonets fixed", after they were granted the freedom of the city.

When I’m at events like this, or the annual Army/Navy rugby match at Twickenham that I attend most years (up the Navy!) I’m frequently asked if I have served or are serving, and some are surprised when I say no.

Perhaps the shaved head and the leg tattoo give people a different impression of me to the black shirt and dog collar.

The Armed Forces have had a long association with the Christian church. The Royal Navy, being the Senior Service, had a Chaplain of the Fleet in 1683, with the current line going back to 1859.

The Royal Army Chaplains

Department (RAChD) dates its formation back to 1796.

When I was training for ministry, I had the pleasure of spending time with the RAChD. After spending a week learning about their work in general, I then spent a week with chaplains at MoD Lyneham and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

I heard first-hand from those young recruits completing their Phase 2 training just how important the work that chaplains do is to the morale of our Armed Forces. In the work I do with the Royal British Legion, I hear similar stories of the importance of chaplaincy to those who have previously served.

We’ve heard, through the latest Census, that the number of people claiming to be Christian in this country has dropped