The Political Structure and leadership
The Council has adopted a format that includes a Leader and an Executive committee. The Council also has a number of committees including Full Council, the Development Panel, Licensing Committee, and the Scrutiny Committee.
Full details of the role of these decision making bodies can be found in our Constitution .
Council Leader: Cllr Mike Johnson
Cllr Mike Johnson, who represents Allhallows and Waverton ward, was elected as leader in March 2021. He had previously been deputy leader since December 2019.
Mike has been a councillor on Allerdale Borough Council since May 2019. He is also a councillor on Cumbria County Council.
He is a member of the Allerdale Conservatives group.
Mike also holds the portfolio for Economic Growth, Community Development and Placemaking.
Council Deputy Leader: Cllr Marion Fitzgerald
Cllr Marion Fitzgerald, who represents the Dalton ward, was appointed as deputy leader in March 2021. Marion is also the Executive member for Policy, Governance and People Resources.

The current Executive
The rest of the Executive is made up of the following members:
- Cllr Jim Lister is the Executive member with responsibility for Environmental Services
- Cllr Tony Markley is the Executive member with responsibility for Leisure and Tourism
- Cllr Colin Sharpe is the Executive member with responsibility for Finance and Legal
- Cllr Alan Pitcher is the Executive member with responsibility for Customer Experience and Innovation
If you wish to contact any councillors, you can find their details on the website .
Portfolio | Portfolio Holder | Service areas |
---|---|---|
Environmental Services | Cllr Jim Lister | Leisure management; sports development; parking; bereavement services; parks and open spaces; refuse collection; trade waste; clean streets; grounds maintenance; recycling; pest control. |
Leisure and Tourism | Cllr Tony Markley | Destination and tourism; arts and culture; museums; national park; National Park Partnership; AONB. |
Policy, Governance and People Resources | Cllr Marion Fitzgerald | Nuclear; climate change; corporate policy; planning policy; housing strategy; people resources; strategic comms; governance; democratic services; electoral services; risk management; housing options. |
Economic Growth, Community Development and Placemaking | Cllr Mike Johnson | Economic development; town centre regeneration; events and markets; land asset management and public buildings; development management; housing enforcement and grants; housing development - inc the Housing Company; procurement; Shareholder Committee (AWS and Housing Company). |
Finance and Legal | Cllr Colin Sharpe | Financial services; legal services; licensing; assurance, risk and audit; food and occupational health; environmental protection; corporate health and safety. |
Customer Experience and Innovation | Cllr Alan Pitcher | Customer operations; ICT; emergency planning; service innovation; programme office; commissioning/alternative service delivery; community safety and anti-social behaviour; health improvement. |