Worcestershire County Council cabinet changes

Fast on the excitement of the Worcester City Council elections last Thursday (party manifestos here), there have been a few changes to cabinet positions at Worcestershire County Council, announced this afternoon by the leader Simon Geraghty via the council's press team.'What the hey diddle whoopsy has this got to do with Bike Worcester?' I hear you cry. Well, we're all about enabling and encouraging active travel, and to do that effectively we spend a fair amount of time engaging with the decision makers and officers at the various levels of local government. The City Council is not responsible for all things in the city, it’s a bit more complicated than that. You can see what services the City Council are responsible for here, and what services the County Council are responsible for here. In addition to this the area governed by Worcester City Council sits snuggly next to Wychavon District Council to the East and Malvern Hills District Council to the West on the city’s borders, the other councils sometimes covering areas that seem like they’re in the city.Anyway, as we see the humble bicycle as a mode of transport and we often use our bicycles on roads and cycleways, we're often in conversation with the Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways and Transport; this was previously Mike Rouse, replaced in the shuffle by Marc Bayliss. We've had a productive relationship with Mike over the last couple of years, and in this time we've seen some progress on barrier removal in the city, the creation of the Active Travel Stakeholder Forum, and progress behind the scenes on implementation of School Streets and new 20 mph areas. All the best to you Mike, and thanks for all your efforts.We also welcome Marc Bayliss taking over in the role; he's no stranger to Bike Worcester in his previous role as leader of the City Council, and has been instrumental in supporting Bike Worcester with regard to reporting dangerous driving (notably close passes) and facilitated funding for Pass Pixis and cameras in his role as Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia. Looking forward to future conversations and collaborative working.We also recently had a productive meeting with Karen May in her role as Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Health and Wellbeing, now replaced by David Ross. Our paths haven't crossed with David to date, but the synergies between active travel and health and wellbeing are well documented (the Miracle Pill is a great entry level read on the subject), so we look forward to building that relationship as soon as possible.The full list of cabinet positions post shuffle can be seen below, and interestingly there aren't many (any?) portfolios that do not benefit by increases in rates of active travel, or that the remit should pay a part in enabling and encouraging more walking, wheeling and cycling. As always, we look forward to continuing our work to make the city and county a healthier and happier place; all through the medium of walking and cycling. Leader of the Council and with responsibility for Finance – Councillor Simon GeraghtyDeputy Leader and Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Corporate Services and Communications – Councillor Marcus HartCabinet Member with Responsibility for Education – Councillor David ChambersCabinet Member with Responsibility for Highways and Transport – Councillor Marc BaylissCabinet Member with Responsibility for Adult Social Care – Councillor Richard MorrisCabinet Member with Responsibility for the Environment – Councillor Emma StokesCabinet Member with Responsibility for Children and Families – Councillor Steve MackayCabinet Member with Responsibility for Health and Wellbeing – Councillor David RossCabinet Member with Responsibility for Communities  – Councillor Karen MayCabinet Member with Responsibility for Economy and Skills – Councillor Adam Kent