Horsted Ward

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John and Scooter

The full Medway Council comprises 80 members elected in 35 wards throughout the Medway Towns, though the current boundary review means that this number is almost certain to be significantly reduced to somewhere around 55 members in far fewer wards by the time of the local elections in 2003.

Under the new "Cabinet-style" political management, introduced on 1^st October 2001, the structure is essentially as per the diagram below, though we are still feeling our way somewhat:

Essentially what happens now is that the ten-member Cabinet makes all decisions that fit within what is called the Council's policy framework and within the budgets set by the full Council. These decisions are scrutinised by the five Overview and Scrutiny Committees who can call-in decisions that they judge fall outside those limits. The Overview and Scrutiny Committees can refer such decisions up to the full Council, or—after scrutiny—back to the Cabinet. For this reason Cabinet decisions do not take effect immediately, but only after the period allowed for a call-in decision. The Overview and Scrutiny Committees can also formulate and develop policy.

The Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinating Committee is something of an oddity, having no portfolio of its own and appearing to be an attempt at an opposition power-base—nothing more significant than that. It certainly has no obvious relevance to the work that needs to be done by Medway Council, as the rest of the structure covers all of that. However it exists now, and hopefully it will in time either show that it has genuine reasons for its existence and can produce some benefits, or else it will be disbanded if it fails to prove its worth.

The political make-up of the Council is as below:

	Conservative	:	38 members
	Liberal Democrat	:	15 members
	Independent	:	2 members
	Others	:	25 members

The memberships of these political groups (except of any group who has asked that their details do not appear here) are given below, with links to a page about each:

Conservative

Name:	Ward:
Richard Andrews	Frindsbury Extra and Chattenden
Juliette Andrews	Lordswood
Ted Baker	St Margaret's and Borstal
Janice Bamber	Hoo St Werburgh
Kenneth Bamber	Hoo St Werburgh
David Brighouse	Rede Court
Christopher Buckwell	All Saints
Tony Cawte	Cuxton and Halling
Diane Chambers	Hempstead and Wigmore
Marcus Chambers	Warren Wood
Rodney Chambers Leader	Hempstead and Wigmore
Jane Chitty	Rede Court
Joanne Chitty	St Margaret's
John Chitty	St Margaret's
Christine Crane	Parkwood
Howard Doe	Parkwood
Jane Etheridge	Cuxton and Halling
PhilFilmer	All Saints
Sylvia Griffin	Warren Wood
Helen Harding	Rainham
Carol Hattersley	Lordswood
Susan Haydock	St Margaret's and Borstal
Ron Hewett	Horsted
Wes Hollands	Thames Side
Roy Hunter	St Margaret's
Alan Jarrett	North Dane
Ian Martin	Thames Side
Tom Mason	Frindsbury Extra and Chattenden
Emily Pearce	Parkwood
Angela Prodger	Walderslade
Wendy Purdy	North Dane
Tony Sultana	Rainham
John Ward	Horsted
Les Wicks	St Margaret's and Borstal
David Wildey	Lordswood
Belinda Williams	Hempstead and Wigmore
Pat Wozencroft	Walderslade
Richard Wozencroft	Walderslade

Liberal Democrat

Name:	Ward:
John Booth	Gillingham South
Pat Cooper	Medway
Karen Griffin	Brompton
Richard Guichard	Riverside
Alan Jefferies	Rainham Mark
Geoffrey Juby Leader	Brompton
Stephen Kearney	Gillingham South
Tony Luckhurst	Watling Street
Graham Payne	Rainham Mark
Madhu Ruparel	Priestfield
Maureen Ruparel	Priestfield
Roger Shade	Watling Street
Steven Sivyer	Rainham Mark
Anita Webber	Medway
Kenneth Webber	Riverside

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