Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby forced to reshuffle team
Sir Peter Soulsby has reshuffled his team of assistant mayors for the second time in recent weeks.
Councillor Mohammed Dawood has stepped down and Andy Connelly has been brought in to run Leicester City Council's housing services.
Last month, Coun Dawood's role was split and responsibility for adult social care was transferred to a new assistant mayor, Rita Patel.
Sir Peter said: "We have had a change at the top. Mohammed has decided he wants to stand down for personal reasons.
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"He has had a very difficult portfolio and I am very grateful for the work he has done."
Coun Dawood was unavailable for comment yesterday but a statement was issued on his behalf by the city council.
In it, he said: "Working on the executive team has been a huge challenge but also very rewarding.
"Stepping down will enable me to focus on my role as ward councillor for Spinney Hills, which I also find very rewarding.
"I would like to wish Coun Connelly good luck with the portfolio, which faces significant challenges in the times ahead."
Had Coun Dawood stayed on, he would have faced seeing through the city council's controversial homelessness strategy, which involves the closure of a large number of hostel beds, as well as a proposed 4.1 per cent rise in council tenants rents from April.
Coun Connelly will take over on a part-time basis because he wishes to keep his job as an officer of the Leicestershire branch of the Communication Workers Union.
He will be paid a special responsibility allowance of £10,964 – two thirds of that to which an assistant mayor is entitled.
Sir Peter said: "I am delighted Andy has agreed to join my team.
"He is immensely experienced and will be a very safe pair of hands with very good judgement.
"He has agreed to forgo a third of his special responsibility allowance.
"I have no doubt Andy will give 100 per cent to the role."
The change has taken place with immediate effect.
Coun Connelly said he was pleased to be asked to take on the position.
Labour sources said he has often disagreed with Sir Peter since the mayoral role was introduced.
Coun Connelly said: "It's fair to say I have been a critic. I don't have an issue with Peter personally. It is early days. I am looking forward to it."
Coun Connelly was due get his first briefing by officers on key housing issues yesterday.
Tory opposition councillor Ross Grant said: "Peter Soulsby has been saying all along that being an assistant mayor is a full-time job, but now he is allowing Andy Connelly to do it part-time.
"The other assistant mayors are full-time. Why does he think the housing portfolio is less important than any other?"
Coun Dawood is the second assistant mayor to leave the cabinet after Sir Peter took over Ted Cassidy's brief a year ago.
Comments
by braunstoneboy
Tuesday, December 25 2012, 8:15AM
“MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE !”
by braunstoneboy
Tuesday, December 25 2012, 4:57AM
“@bob.....come on .we await ,in great anticipation,the divulgence of your immpecable knowledge as to what pete has done .only 7 days left to 2013.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE”
by Rajjan
Monday, December 24 2012, 7:57PM
“@ Bob 491
I am from Indian origin therefore I can't write good English. But, why you got 136 red arrows, That mean you can't write good comments .”
by braunstoneboy
Monday, December 24 2012, 5:18AM
“@bob.You seem to wrangle a fair few "reds".So to clear the air before 2013,can you just sing the praises of soulsby and what he has achieved? Please.”
by Bob491
Sunday, December 23 2012, 8:36PM
“No of course not. SPS is far too busy working to add comments on this website.
Are you one of the Con PCC's TEN assistants that cost us £400,000 a year plus the £75,000 going to the Con PCC on top of his gold plated pension, all paid for by us taxpayers?”
by gtnewparks
Sunday, December 23 2012, 7:09PM
“is bob491 really soulsby in disguise”
by dontbelieveit
Saturday, December 22 2012, 9:35PM
“The best shuffle of all would be for the joker Peter soulsby to leave the pack”
by democrat
Saturday, December 22 2012, 12:49PM
“And there is so much dirt to dish
Perhaps there is method in the LM's support”
by Bob491
Saturday, December 22 2012, 12:42PM
“Quite to the contrary, Sir Peter has achieved many good things despite the severe economic constraints of this dreadfully unfair Con government and he has regularly shown that he has an imaginative vision for Leicester that most people agree with. Though obviously a few dissidents like to dish dirt about for their own ends.
I guess the LM like putting Sir Peter in their paper so often to increase interest from these dirt dishing dissidents (DDDs) since the LM has for many years been part of the Con supporting unfree press.
The unwanted Con PCC who is only supported by one in every thirteen of the electorate has had plenty of time to refuse to accept his £75,000 a year salary on the grounds that us taxpayers already contribute 100% to his gold plated pension, and it would be just plain greedy to accept both in these austere times.
He has also had sufficient time to halve his TEN assistants, thereby saving another £200,000.
I'm sure all but dirt dishing dissidents (DDDs) will agree!”
by democrat
Saturday, December 22 2012, 12:19PM
“We all have the right to criticise anyone in public office
The difference is that Sir Clive has nothing wrong yet whereas Sir Peter is proving to be a serial offender. Of course there would also be less opportunity to criticise Sir Peter if he wasn't in the LM every single day.”