Amjid Ali's Executive is six Lib Dems, three Independent Alliance and one Conservative. The airport stays with the Leader, and two more get outside roles.
Luton has a new Executive. Ten days after Cllr Amjid Ali was elected Leader, the council named his team on Thursday. It is six Liberal Democrats, three Independent Alliance councillors and one Conservative. Labour, which ran the council until 14 September, gets nothing.
Cllr Rob Roche, of the Independent Alliance, is Deputy Leader.
The press release lists nine portfolios. The council’s own allocation document, published on its democracy site, goes further and lists what each portfolio actually covers, line by line. That is where the decisions you care about are, so we have read it.
The Executive, in full
The council’s Allocation of Executive Portfolios from September 2026 says the Executive is ten elected councillors, and that they take decisions collectively at monthly Executive meetings. Wards are from the council’s own councillor list.
| Portfolio | Councillor | Group | Ward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Leader | Amjid Ali | Liberal Democrat | Barnfield |
| Housing, Temporary Accommodation and Building Control (Deputy Leader) | Rob Roche | Independent Alliance | Northwell |
| Regeneration and Inclusive Growth | Aslam Khan | Conservative | Poets |
| Sustainable Development and Highways | Adrees Latif | Liberal Democrat | Wigmore |
| Waste, Climate Change and Neighbourhood Services | Steve Stephens | Liberal Democrat | South |
| Women, Equalities and Community Safety | Rumi Chowdhury | Independent Alliance | Beech Hill |
| Finance, Revenues and Benefits | Matt Fry | Liberal Democrat | Stopsley |
| Children's Services, Skills and Education, Children's Health and Wellbeing | Lee Bridgen | Liberal Democrat | Vauxhall |
| Public Health and Integration | Khtija Malik | Independent Alliance | Challney |
| Adult Social Care | Richard Underwood | Liberal Democrat | Stopsley |
Stopsley has two Executive members out of ten, in Cllr Matt Fry and Cllr Richard Underwood.
Two councillors have jobs, but not Executive seats
This is the part the press release does not spell out. The allocation document adds two supporting roles to portfolios, and neither of the councillors filling them is one of the ten.
- Cllr Terry Keens, who represents Vauxhall ward, is to “act as service lead on highways, in support of Councillor Latif”. The news release does not mention this appointment at all.
- Cllr Gillian Fry, a Liberal Democrat representing Round Green, is to act as service lead on skills and education, in support of Cllr Bridgen. The release does name this one, but places it inside the Executive list rather than alongside it.
A service lead is not an Executive member and does not have a vote at Executive. It matters because highways is one of the busiest files in the town right now, with the Bury Park red route trial still waiting for a start date and the Crawley Green Road consultation closing on 4 October.
Where the big Luton files have landed
Portfolio titles tell you very little. The allocation document lists the responsibilities under each one, and that is where the town’s live arguments sit.
The Leader keeps the airport. London Luton Airport and Luton Shareholders, the council’s holdings in the companies that own and run it, are both on Cllr Ali’s own list. So is Devolution and Strategic Authority, which is the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes mayoral question, and so are governance, customer services, emergency planning and the cultural strategy. The airport is the council’s largest financial exposure and its largest employer, so keeping it with the Leader is a choice rather than a formality.
Highways, parking and parks go together. Cllr Latif’s Sustainable Development and Highways portfolio covers:
- highways, and transport and regulation including passenger and fleet transport
- parking operations
- road safety and traffic management
- strategic flood
- parks and green spaces
- the Strategic Transport Committee at England’s Economic Heartland
That explains something readers spotted this week. The council’s parking announcement on 23 September called Cllr Latif “Portfolio Holder for Parking Operations”. He is not: parking operations is one line inside a much wider highways portfolio.
Planning is not where you would expect. There is no planning line in a portfolio called Sustainable Development. Strategic Planning and Infrastructure is listed instead under Cllr Stephens, alongside waste, climate change, environmental enforcement, private sector housing and licensing including selective licensing.
Housing and the crematorium sit with the Deputy Leader. Cllr Roche’s list covers tenant services, the waiting list, temporary accommodation, building control and a directorship of Foxhall Homes, the council’s housing company. Cemeteries and the crematorium are on the same list.
Libraries are a children’s service. Libraries and youth services sit inside Cllr Bridgen’s children’s portfolio rather than with culture, which is with the Leader.
The arithmetic
Luton has 48 councillors. The coalition that took the council on 14 September brings together the Liberal Democrat, Independent Alliance and Conservative groups, and Labour is now the official opposition. That means the group with the largest bloc of seats before the change has no seat at the table where decisions are taken.
What it means for you
- If your issue is a road, a pavement, a parking bay or a park, the Executive member is Cllr Adrees Latif, with Cllr Terry Keens as service lead on highways.
- If it is bins, fly tipping, a licensing application or a rogue landlord, it is Cllr Steve Stephens.
- If it is a council house, temporary accommodation or the housing waiting list, it is Cllr Rob Roche.
- If it is council tax, housing benefit or a bill, it is Cllr Matt Fry.
- If it is the airport or devolution, it is the Leader, Cllr Amjid Ali.
- Decisions are taken collectively at monthly Executive meetings in the council chamber. Dates, agendas and papers are on the council’s democracy site.
Two live consultations to note while the new team beds in. The Crawley Green Road and Vauxhall Way junction consultation closes on Sunday 4 October. The Bury Park red route trial has been approved but still has no start date, as set out in our roadworks and travel page.
How the leadership changed hands, and what each side said in the chamber, is in Luton Council leader is now Amjid Ali.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Leader of Luton Council?
Cllr Amjid Ali, a Liberal Democrat who represents Barnfield ward. He was elected Leader at an extraordinary meeting of Full Council on 14 September 2026 and named his Executive on 24 September.
Who is the Deputy Leader of Luton Council?
Cllr Rob Roche, of the Independent Alliance, who represents Northwell ward. He also holds the Housing, Temporary Accommodation and Building Control portfolio.
Which parties are in Luton’s Executive?
Six Liberal Democrats, three Independent Alliance councillors and one Conservative, ten in all including the Leader. Labour is the official opposition and has no Executive seat.
Who is the Luton councillor for roads and parking?
Cllr Adrees Latif, who represents Wigmore ward, holds the Sustainable Development and Highways portfolio. It covers highways, transport, parking operations, road safety, traffic management, strategic flood and parks and green spaces. Cllr Terry Keens acts as service lead on highways in support.
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