Councillor Jacky Alty has been appointed as the new Leader of South Ribble Borough Council.
Councillor Jacky Alty has been appointed as the new Leader of South Ribble Borough Council.
Councillor Alty represents the ward of Farington East and has sat as a member of the council since 2019, acting as Cabinet Member for Licensing, Social Justice and Equality and Diversity and Member Champion for Social Justice and Equality in that time. She also sits on the committee for the My Neighbourhood Community Hub – Central Villages.
Officially selected as the South Ribble Labour Group Leader and Council Leader at the full council meeting of 17 July, Jacky wished her predecessor Paul Foster all the best in his new appointment as MP for South Ribble and shared her excitement on embarking on her new role.
She said, “It is an absolute honour to take on the role of Leader of South Ribble Borough Council.
“It’s incredibly exciting. I am surrounded by a great team of Cabinet Members and the wider Member body who are all eager to get stuck in and keep moving the agenda forward.
“Ultimately, I want the residents to see a continued improvement in their quality of life. For me, this is It’s all about residents and businesses having confidence that their council is responsive and uses its resources wisely to meet the needs of as many people as we can. “I want to give my thanks to Paul who has been brilliant as Leader and it's great he can continue to represent South Ribble in his new position in parliament.
“I personally am grateful for the opportunities that he has provided for me in being able to challenge on behalf of social justice and equality and diversity as Lead Member which is a role that wasn’t in existence when we arrived in 2019.”
A true champion for equality, diversity and social justice, Jacky’s passion lies with empowering all and highlighting the wonderful and diverse things about people and communities in a way which can bring us together.
Jacky has worked as a community activist for 25 years and has been employed in public service for longer than that. She sees nothing more powerful than a person within their community who has nothing to gain other than making life better for others - a strong ethos she would like to bring forward during her leadership.
Jacky is an advocate for those with disabilities and other minority and marginalised groups. Striving for a community which is welcoming, tolerant and culturally diverse, Jacky has already made waves to ensure that the council’s activities have community at its heart in her role as Cabinet Member for Social Justice and Equality and Diversity,
Council events have been made more accessible and initiatives such as the community toilet scheme have been implemented to ensure more inclusivity across the borough.
She continues, “Any community moving towards becoming a more cohesive and welcoming is wonderful, and in South Ribble we have some fantastic community champions in the area, grassroots activists that have no other agenda than making life better for other people, so one of the first thing that I want to do is to continue celebrating what they bring and support communities to support each other.”
Jacky now wants to continue to build on the work the Labour Group have delivered for South Ribble since 2019 and concludes, “Our residents are our greatest asset and our greatest potential, and by standing with them, working alongside them, supporting and enabling them to make the future bright for themselves and their communities, together, we can ensure that South Ribble continues to thrive.”
ENDS