Motion of no confidence in Peterborough's Labour administration
The motion's been published ahead of a meeting next week
Last updated 11th Jun 2025
A motion of no confidence in the current Labour administration on Peterborough City Council has been published ahead of a meeting next week.
Councillor Dennis Jones has been leader of the council since last May, when Labour won the most seats to form a minority administration.
However, the Peterborough First group has formed an alliance with the Liberal Democrat and Green Party groups to create an alternative administration and remove Cllr Jones, with a new Peterborough First leader expected if the takeover goes ahead.
A motion to be presented at full council on Wednesday, June 18 states that a reduction in Labour group members has “led opposition members to doubting the capacity of the administration to effectively deliver”. The motion will be voted on by all councillors.
The current make up of the council includes: 17 Labour councillors, 13 Peterborough First councillors, 11 Conservative councillors, eight Liberal Democrat councillors, six independent councillors and five Green Party councillors.
With the Conservative group deciding not to back the takeover, it is expected to be a close vote on the night. If votes result in a draw, a deciding vote will be made by Mayor Judy Fox or Deputy Mayor Peter Hiller, both Peterborough First councillors.
Peterborough First is a group made up of independent councillors, mostly ex-Conservatives, whose motto is ‘People Before Politics’.
It would not be the first time that Peterborough First have taken control of the authority after a vote of no confidence saw former leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservative) ousted in November 2023 – a move backed by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party.
A spokesperson for the Labour Party labelled the takeover plan “disappointing”, while leader Cllr Dennis Jones dubbed it a “politically motivated back-room plot”.
“Their actions do nothing but risk throwing Peterborough back into instability and chaos”, Cllr Jones said.
The motion states: “This council has lost confidence in the current administration.
“The minority administration has governed with the goodwill of the opposition members, however following reductions in the councillors with membership of the Labour group has led opposition members to doubting the capacity of the administration to effectively deliver.
“In addition, there is a lack of any formal agreement from other parties to support the administration which has further contributed to this doubt and has now led to opposition seeking an alternative leader and administration.
“Members of the Peterborough First, Liberal Democrat and Green groups have decided to form an alliance to provide an administration that works across party lines to take advantage of the skills and experience in each group and to increase transparency and collaborative working with all parties represented on the council to help meet the challenges and opportunities that the council faces.
“In order to achieve this council is now calling for the removal of the current leader, so that it can consider an alternative leader.”