At a meeting of the Full Council on Monday 20th July Fylde Councillors appointed a new Leader of the Council, Councillor Karen Buckley, and new Deputy Leader, Councillor Roger Small.
After becoming leader in 2014, Councillor Sue Fazackerley stood down from the leadership of Fylde Council in April this year. Councillor Karen Buckley, as Deputy Leader, has been Acting Leader since Councillor Fazackerley’ s resignation.
Cllr Fazackerley has been a member at Fylde Council since 1987 and became Leader in December 2014 after Cllr David Eaves stepped down. She had previously been Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture.
The new leader, Cllr Buckley, became a member in 2007 and became Chairman of the Finance and Democracy Committee when the committee system was formed in 2015. She had previously been Portfolio Holder for Partnerships and Community Engagement and then Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources from 2011.
The new Deputy Leader for Fylde, Cllr Small, first became a member in 1999, and after a brief spell off the Council from 2011 returned in 2015. Cllr Small has been Chairman of the Operational Management Committee since 2018 having previously been Vice Chairman of the Finance and Democracy Committee from 2015. Prior to 2011, he had been Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources.
New Fylde Council Leader Karen Buckley said: “I would like to thank Cllr Fazackerley for her steadfast commitment and dedication to Fylde, particularly during her last 6 years as Leader. I look forward to steering the Council through the challenging times ahead post Covid-19 and will welcome her wise counsel as she continues to represent Central Ward.”
Mayor of Fylde, Councillor Angela Jacques, continues in office until the Annual Meeting due to be held in May 2021. Legislation and the Council’s constitution normally require the election of a Mayor to take place at the Council’s Annual Meeting. However, government regulations in response to Coronavirus allowed the cancellation of the Annual Meeting and automatically extended the term of office of the existing Mayor for a further year.
There have also been some new appointments to Committee Chairmen and Vice Chairmen at the meeting which includes the following:
Audit and Standards Committee:
Cllr Ellie Gaunt becomes Vice Chairman.
Environment Health and Housing:
Cllr Thomas Threlfall becomes Chairman and Cllr Jayne Nixon becomes Vice Chairman.
Licencing and Public Protection Committees:
Cllr Shirley Green becomes Chairman and Cllr Gavin Harrison becomes Vice Chairman.
Operational Management:
Cllr John Kirkham becomes Vice Chairman.
Tourism and Leisure:
Cllr Michael Sayward becomes Vice Chairman.
