CCIN: Vacancy for Two Full Members on the EOC
Three candidates have applied to join the EOC 2023-2025.
Voting Closes – Noon on Tuesday, 19th September 2023.
With three candidates for the two vacancies, we now have a contested election.
Please find below the Supporting Statement from each of the candidates.
Each Full Member Council of the Network has TWO votes. Ballot forms have been sent to Leaders and Officer Leads of the 44 Full Council Members eligible to vote.
Each Full Member Council is asked to submit their completed ballot paper and email it to [email protected] by noon on Tuesday, 19th September 2023. These should be signed off by the Council Leader/Mayor before submission.
Cllr Alistair Willoughby
Executive Member for Communities & Partnerships
North Herts District Council
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Personal Statement for EOC Membership
Cllr Alistair Willoughby
Hello, I’m Alistair Willoughby and I serve as the Executive Member for Communities & Partnerships at North Herts District Council. My role involves creating strong partnerships between councillors, council officers, community organisations, charities, and partners.
A central part of my role is building and developing community wealth building and cooperative policies within North Herts. I’ve created a new Community Investment Fund which empowers community groups, charities, and organisations to invest internally to grow capacity and deliver more locally. I will be taking forward the lessons from this exercise and applying them to our UKSPF allocations in order to ensure we achieve maximum value for our communities from this money, ensuring co-operative values are central to our decision-making.
The challenges facing local government mean we have to find increasingly creative ways to achieve efficiencies. Much of my work delivers added value which goes beyond the mere statutory duties we are expected to carry out but feeds into the bigger health, well-being, and economic development responsibilities I believe it is critical councils of all levels engage in to ensure we deliver what our communities need now, and in the future.
I have experience experimenting with different approaches to resolving policy questions and empowering partners to lead in their respective areas. Ultimately, for me, everything revolves around empowering communities. I have been a dedicated community activist and am involved in a number of local charities, trusts, and voluntary organisations in my hometown. Building networks between community organisations, groups, and charities has allowed us to share resources, research, and engagement opportunities, all of which deliver significant benefits for our communities.
While we face significant challenges, there are many opportunities and taking a cooperative approach in tackling these will help us deliver more for our communities. My vision for the future relies on identifying opportunities for collaboration between local government, the voluntary and community sector, and private sector partners who share our values. We need to be clear on what we’re seeking to achieve and also understand and promote the role of local government in achieving positive community outcomes. That’s why I’m leading on ensuring all decisions taken by my council have regard to our role in achieving positive health and wellbeing opportunities, supporting the strategic priorities of our ICS.
I have witnessed firsthand how the CCIN has partnered with local authorities and other organisations to implement incredible projects that have revolutionised the way we engage with the people in our areas. Through shared vision, research, and networking, we are able to address the vast issues that we face as funding becomes more scarce. I am eager to join the Executive Oversight Committee to contribute my experience, perspective, and motivation to the CCIN. My passion lies in finding better ways to empower communities and design innovative solutions to both old problems and current concerns. I believe that my contribution will strengthen the impact of the policies and projects that come out of our work.
Cllr Kelly Middleton
Cabinet Member for Leisure, Public Health and Well-being, Equalities and Partnerships
Telford & Wrekin Council
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Personal Statement for EOC Membership
Cllr Kelly Middleton
I have been a Councillor in Telford and Wrekin’s Woodside ward since 2019, in which time I have held executive roles such as Chair of our Health and Wellbeing board, Cabinet member for Public Health, Leisure, Equalities and Partnerships and I also currently hold responsibility as Cabinet member for Healthy, Safer and Stronger Communities and Partnerships. Additionally, I’m also a full member of the Local Government Association’s Safer Stronger Community policy board.
I have nominated myself for this role on the Executive oversight committee as I feel my role as a Cabinet member provides me with key experience in holding people to account, as well as driving policy which would be an important part of development for network members. Furthermore, within my Cabinet responsibilities I make key decisions, set priorities and provide strategic direction whilst still working positively with Directors to oversee and set budgets.
As a council with co-operative values, it underpins all that we do and strive to achieve. As a Cabinet member, I truly believe this is in our DNA and I am proud to work with these beliefs, allowing it to stretch into every aspect of my work—both with other councillors and within my community. I can say with certainty that in Telford and Wrekin council we all share these beliefs, and I am proud to say this has provided us with the opportunity to win co-operative council of the year.
Within my roles at the council I have been a part of decision making across many projects, And in my day job as a Health and Wellbeing Specialist working with homeless people with mental ill health and addiction, Furthermore, I have experience in setting up projects, both within voluntary and the community sector, which allows me to have a well-rounded and versatile perspective. This would be beneficial to the committee, I believe, when determining if projects should be supported or not.
Finally, I would be proud to not only represent Telford and Wrekin council but also the Midlands as a Region at your table, as we are not yet represented! This is a change that can be made and I believe would be of great benefit to us all.
Cllr Cathy Scott
Leader
Kirklees Council
Info
Personal Statement for EOC Membership
Cllr Cathy Scott
I have recently taken over leadership of Kirklees Council after 15 years as a councillor and 12 years on the cabinet. Coming into this role, I feel continuing to contribute to CCIN is an important element for our future success. During our time in the network, we’ve always sought to contribute, not just to benefit and I’m keen to do this as part of the Executive Oversight Committee.
As a Community Centre Manager, I know that our residents, even from the most challenging parts of our places, have lots to contribute and have the skills and knowledge to make their neighbourhoods great places if empowered and supported. The full participation of our residents is essential which is why as Leader I’ve retained democracy and place-based working from my cabinet portfolio.
Not only am I passionate about this but I believe it is even more important as again councils are struggling with our budgets. CCIN was established in 2012 in the face of austerity recognising that councils could be more effective by cooperating, and that allowing local people to shape the services we provide would reduce waste. We are in a similar place now and need to harness this solidarity with our residents, partners, and each other to weather the storm. A small number of service areas are causing inordinate pressure on our budgets: adults’ and children’s social care, and housing. The network has already done great work on the Cooperative Difference in Care and Community Led Housing. This is the time to take this work further to find solutions for councils within the network and beyond.
As a member of the Executive Oversight Committee, I will support the strengthening of our cooperative difference. Community Wealth Building is a core part of this. While this may look different in different places our residents need to have control over the economy they work within, and we need to be able to retain wealth in our neighbourhoods. Since joining the network Kirklees Council has taken a prominent role in promoting the cooperative economy, just as outside it we have become known as a vanguard on social value, and I will champion these agendas within the EOC as I will in the Council.
Finally, with almost 50 full council members CCIN continues to go from strength to strength but has yet to achieve the national influence it deserves. As an EOC member I will seek to support the chair in increasing this influence both through the LGA but also with government. It is time for the Cooperative Difference to be heard, recognised, and embedded within policy.
