By Kit Sandeman, Local Democracy Reporter
The new leader of Nottingham City Council has said building affordable housing, cleaning up the city, and creating 15,000 new jobs will be among his priorities.
Councillor David Mellen was officially sworn in as leader today, alongside the most diverse cabinet in the council’s history.
He has also previously said tackling homelessness in the city is a target for him.
Of the 10 top jobs in the authority, seven are held by women, and for the first time, a majority of councillors are also women.
It means former councillor Jon Collins is now no longer the leader of the council, after almost two decades as leader and deputy leader.
Labour won 50 out of 55 seats in the local elections, which were held on Thursday, May 2.
The Clifton Independents are now the official opposition party with three seats, while the Conservatives have two.
After an internal Labour election, Councillor Mellen was selected as leader, beating Councillor Steve Battlemuch by 29 votes to 21.
At the full-council meeting this afternoon (Monday, May 20) the council officially adopted the Labour manifesto, which includes more than 200 pledges.
He said: “We wanted to achieve gender balance and increase BME representation so that councillors better reflect the city they represent, and we are proud of doing that straight out of the blocks.
“The next few years are going to be challenging but funding cuts don’t mean we can’t be ambitious for Nottingham – they mean we can’t afford not to be.
“Our communities benefit when we look beyond the horizon, and we intend to re-engage with them so they can connect with the new jobs and opportunities coming to the city, and so we’re sure we are focusing on the things that matter most to them.”
New City Council cabinet holders and responsibilities – in full;
Cllr David Mellen, Dales Ward, Labour – Leader, and Regeneration, Safety and Communications
Cllr Sally Longford,Lenton and Wollaton East, Labour – Deputy leader, and Energy, Environment and Democratic Services
Cllr Cheryl Barnard, Bulwell Forest,Labour – Children and Young People
Cllr Eunice Campbell, Bulwell Forest, Labour – Health, HR and Equalities
Cllr Sam Webster, Castle, Labour – Finance, Growth and the City Centre
Cllr Linda Woodings, Basford, Labour – Housing, Planning and Heritage
Cllr Neghat Khan, Dales, Labour – Early Years, Education and Employment
Cllr Dave Trimble, Lenton and Wollaton East, Labour – Leisure, Culture and IT
Cllr Adele Williams, Sherwood, Labour – Adult Care and Local Transport
Cllr Rebecca Langton, Bilborough, Labour – Communities
