West Northamptonshire Cabinet arrangements confirmed
18 May 2026
West Northamptonshire Council’s Cabinet has been confirmed for the year ahead as the authority continues its work towards improving services and outcomes for communities.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Mark Arnull, confirmed his Cabinet members for the forthcoming municipal year. Each Cabinet member oversees their own portfolio of specific council services, to drive forward and deliver upon the Administration’s priorities.
The Cabinet has received a slight reshuffle after Cllr James Petter decided to stand down as Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure as the Administration’s first year in office came to an end.
Cllr Charlie Hastie has been appointed Deputy Leader of the Council alongside his role as Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities and Cllr Kamala Guliyeva takes on the position of Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure. All other portfolios within the Cabinet remain unchanged.
“I would like to thank James for all his work during our Administration’s formative first year and the strong progress made against our priorities for boosting business, growth and positioning West Northants as a prime visitor destination. He leaves the portfolio in a strong place as we welcome Kamala into Cabinet to further drive forward the work with a fresh energy and perspective.”Cllr Mark Arnull, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council
Cllr Guliyeva, who is a Reform UK councillor for Daventry South ward, joins the Cabinet for the first time. With a strong career background in international business, including as a commercial and cost manager dealing with billion-pound budgets and projects in the oil and gas industry, Cllr Guliyeva is keen to focus on driving major investment into West Northants. She is also keen to further promote the area as a key leisure and culture destination, having herself been involved in the sector as a volunteer at Towcester Museum and Long Buckby Library.
The full list of confirmed Cabinet positions are as follows:
Cllr Mark Arnull – Leader of the Council
- Cllr Charlie Hastie – Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities
- Cllr Kamala Guliyeva – Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure.
- Cllr Michael Stratton – Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education.
- Cllr Andrew Last – Cabinet Member for HR, Corporate and Regulatory Services.
- Cllr John Slope – Cabinet Member for Finance.
- Cllr Laura Couse – Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Public Health
- Cllr Richard Butler – Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport.
- Cllr Nigel Stansfield – Cabinet Member for Environment, Recycling and Waste
- Cllr Thomas Manning – Cabinet Member for Planning.
The confirmed Cabinet arrangements, along with those for the opposition groups, will be presented at the meeting of Annual Council on Thursday evening (21 May). The meeting will also elect the new Chairman of the Council and determine proposals for committee memberships for the year ahead.
The agenda can be viewed on the WNC website.