Political View: Our city’s changed political landscape

Elections by nature of their purpose are divisive, but by necessity after the public have made their choices it is the duty of those elected to then get on with the job and conduct business in the best interests of the electorate.

It’s true to say that as Conservatives we were disappointed to lose Paul Bristow as our MP. The result in Peterborough was very close with Paul losing by just 118 votes, this bearing testament to the personal popularity he has earned during his tenure as the City’s MP.

I can truthfully say that whist meeting people as part of the campaigning process many residents who were not necessarily Conservatives, acknowledged the commitment and hard work he had always demonstrated, and indeed his Pride in Peterborough.

Paul has been gracious in his defeat, congratulating Andrew Pakes on his election, and reminding him that he has the best job in politics as MP for Peterborough! This approach demonstrates an essential element of civility, and that as opposing parties we will disagree but this doesn’t make us enemies.

The General election nationwide saw vote distribution to both Conservative and Labour impacted by the presence of parties and candidates motivated by single issue agendas, and voters making choices on what they didn’t want, rather than what they actually wanted!

The electorate are very volatile – as proven by a large Conservative majority in 2019 turning to an even larger Labour majority this year.

Many thought the Conservatives had vacated the middle ground, allowing this to be filled by the Labour and Liberal offer, whilst others saw the dog whistle message of Reform as a condemnation that the Conservatives policies were failing its core support.

As the Conservative Party sensibly takes stock and spends time finding a new leader, this is a great opportunity for us look forward and define the political territory that its voters will occupy following a period under a Labour government, together with the likely ‘buyer’s remorse’ many will have when they realise their Reform votes simply facilitated a Labour victory.

The local picture shows Labour in administration as the largest party with only a 32% representation of Councillors, meaning no overall control and the potential for turbulent times ahead.

There are no city council elections until 2026 (2025 being a fallow year) so the forthcoming 18 month period provides ample opportunity for all elected representatives to work together in the best interests of our City without the diversion of the election process.

As the Conservative group we will most certainly hold Labour to account, but work constructively with all councillors to ensure the best outcomes for our City. There are many areas where we would expect to see cross party support for the outcomes our residents expect: a defined plan to see a purpose built swimming pool to cater for both leisure and sporting users, the completion of the Hilton Hotel and appointment of an operator, movement to see the Station Quarter development underway, progress with the long awaited North Westgate project, completion of Fletton Quays, with the Old Mill and Goods Shed both rescued and standing proud next to the new pedestrian bridge; and some real grip of the irritating side issues – amongst others: provision of public toilets in the city centre, a defined plan to deal with the tattiness of St Peters Arcade and the proliferation of street drinkers in the City Centre, not to mention the blight of fly tipping in both urban and rural areas.

The Local plan is currently being progressed by planning officers. This will provide a framework for our city to grow and what Peterborough and the surrounding villages will look like in the future. This is an important document that will undoubtedly generate differing viewpoints between political parties and individual Councillors; importantly there should be no No Go areas with all wards playing their part in the growth of our City.