Vote of no confidence timeline: All the events that have led to bid to oust Peterborough's council leader Wayne Fitzgerald

A vote of no confidence in Peterborough City Council’s leader and his administration is likely to pass next week, he has admitted.

Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservatives, West), has accepted he’s likely to lose the vote, which all opposition parties have signalled they support.

Together, they have more councillors than the Conservatives – 37 to the Conservatives’ 23 – meaning it’s likely to pass and a new leader take over.

Various events have led up this point – and different parties disagree on which are most significant.

But to give a broader picture of some of the events that appear to be relevant, here is a timetable to help you understand the lead up to this extraordinary vote:

26th May 2021: Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservatives, West) becomes leader of Peterborough City Council (PCC)

Cllr Mohammed Farooq (Hargate and Hempsted), then a Conservative, also ran for leader of the Conservative group but didn’t receive as many votes as Cllr Fitzgerald.

4th May 2023: Conservatives increase council seats at local elections

Cllr Fitzgerald is re-elected. His party increases from 28 councillors to 30 – just one off a simple majority of 31/60. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak refers to Peterborough as a rare good news story for the Conservatives on election day as the party makes losses across the country. Also re-elected as Conservatives are Cllrs Peter Hiller (Glinton and Castor), John Howard (Hargate and Hempsted) and Brian Rush (Stanground South).

19th May: Three Conservative councillors resign from party

Cllrs Hiller and Rush are revealed to have resigned from the Conservative party alongside Cllr Ray Bisby (Stanground South). They give various reasons for their resignation, such as dissatisfaction with the direction the party appears to be taking, the council’s handling of the Horsey Bridge planning application in Stanground and Cllr Fitzgerald’s desire for more Conservatives on the planning committee

22nd May: Cllr Farooq confirmed to be suspended from Conservatives

Neither he nor Cllr Fitzgerald will publicly confirm why at this stage.

23rd May: Fourth Conservative resigns

Cllr Gavin Elsey (Wittering) resigns from the Conservative group, citing similar concerns to those who have already left. All four join independent group Peterborough First, led by Cllr Chris Harper (Stanground South).

24th May: Opposition parties say there’s ‘no appetite’ for rainbow coalition

Despite now outnumbering the Conservatives, opposition parties say there’s no appetite to band together and oust the administration with a coalition. The leader of the largest opposition party, Cllr Dennis Jones (Labour, Dogsthorpe), says it’s “common sense” to hang fire until the next local elections.

31st May: Local Transport and Connectivity (LTCP) vote postponed

The leader of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), Labour mayor Dr Nik Johnson, has proposed an overarching transport plan for the region – but a vote on its adoption is delayed because Cllr Fitzgerald is likely to veto it as the head of a local transport authority (PCC). He takes objection to the reference to congestion charging as a possible measure to discourage private car use.

7th June: Three more Conservatives resign

Cllrs Farooq, Howard and Saqib Farooq (Glinton and Castor) resign from the party. Cllrs Farooq and Fitzgerald give conflicting accounts of the outcome of his suspension, which is revealed to be based on allegation that he plotted to oust the council leader. Cllrs Howard and Saqib Farooq say they are resigning because of the treatment of Cllr Farooq.

14th June: More defections to Peterborough First

Cllrs Farooq, Saqib Farooq and Howard are confirmed to have joined Peterborough First, making it the third largest group on the council – behind the Conservatives and Labour but ahead of the Liberal Democrats and Greens.

26th July: Congestion charging motion defeated

The Conservatives propose a motion at a full council meeting that PCC should signal its opposition to road charging in any form. It fails to win the support of opposition councillors. They say this is because no-one is calling for congestion charging in Peterborough, while the Conservatives say this is evidence they’re open to the idea.

20th September: LTCP defeated again

Cllr Fitzgerald vetoes Dr Johnson’s transport plans. Despite a change of wording, he says he remains concerned that it could pave the way for congestion charging in Peterborough. Dr Johnson maintains that only the leader of PCC could impose this on the city. Opposition parties criticise the move.

29th September: Opposition parties say no to congestion charging

Members of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Peterborough First meet outside the Town Hall and pose with a banner reading ‘no ULEZ or congestion charging in Peterborough’. They say that they have never called for road charging in the city and agree that it’s not right for Peterborough, despite Conservative claims that they would support it.

19th October: Vote of no confidence bid is made official

After much speculation, the wording of a vote of no confidence is put into the public domain by the council. It is brought by Cllr Harper and has the backing of all opposition parties, meaning it’s likely to pass. Political attacks on opposition parties and lack of support for the LTCP are among the reasons given for their support. The Conservatives maintain that it’s the result of personal vendettas.

1st November: Vote of no confidence to be held

The vote of no confidence is planned for Wednesday’s full council meeting. It has been spearheaded by Peterborough First and has the backing of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.