New Peterborough City Council leader Mohammed Farooq offers 'hand of friendship' to deposed Conservative councillors

The new leader of Peterborough City Council has offered ‘a hand of friendship’ to the Conservative party after last nights dramatic Town Hall meeting.

Cllr Mohammed Farooq, from Peterborough First, was voted in as the new leader of the council in a heated meeting, taking over from Conservative cllr Wayne Fitzgerald, who had been in post for more than two years.

The Conservatives had been leading the council for more than 20 years heading into last night’s meeting, but after councillors from Peterborough First, Labour, The Green Party, Liberal Democrats and Independent Julie Stevenson voted for change, cllr Farooq was chosen as leader.

“This council can achieve and demonstrate the united political leadership this city deserves”

Cllr Fitzgerald criticized the move at the meeting – but cllr Farooq – a former Conservative councillor – has offered a hand of friendship to his ex-colleague.

Speaking after the meeting he said: “We extend the hand of friendship to our Conservative colleagues; with their co-operation and goodwill this council can achieve and demonstrate the united political leadership this city deserves.

"I am particularly grateful to all the Opposition groups for having confidence in us to deliver these critical statutory services, protecting the vulnerable, caring for the environment, providing the best education for our children and providing adult health and social care fit for purpose, all being delivered in a transparent and compassionate way.”

‘No magic bullet’

Cllr Farooq also spoke of the challenges facing the council – saying there was ‘no magic bullet.’

He said: “Our primary duty is not only to deliver essential services to residents but provide best value for money for council taxpayers. We are fully aware of the

financial challenges our council is facing and while there is no ‘magic bullet’ our aim is to deliver a long-term financial strategy while providing stability in

the medium term, working closely with our council staff to deliver and commission services.”

‘Voters will have the opportunity to make their displeasure felt at the ballot box’

In a joint statement after the meeting, cllr Fitzgerald and former council deputy leader cllr Steve Allen said: “We believe that any elected representative who defects (in particular after being elected only a matter of days or weeks before taking that action) should again place themselves before the electorate.

“The current situation sees a minority group seize control of the City Council, made possible only with the tacit support of a combination of Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Councillors, however, without those councillors taking full responsibility for their decisions by forming a viable coalition.

“We apologise to the residents of this City for the unconstitutional position we find ourselves in, and look forward to taking the case to the electorate in May 2024, when voters will have the opportunity to make their displeasure felt at the ballot box.

"As the largest political group on the City Council we restate our commitment to Peterborough and will continue to speak and work in the best interest of our City and its residents.”

Who is Mohammed Farooq?

After gaining an engineering degree in the 80s, cllr Farooq worked for British Rail in various management roles while studying successfully for an MBA, specialising in finance and economics.

Since then, he has worked as a consultant advising corporates on strategy with the aim of making their organisation more efficient through streamlining and

improving working practices.

At the same time, he set up and ran several successful restaurants in and around Peterborough, while supporting the fundraising efforts of a wide range of

community and charitable initiatives. One notable project saw him raise over £70,000 three months ahead of plan to purchase a state-of-the-art cardiac echomachine, a much-needed piece of life-saving equipment for the children’s ward of Peterborough City Hospital.

His achievements have earned him local and national recognition including the presentation of the British Empire Medal in 2017.

Since 2018 he has been a Peterborough city councillor for Hargate and Hempsted ward.