The county council consists of 84 elected councillors. The current Political Composition of the Council following the County Council Elections in May 2021 is as follows:
The roles of Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the county council are appointed at the Annual General Meeting of the Full Council held in May and are held for a period of one year. The roles are held by councillors and are non-political.
| Posts | Current Postholder |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the County Council | County Councillor Alan Cullens BEM |
| Vice Chairman of the County Council | County Councillor Tim Ashton |
The posts below are members of the Executive (Cabinet). The Cabinet Members have been allocated different areas of responsibility by the Leader, as indicated by their post titles below.
Ordinarily decisions in these areas of responsibility will be taken by the Cabinet collectively or by officers under the Scheme of Delegation to Heads of Service. Any urgent decisions which cannot await the next meeting of the Cabinet shall be approved by the Leader (or in his/her absence, the Deputy Leader) and the relevant Cabinet Member.
| Posts | Current Postholder |
|---|---|
| Leader of the County Council | County Councillor Phillippa Williamson |
| Cabinet Member for Resources, HR and Property (Deputy Leader) | County Councillor Alan Vincent |
| Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care | County Councillor Graham Gooch |
| Cabinet Member for Children and Families | County Councillor Cosima Towneley |
| Cabinet Member for Community and Cultural Services | County Councillor Peter Buckley |
| Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Growth | County Councillor Aidy Riggott |
| Cabinet Member for Education and Skills | County Councillor Jayne Rear |
| Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change | County Councillor Shaun Turner |
| Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing | County Councillor Michael Green |
| Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport | County Councillor Rupert Swarbrick |
Lead Members are appointed by Cabinet and whilst lead members are not able to take any decisions themselves, they lead on specific areas to be determined by the relevant Cabinet Member. They also can represent or be deputise for the relevant Cabinet Member as necessary. The current Lead Members and the area they lead on, are listed below:
| Posts | Current Postholder |
|---|---|
| Lead Member for Cultural Services and Skills | County Councillor Ash Sutcliffe |
| Lead Member for Economic Development and Environment | County Councillor Carole Haythornthwaite |
| Lead Member for Finance and Resources | County Councillor Mike Goulthorp |
| Lead Member for Health | County Councillor Mrs Sue Whittam |
| Lead Member for Highways and Active Travel | County Councillor Scott Smith |