Council leader Cllr. Mary Ann Brocklesby has announced that the position of Cabinet Member for Resources will be a job-share between Cllr. Rachel Garrick and Cllr. Ben Callard.
Cllr. Garrick and Cllr. Callard will share the role and take on joint responsibility for the Resources Portfolio.
Cllr. Callard, is the ward member for Llanfoist and Govilon, as well as the current Deputy Mayor of Abergavenny. He will join the cabinet and lead on Finance Strategy and Budget, Capital Programme, Programme Appraisal, Risk Management, Council Tax, National Non-Domestic Rates, Financial Services and Revenues.
Cllr. Garrick, who is the ward member for Caldicot Castle, will continue as a member of cabinet and will lead on Property and Asset Management, Human Resources and Workforce Planning, Training, Learning and Development, Trade Union Engagement, Commissioning and Procurement, ICT and Digital Strategy.
In announcing the changes, Monmouthshire County Council Leader Cllr. Mary Ann Brocklesby said: "I would like to thank Cllr. Garrick for her effective work on behalf of the community and dedication to the role - a true asset to the people of Monmouthshire. I welcome Cllr. Callard to cabinet, knowing he'll bring the same passion and dedication he's shown to his constituents. I am confident that the flexibilities and opportunities a job share brings will strengthen our Cabinet team.
"I look forward to working with them both to ensure we continue to deliver for the people of Monmouthshire."
Cllr Richard John, Leader of the Conservative Group, said, “Neither we nor the administration are aware of any council in the UK that has split responsibility for a local authority’s finances in this bizarre way.
“We are really concerned that just days after the leader predicted Monmouthshire County Council could be bankrupt within three years, the Labour administration has decided to hand over responsibility for budget management to an inexperienced part-time cabinet member in an experimental job share.
“This is really worrying for residents and the services they rely on. All councillors need to be scrutinising council budgets but the Labour cabinet should be focussed on reforming services to drive efficiencies rather than watering down budget management at such a critical time.”