Local Elections: Labour becomes biggest party on Peterborough City Council
People across the city went to the polls yesterday
Last updated 3rd May 2024
Labour are now the biggest party on Peterborough City Council after Thursday's local elections, though the authority remains under no overall control.
In total, there were 23 seats on Peterborough City Council up for grabs.
No party has had overall control of the City Council since 2018, when the Conservatives were in power. However, since then the Conservatives have been the largest party.
The Council had been run by Independents since November 2023, after the Tory leader and his team were ousted in a vote of no confidence by all opposition parties.
Breakdown:
Labour have won five additional seats, taking their total to nineteen.
Conservatives lost eleven seats, taking their tally to eleven.
Lib Dems gained one seat, now with nine.
Greens gained two seats, now with four.
Independents remain with three seats.
What do councillors say?
Peterborough First ‘should have stood more candidates’
“My only regret is that we’ve only had six months where we were trying to sort the council’s issues out,” council leader Cllr Mohammed Farooq (Peterborough First, Hargate and Hempsted) said.
“We didn’t have that much attention on the elections. But we had a 100% return on our candidates; we should have put more in.”
Cllr Farooq has led the council since November, when his group launched a vote of no confidence against Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservatives, West).
Conservatives disappointed to lose councillors
Cllr Fitzgerald said he’s “extremely disappointed to lose colleagues on such tight margins”.
“In terms of the popular vote against the Labour Party, they have not done so well. But they’ve made some gains in terms of seats and we’ve lost on some very tight numbers,” he said.
Cllr Fitzgerald insists residents voted on national, rather than local, issues and maintains his group has confidence in him to lead. It’s now made up of 11 councillors, down from 22.
“It’s no secret I have bigger ambitions within the county,” he said, referring to his possible bid to lead the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA).
“If I feel there’s a time where I should step away because I have to do other things – I’ll wait to see what happens there. But for the time being, I’m happy to take some back seat time.”
Lib Dems ‘absolutely devastated’ to lose long-serving councillor
Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Christian Hogg (Lib Dems, Fletton and Stanground) said he’s “absolutely devastated” to have lost long-serving councillor and mayor Cllr Nick Sandford (Lib Dems, Paston and Walton).
“He’s been a councillor for more than 28 years, so that’s made the gains we’ve made quite bittersweet. The loss of Nick Sandford really can’t be overstated.”
Even Cllr Fitzgerald is somewhat sad to see him go, even though the Conservatives took his seat.
“I’m pleased and disappointed to lose Nick Sandford,” he said. “I thought he was a thoroughly decent councillor and I would rather have lost one of the others in the Liberal Democrat team, but hats off to Alex Rafiq. He worked his socks off and he thoroughly deserves it.”
Greens say they’re ‘on the map as a serious party’
Greens leader Cllr Nicola Day (Greens, Orton Waterville) celebrated doubling the Greens’ numbers from two to four.
“We have absolutely been put on the map as a serious party in Peterborough and broken out of Orton,” she said.
The Greens won in Ravensthorpe and picked up hundreds of votes – although not enough to win – in Central, Park and North wards.
But former Green Cllr Kirsty Knight (Independent, Orton Waterville) retained her seat, with the Greens failing to make any gains in the Ortons where incumbent councillor Cllr Day and Cllr Heather Skibsted (Greens, Orton Longueville) sit.
“We’re disappointed our candidate didn’t win but he didn’t have as much time in the ward,” Cllr Day said of Cllr Knight’s Waterville ward.
“We would have ended up with five councillors and that would have been even better.”
Cllr Knight was the only independent winner, unattached to any group.
What do the City Council do?
The City Council is responsible for providing a number of services including waste collection, running leisure facilities, providing council housing, and making planning decisions.
In Peterborough, it is also a unitary authority, which means it has additional responsibilities such as road maintenance, social care, and education.