Cabinet member: Vibrant City

Councillor Lesley Storey

Lesley leads the Council’s approach to working with local communities across the city, ensuring that cultural, sporting and leisure opportunities are integrated and accessible to all. She is responsible for ensuring that resident engagement is proactive and enabling, builds on community wealth building principles and fulfils the Council’s statutory requirements. 
Lesley provides political leadership for the Council’s community and cultural partnerships, and ensures that Newcastle remains a safe, welcoming city that celebrates diversity and embeds equalities into all aspects of Council activity.

Responsibilities as Cabinet Member for a Vibrant City

•    Council voice on Urban Green/parks, green spaces, allotments
•    Play areas and leisure facilities
•    Leisure Centre management
•    Libraries and customer services
•    Registrars, cemeteries, and crematorium services
•    Arts and cultural communities
•    Events strategy, including Newcastle’s Pride and Mela festivals
•    The Newcastle Fund
•    Newcastle’s Culture Compact
•    Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) Compact and VCS liaison
•    Equalities and diversity
•    Crime and community safety:
˗    Safe Newcastle Partnership
˗    Tackling antisocial behaviour
˗    Liaison with Northumbria Police
˗    Liaison with other crime and criminal justice partners
˗    Crime and policing panel
˗    CCTV policy 
˗    Tackling modern slavery and human trafficking
•    Promoting good community relations and combatting hate crimes
•    Comprehensive and diverse community engagement
•    Community assets and asset transfers
•    Neighbourhood devolution and Parish Councils
•    Ward governance and budget
•    Refugees and Asylum Seekers
•    City of Sanctuary
•    Veterans and the Armed Forces Family/Armed Forces Covenant
•    Co-operative Council