The borough will have a Conservative deputy mayor after the party
Following a brief period of uncertainty after the local elections left Brent Council under no overall control, the local authority has selected its new mayoral team and filled Cabinet positions.
With Labour falling three seats short of an overall majority, the party needed opposition support – which involved Conservative abstentions – to ensure its preferred nomination was elected as leader. Cllr Muhammed Butt will continue his 14-year reign in charge of the local authority, with supporting the Conservatives as the principal opposition being the price of doing business.
Alongside the election of a new leader at the All Council Meeting (ACM) earlier this week (May 20), a number of other key positions were also approved – including Labour’s Welsh Harp representative, Cllr Amer Agha, being elected as the borough’s Mayor.
Cllr Agha said: “I am deeply grateful to have been elected Mayor of Brent which is a huge honour and privilege. What makes our borough so special is not just that we are so diverse, it is that people from all backgrounds, cultures and faiths live side by side with acceptance, compassion and togetherness.
“Every person in Brent has their own story, hopes and dreams. As Mayor I will do everything possible to build trust and bring communities closer together and champion our shared values of dignity and respect for everyone.”
The Mayor takes on a civic and ceremonial role, representing Brent at official events, chairing meetings of the Full Council, and acting as an ambassador for the borough and its communities. A key part of the Mayor’s role is supporting charitable fundraising and raising awareness of important community causes.
Cllr Agha replaces the outgoing Cllr Ryan Hack, who served as the borough’s youngest ever First Citizen over the past year. During his term, he supported the Brent Irish Advisory Service – raising over £92,000 in the process. He described being Mayor as “the honour of my life”
Cllr Hack added: “Meeting so many of you, in all corners of our community, has meant so much to me. […] I will always champion our special borough and will continue to promote and support Brent in any way I can.”
With the Conservatives being the principal opposition in a minority-led Labour administration, the party was able to leverage representation in key positions – including chairing both scrutiny committees. But they will also be represented in the mayoralty – with the Tories Queensbury representative, Cllr Kanta Mistry, elected as Deputy Mayor.
A new Cabinet was also formed, made up entirely of Labour councillors and ignoring any suggestion of a cross-party ‘rainbow’ Cabinet proposed by the Liberal Democrats. Below is a breakdown of who will sit on the Cabinet and the portfolio they are responsible for:
- Cllr Gwen Grahl, Cabinet Member for Finance and Resources and Deputy Leader
- Cllr Tina Amadi, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture and Cost-of-Living Support
- Cllr Liz Dixon, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Public Health
- Cllr Robert Johnson, Cabinet Member for Housing, Homelessness and Renters
- Cllr Matt Kelcher, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Planning
- Cllr Promise Knight, Cabinet Member for Cleaner Streets, Transport and Public Realm
- Cllr Jake Rubin, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Employment and Climate Action
- Cllr Muhammed Butt will serve as Leader but also cover Adult Social Care as part of his remit
Brent Labour said: “Brent Labour has supported scrutiny committees being chaired by the principal opposition group, with the opportunity available for other opposition groups to take up vice-chairing roles should they wish. In a more plural council, strong scrutiny, constructive challenge and clear accountability will matter more than ever.
“In the coming weeks, Cabinet will get straight to work on a new Brent Housing Compact, major investment in our leisure centres, and disabled facilities in council-owned homes. We are forming an administration so we can clean up our streets, take back our high streets, introduce cost-of-living support […] and drive forward the long-term projects that will shape Brent’s future […].”
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