Cllr Smith, who represents Romsey ward, will join the council’s seven-strong Executive leadership team and takes over from Cllr Carina O’Reilly, who is stepping down as executive councillor after taking on a full time job as a lecturer on policing at Anglia Ruskin University.
The council’s Executive consists of the Leader of the Council and six executive councillors, who make decisions relating to the major service areas and together determine the council’s budget each year, working closely with the members of the council’s committees
The new Executive Councillor for Streets and Open Spaces will have responsibilities including:
- Ensuring the city’s streets and open spaces are cleaned and well-maintained
- Improving accessibility to public places
- Managing parks, play areas and public toilets
- Tackling environmental crimes such as fly-tipping.
Another change to current roles will see Cllr Peter Roberts becoming Executive Councillor for Environment Services and City Centre, taking over responsibility for tourism and work with city centre businesses, in addition to continuing to improve council recycling and waste services.
This change in roles will strengthen the links between open spaces and streets operations, by combining their management, cleaning and maintenance under one portfolio.
In further minor changes, responsibility for river moorings transfers to the Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources, and some agenda items will be swapped between the Environment and Community Services Scrutiny Committees.
Cllr Lewis Herbert, Leader of the Council said: “We are sad to be losing Carina O’Reilly from the Executive team that she has served with such distinction since 2014 - but she has recently taken on a new full-time job and we fully support her decision to step down.
“At the same time we are delighted to add Cllr Anna Smith to our team, who I am sure will bring the same determination and innovation to the role as Carina, working to deliver great services for all the people of Cambridge.”
Cllr Smith was elected as a city councillor for Romsey in May 2015 and has represented the council as lead councillor for cycling, on the board of Cambridge Live, and as chair of the East Area Committee.
She came to Cambridge more than ten years ago to train as a teacher and has worked here ever since – as a history teacher and head of the tutorial programme at Hills Road Sixth Form College, and then as deputy principal at Parkside Federation.
Cllr Anna Smith said: “I am honoured to have been selected as an executive councillor. I became a city councillor because I wanted to serve my local community, especially the most vulnerable, and leading on our parks and looking after our streets is an extension of that.
“I am looking forward to working with our superb staff team, with councillor colleagues and with the public, to continue the excellent work that has been done by Carina O’Reilly to fulfil our commitments to residents to improve our wonderful city and its unique open spaces.”
The changes will take place with effect from Monday 19 September, and will be reported to the next full Council meeting on 20 October.
From today (Monday 19 September), the council’s Executive will be: Cllr Lewis Herbert (Leader of the Council), Cllr Kevin Price (Executive Councillor for Housing and Deputy Leader), Cllr Kevin Blencowe (Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport), Cllr Richard Johnson (Executive Councillor for Communities), Cllr Peter Roberts (Executive Councillor for Environment Services and City Centre), Cllr Richard Robertson (Executive Councillor for Finance and Resources) and Cllr Anna Smith (Executive Councillor for Streets and Open Spaces).
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