A COUNCILLOR from Bude is celebrating after gaining a seat in the Cornwall Council cabinet.

Following the election of a new council leader on May 20, it was up to new council leader, Cllr Leigh Frost (Liberal Democrat, Bodmin St Petroc’s) to put together his cabinet for the coming term, the body of councillors who would be key in making decisions for the county.

Following a closely fought election, the two parties with the highest number of seats were the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK, though neither had enough to form a majority.

Due to this, parties were forced to find alliances to make up the majority, resulting in the Liberal Democrats joining forces with a number of Independent councillors, one of whom was Cllr Peter La Broy from Bude.

Cllr La Broy has been a councillor for a number of years, working at both a county and town level for the coastal town, however, with this new role, he will be at the forefront of change within the county.

Speaking to the Post, Cllr La Broy said: “The Independent group of councillors put forward five members of the group as cabinet members to work alongside Liberal Democrat councillors in an alliance for Cornwall.

“I’m incredibly grateful to have the opportunity of representing Bude around such an influential table.”

Cllr La Broy explained that the cabinet has already been having discussions about Cornwall’s future and the challenges the county is facing at this time.

He continued: “We have already had an informal cabinet meeting where there was a free ranging discussion about all the challenges facing Cornwall. The next steps are for us to get together and work out our priorities for the next four years. I’m anticipating spending quite a bit of time over the next week or so in a stuffy meeting room thrashing out these important details.”

“Leigh Frost, the council leader, told us that during this process we would determine cabinet portfolio responsibilities to best fit our individual knowledge base and skills.”

According to the Bude councillor, there is a common desire for change around the cabinet, particularly surrounding the approach to leadership within the council.

He said: “A common theme around the table was that a decisive change in the leadership approach at Cornwall Council is necessary.

One of the biggest issues the council has seen in recent years is balancing funding, and Cllr La Broy knows that this will continue to be a balancing act as he enters this new role, though he ‘will not be afraid to make the hard decisions’.

He told the Post: “I am very much looking forward to getting my teeth into some substantial issues but already know that the overwhelming challenge will be funding the statutory services the council provides.

“Cutting waste and improving efficiencies has been on the agenda for years now, but there is more to do. I know there will be tough decisions ahead, but will not be afraid to make the hard decisions when necessary”