Ben Bradley Appointed to County Council Cabinet Position

Ben Bradley, who previously led Nottinghamshire County Council, has been appointed to a role within the cabinet of his successor. Last month, Ben Bradley declared his resignation as the leader of the Conservative-led authority, with Sam Smith subsequently taking his place. Bradley has now received an appointment as the cabinet member responsible for education and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), a portfolio previously held by Smith prior to his leadership. Smith expressed his satisfaction, stating: “I am delighted that Councillor Bradley has accepted the education and SEND brief as it is one of the key areas this administration is prioritising.” He further elaborated: “We’re committed to making sure every young person in the county attends a good or outstanding school, maintaining our school building and maintenance programme, achieving the national target for SEND improvements and robustly monitoring school places provision.” An investigation conducted in 2023 identified “widespread failings” within the county’s SEND services. Smith had previously conveyed his confidence that Nottinghamshire would align with the national average for the issuance of education health and care plans by the conclusion of the present academic year. In May, Bradley was unsuccessful in the East Midlands mayoral election, and subsequently lost his parliamentary seat during July’s general election. Additionally, he recently failed to secure the Conservative candidacy for the Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire. All other cabinet roles within the county council have been retained, with Bruce Laughton continuing in his capacity as deputy leader. Consequently, Richard Jackson and Neil Clarke, both of whom contested Smith for the leadership, have also maintained their respective positions as cabinet members for finance and transport. Local elections for all seats on Nottinghamshire County Council are scheduled for May of next year. Bradley has already stated his intention not to seek re-election.