New West Norfolk Council leader Alistair Beales set to announce cabinet shake-up

West Norfolk Council officially has a new leader - and he has pledged to get down to business straightaway.

Borough councillors appointed Cllr Alistair Beales as the new chief of the Independent-led administration at a meeting on Thursday.

His deputy and cabinet member for heritage and tourism will be Cllr Simon Ring.

Cllr Beales will retain the business cabinet portfolio and is expected to announce the rest of his cabinet positions in the coming days.

He first announced his intentions to challenge former leader Cllr Terry Parish in April, and subsequently emerged victorious from a vote between his group’s members.

Following his official appointment, Cllr Beales said: “I would like to thank Cllr Terry Parish, Cllr Jim Moriarty and the rest of the team for getting us to this point.

“Last year the council agreed a new corporate strategy and our annual plan for the coming year will help us to see its ambitions become a reality.

“These ambitions are bold – they will help us make West Norfolk a better place for everyone.

“With Towns Fund projects coming to fruition and new prospects such as the recently-announced Long-Term Plan for Towns, these are exciting times.

“I am fully focused on delivering our plans for West Norfolk and I look forward to getting down to business straight away.”