Only three members of the previous Suffolk County Council cabinet are expected to carry on when Colin Noble outlines his top team later today.
Former deputy council leader Lisa Chambers is expected to retain her role as cabinet member for education while Gordon Jones is set to carry on as cabinet member for children’s services.
Becky Hopfensperger is set to take over as cabinet member for adult and community services.
Tony Goldson, who stepped in as interim cabinet member for health and community services following the resignation of Dr Alan Murray this spring, is to take over as cabinet member for health on a permanent basis.
Richard Smith, who was sacked from the cabinet last year after proposing Mr Noble in his failed bid to topple Mark Bee, is set to return to the top table with responsibility for finance. They will be joined in the cabinet by deputy council leader Christopher Hudson, who is expected to take on a role co-ordinating policy and cabinet business.
Nayland councillor James Finch is set to take over responsibility for roads and transport.
Matthew Hicks from Debenham is set to be cabinet member for public protection while Bury St Edmunds councillor Sarah Stamp is set to take on the communities portfolio – dealing with services from overseeing the libraries contract to recycling centres.
Former environment and transport spokesman Guy McGregor is expected to take on a new role handling negotiations with outside bodies – especially those bodies involved with planning Sizewell C.
The appointments are set to be unveiled at today’s annual meeting of the county council, although Mr Noble would not confirm the positions before he had spoken to members of his group this morning.
He did say he had been talking to members of the Conservative group over the last two weeks and had been drawing up his proposed cabinet over the last weekend.
The members met yesterday – and he would be unveiling them to his group this morning.
He said: “I have had one-to-one meetings with most of the Conservative group over the last two weeks, a good hour-long sit-down with each of them – and have taken on board what I have been told.”
He had also spoken at length with his deputy Mr Hudson and Mr Goldson, who is chairman of the Conservative group at the county council.
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