The Portfolio Holder Decisions/Leader Decisions meeting of Warwickshire Council on 16 May 2025 was unable to proceed due to the absence of Councillor Rob Howard, Leader of the council. Consequently, all items on the agenda were deferred to a future date. These included the appointment of cabinet portfolios, delegation of executive functions, and appointments to various bodies.

Appointment of Cabinet Portfolios, Delegation of Executive Functions and Appointments to Bodies

The main item for determination was the appointment of cabinet portfolios, delegation of executive functions, and appointments to bodies.

The Leader of the council has the power to appoint up to nine other councillors to the cabinet, determining their specific portfolios and delegating executive functions as necessary. A Deputy Leader must also be appointed from within the cabinet.

The Leader was expected to confirm appointments to the following bodies:

• Joint Negotiating Body – Staff
• Joint Negotiating Body – Teachers
• Adoption Panel
• Fostering Panel
• Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) Management Committee
• ESPO Finance and Audit Committee

The report notes that the council may choose to appoint an elected member to the Adoption Panel and Fostering Panel, but that this is not a legal requirement. It also notes that the Chair of both of these panels must be an independent person, and not an elected member of the council.

The Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) is a joint committee between consortium authorities that aims to improve the supply of goods and services to its constituent authorities. Each member authority has two places on the ESPO Management Committee, one of which must be a cabinet member. The ESPO Finance and Audit Committee oversees the financial planning process undertaken by ESPO.

As the meeting was unable to proceed, all of these decisions were deferred to a later date.