It's been quite a year. Jemma Walton spoke to some of Peterborough's key political figures to gauge their view on whether the city's reputation is still intact:

HERE are a few facts.

In May, Gul Nawaz – a Conservative city councillor who served a one-month jail term for a £3,000 benefit fiddle in 2002 – was elected as Peterborough's deputy mayor.

Also this year, two former city mayors, Labour's Mohammed Choudhary and Conservative Raja Akhtar and four other men were found guilty of charges of voting fraud in two separate court cases. They had been found guilty of forging votes in the Peterborough City Council elections in 2004.

These incidents are a ll one-offs, and yet they have generated a series of headlines that may well have led the electorate to lose some faith in the political system. Cllr Nawaz served his time, but it is fair to say that many people were concerned that someone convicted of a criminal offence had been appointed to one of their city's most prestigious public roles, especially in the wake of the conviction of two former mayors earlier in the year.

Councillor Nawaz has been elected to the council and is a popular figure in his ward, but the fact that he was put forward for such a public office surprised many.

A former Labour councillor, Gilbert Benn has recently been found guilty of two counts of attempted rape, five counts of sexual assault and four counts of witness intimidation. Although many years since he served on the council, the case also caused negative headlines.

But what do the city's leading political figures think about a year of difficult headlines, and do they believe it has damaged public perception of the city?

JOHN Peach has been a Peterborough councillor for 20 years and leader of the council for three. Continues on next page: