Opinion: Let's build a brighter, fairer society for our great city

The outdoor market in Bridge Street, Peterborough, doesn't impress cllr Christian Hogg

Strange times indeed with national politics, specifically the Conservatives seem intent on rearranging the deckchairs whilst the band plays on, write Lib Dem group leader Christian Hogg.

Their first go at choosing a new leader to take over from Mr Johnson was an unmitigated disaster, evidenced by her swift removal from office; this time they contrived a situation that meant that it was only MPs that chose our latest PM.

Clearly, they felt that giving members the chance to express their choice was too dangerous. So now we have a PM that was only voted into his new job by a few hundred MPs despite him being roundly rejected by the members just a few weeks earlier.

Is this what taking back control looks like?We then saw the new PM choose his ‘new’ cabinet, which ended up as a mere shuffling of the same people, including the return of the Home Secretary who resigned from her post a few days earlier in disgrace. What is becoming abundantly clear is this Tory-led government is flailing about with no fresh ideas and is becoming increasingly unpopular with the electorate.

Cllr Christian Hogg, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Peterborough City Council

We desperately need a general election now so the public is able to elect the MPs they want to get our country through the current crises.This brings me neatly on to Peterborough, with over two decades of Tory administration we find that changes to leadership have just led to a reshuffling of the usual suspects and coming up with ideas which are ill-conceived and poorly executed.

Our city market has been reduced to a handful of stall holders reducing it in size to less than that of a small market town. Just look at the number of stalls present in Stamford and Oundle. This really is a disgrace.

The controversy surrounding the provision of hydrotherapy in the city continues leaving some of our most vulnerable citizens feeling unsupported and ignored. I could go on with numerous examples, what we need to ask is, is this the aspiration for our city’s future? Luckily, we are guaranteed an election locally in May and residents will be able to voice their preferences as to who will represent them.We need an influx of new competent councillors to take forward the challenge of turning around the misfortunes that the city is currently experiencing and give our city the direction it needs to reach its true potential. So, even if you have never been involved in politics before, your city needs you, either by joining my party, the Liberal Democrats, or maybe standing independently; never has there been a better time to get involved.Finally, I hope all residents got involved in the Armistice Day / Remembrance Day events either in the town centre or in your own neighbourhoods and wore a poppy with pride, not just to commemorate the sacrifices of those that lived and died through two world wars, but also those that served their country in conflicts across the world since?It is also poignant to think about the current war being waged in Ukraine and the impact that is having across the globe. We thank them all for their service and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice it shows them that We Will Remember Them.