The Cabinet makes decisions in line with the council's overall policies and budget. When major decisions are to be discussed or made, these are published in the Leader's Forward Plan.
The role of Cabinet

The Cabinet is part of the council's decision-making process. Decisions about the day to day running of council services are taken by the Cabinet within the framework of the council's constitution, budgets and plans approved by the council.

The Cabinet advises councillors and the full Council on major items of policy and exercises financial management within agreed budgets. If the Cabinet wishes to make a decision which is outside the budget or policy framework, this must be referred to Full Council to decide.

Most items at Cabinet and Cabinet Panel meetings are open to the public. Some matters are discussed in private because of their confidential or commercial nature.

How Cabinet decisions are made

Cabinet decisions can be taken by:

  • the whole Cabinet meeting together 
  • Cabinet Panels
  • an individual Cabinet Member in consultation with a designated employee
Cabinet Members and responsibilities
Cllr Stephen Simkins, Leader of the Council

Principal responsibilities

  • Our City: Our Plan 
  • City Partnerships 
  • West Midlands Combined Authority 
  • International, national, regional and sub-regional Leadership
  • Financial Wellbeing 

Contact details

If you wish to contact Councillor Simkins, please use the details below:

Cllr Steve Evans, Deputy Leader - City Housing

Principal responsibilities

  • Our City: Our Plan – good homes in well-connected neighbourhoods 
  • City Housing Strategy and Housing Policies  
  • City Prevention of Homelessness Strategy 
  • City Housing Needs & Affordable Housing incl. Temporary Accommodation 
  • City Private Housing Services Incl. Enforcement and Civil Penalties 
  • Safer Homes incl. National Residential Building Safety Programme 
  • City Residential Landlord Services – Wolverhampton Homes Arm’s Length Management Company 
  • City Residential Landlord Services – Tenant Management Organisations Right to Manage Tenant Organisations and Cooperatives
  • City Housing Company – WV Living Ltd 
  • City Housing Development Strategy

Contact details

If you wish to contact Councillor Evans, please use the details below:

Cllr Obaida Ahmed - Cabinet Member for Digital and Community

Principal responsibilities

  • Our City: Our Plan - Driven by Digital
  • Our Digital including the council’s digital and IT service 
  • Our Data including data and analytics 
  • Digital infrastructure and connectivity 
  • Digital Inclusion including digital skills 
  • Digital innovation 
  • Digital Projects
  • Customer Services
  • Registrars
  • Archives
  • Voluntary and Community Sector Partnerships
  • Community Engagement 
  • Libraries and Community Hubs
  • New Communities and Migration
  • Community safety and community cohesion

Contact details

If you wish to contact Councillor Ahmed, please use the details below:

Cllr Qaiser Azeem - Cabinet Member for Transport and Green City

Principal responsibilities

  • Our City: Our Plan – climate conscious 
  • Strategic Transportation 
  • Operational Transportation incl. highways management and maintenance
  • Fleet management
  • Passenger Transport
  • Sustainability 
  • Delivery of the 2028 climate commitment 
  • Delivery of the 2041 climate commitment for the city
  • Parking Services

Contact details

If you wish to contact Councillor Azeem, please use the details below:

Cllr Paula Brookfield - Cabinet Member for Governance and Equalities

Principal responsibilities

  • Our City: Our Plan - Fair and Inclusive priority including equalities 
  • Legal 
  • Democratic Services and School Appeals 
  • Scrutiny 
  • Electoral Registration and Elections
  • Information Governance
  • Civic Support (Mayoral and Councillor Support) and Councillor Enquiries
  • Corporate Complaints and Feedback
  • Our People Strategy Incl. HR and Organisation Development
  • Health and Safety
  • Emergency Planning, Resilience and business continuity
  • Our City Our Plan – Our Assets – ensuring the city has a fit for purpose asset portfolio to meet current and future needs.

Contact details

If you wish to contact Councillor Brookfield, please use the details below: 

Cllr Chris Burden - Cabinet Member for City Development, Jobs and Skills

Principle responsibilities

  • Our City: Our Plan – more local people into good jobs and training 
  • Adult Education
  • Further and higher education (incl.  Wolverhampton College, training providers and universities)
  • Skills and employability including Careers advice, Wolves@work, Impact and Workbox
  • Our City: Our Plan – thriving economy in all parts of the city 
  • Strategic Planning, incl. Local Plan policy,
  • Supporting City businesses
  • Stimulating Inward investment
  • Economic growth and inclusion partnerships
  • Delivery and implementation of the Strategic Asset Plan
  • External relations, Public Relations and Reputation Management 
  • Visitor Experience (Culture and Events) 
  • City Marketing

Contact details 

If you wish to contact Councillor Burden, please use the details below:

Cllr Jacqui Coogan - Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education

Principal responsibilities

  • Our City: Our Plan – strong families where children grow up well and achieve their full potential 
  • Our City: Our Plan – fulfilled lives for all with quality care for those that need it Children’s safeguarding incl. prevention of exploitation
  • Children in need and in need of protection  
  • Children and young people in care and care leavers
  • Corporate parenting
  • Early intervention, prevention and specialist services 
  • Children’s Transformation work (incl. specific funded programmes and national reform)
  • Youth Offending
  • Children and young people partnership working 
  • Children and young people’s health incl. disabilities and emotional health and wellbeing
  • Children’s Services commissioning 
  • Children and Young People’s participation and engagement
  • Early Years 
  • School standards and attainment
  • Strategic School place planning 
  • School admissions 
  • 0-25 Special Educational Needs and Disability
  • Education inclusion incl. behaviour, attendance, and elected home education
  • School governance
  • Home to school transport
  • Commercial services to schools 
  • Health and wellbeing for schools  
  • Post 16 School Education provision

Contact details 

If you wish to contact Councillor Coogan, please use the details below:

Cllr Bhupinder Gakhal - Cabinet Member for Resident Services

Principal responsibilities

  • Waste and Recycling Services 
  • Street cleansing
  • Grounds maintenance, parks operations, country parks operations
  • Markets
  • Public protection and consumer protection
  • Licensing 
  • Bereavements
  • Coroner
  • Kabaddi World Cup

Contact details

If you wish to contact Councillor Gakhal, please use the details below:

Cllr Jasbir Jaspal - Cabinet Member for Adults and Wellbeing

Principle responsibilities

  • Our City: Our Plan – fulfilled lives for all with quality care for those that need it 
  • Health and Care integration through the integrated care system, place-based partnership and integrated care partnership
  • Health and Care reform including the fair cost of care and social care cap government reforms.
  • Adult Services Transformation work
  • Operational Social care provision for adults, older people, learning and physical disabilities, complex needs and mental health including:-
    • Adult Safeguarding (MASH 24)
    • AMHP Hub
    • Carer support (paid and unpaid)
    • Welfare rights
    • Information, advice and guidance (including Wolverhampton Information Network)
    • Better Care Fund 
    • Adult care commissioning and market sustainability 
    • Quality assurance and monitoring
    • Adult user engagement
    • Financial Assessments 
    • CQC inspection framework
  • Our City: Our Plan – healthy, inclusive communities Preventing Ill Health and reducing Health Inequalities 
  • Starting and developing well     
  • Healthy Life Expectancy
  • Healthy Ageing
  • NHS Partnerships 
  • Public Health Commissioning
  • WV Active

Contact details 

If you wish to contact Councillor Jaspal, please use the details below:

Cllr Louise Miles - Cabinet Member for Resources

Principal responsibilities

  • Our Money including Medium term financial planning
    • capital strategy (incl. schools)
    • budget development process
    • treasury management strategy 
  • Council tax and business rates 
  • Housing benefits and council tax benefits
  • Procurement and Commercialisation
  • Audit and Corporate risk

Contact details

If you wish to contact Councillor Miles, please use the details below:

11345