THE leader of the Harlow Labour group has questioned size of the new Tory run cabinet at Harlow Council.

Councillor Chris Vince said: “First of all let me welcome the fact that we no longer have an all-male cabinet at Harlow Council. 

“I genuinely wish Cllr Purse every success in her role as portfolio holder for the environment and hope that she is as open to cross party collaboration as Cllr Gunn expressed to be at last week’s cabinet.

“However, I couldn’t help but have a little wry smile when I saw that the new leader of Harlow Council has decided to increase the size of the cabinet by one member.  It doesn’t seem that long ago, mainly because it isn’t, that the then Tory opposition made a big deal about Harlow’s Labour Council leader Mark Ingall adding a new portfolio holder. 

“In fact as soon as they came to power, they removed the role of governance and also of equality and diversity, adding instead a new single new portfolio holder role for strategic growth, claiming that a specific portfolio holder for governance wasn’t needed.  It seems that once again they have changed their tune.

“The new leader of Harlow Conservatives may be keen to move away from the promises of the previous leader, with the ‘council tax decrease from day one’ pledge being top of the list. 

“However, we must remember that he was the shadow portfolio holder for resources before the May elections and the actual portfolio holder for finance after it. 

“Time will tell if Cllr Perrin is as good as Johnson (Boris I mean) in art of reinvention.