This question has been raised already at the adjourned Council meeting on 6th July 2004 and Councillor Smith, with whom I fully agree, gave a response at the time.

We chose our Cabinet on experience and ability not by trying to be politically correct. Although we have very able new female Councillors we did not think it at all suitable to have inexperienced Councillors on the Cabinet. We of course have an experienced, hardworking and extremely able female Councillor as Mayor who was chosen on merit alone not on the basis of her sex.

This question is quite hypocritical, as it was Labour who deselected a hardworking, intelligent and experienced female Councillor Sajidah Chaudhary and replaced her with a less competent male Councillor Rajinder Sandhu.