Peterborough political group leaders react to government’s controversial council restructure decision

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was among the regions which could have seen smaller councils merge to create larger unitary authorities under the plans.

However, secretary of state for housing, communities and local government Angela Rayner told Parliament on September 7 that LGR would be paused and reviewed in light of new legal advice.

She said she wanted to satisfy herself that “the right process is in place, that it is robust, and of course complies with the law”.

Lots of time and resources from local authorities had been put into preparing for LGR across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and many other areas in the country.

Council leaders across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough had submitted four options to the government for LGR, which would have seen the seven current councils merged into either two or three larger unitary models.

A decision was expected to be made by government in the summer before it was pushed back to the autumn, but now it will be reviewed even further, casting doubt over whether the restructures will be implemented at all.

Local elections in May 2027 will go ahead on existing council boundaries.

Peterborough group leaders’ reactions

Labour leader of Peterborough City Council, Shabina Qayyum, said the government was now “more determined than ever” to devolve power closer to the people.

She added: “We did want to learn of the decision for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire as quickly as possible, but the review is understandable given the scale and complexity of what the government is trying to achieve.

“The Secretary of State has to ensure that the process is robust and aligns with the new government’s plans to rewire the state.

“Local Government Reorganisation will see a new system of councils across much of the country which is a huge undertaking.

“Therefore it is only right that decisions are properly considered and not rushed, so that the best outcome possible can be achieved for everyone, most importantly our residents.

“As a unitary authority which looks after Adult Social Care and Children’s Services, this gives me reassurance that our decision will not be without the robust decision making it deserves.

“We will continue to do what we can locally to plan for Local Government Reorganisation and await further instruction and information from the Secretary of State.”

Peterborough’s Conservative group leader Wayne Fitzgerald called the situation a “shambles”.

He said: “The Labour government, just like the Labour council, could not run anything in the best interests of the public.

“Just the money alone is an absolute disgrace. What has this cost so far? And yet it is still not over.

“It is clear to many people that the government’s underlying aim with LGR is to redraw the boundaries in local authorities so that Labour can take advantage of that position.

“The government clearly realised that what they were proposing wouldn’t pass muster legally.

“It also begs the question about the future of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Peterborough particularly, in that seemingly the plan is fundamentally flawed.

“Whether it will go ahead as is, who knows?”

Christian Hogg, leader of Peterborough’s Liberal Democrat group which is part of a coalition administration with Labour and Peterborough First, said: “Getting LGR done next year in Cambridgeshire was always an ambitious target, especially considering all the other areas being covered across the rest of the country.

“Regarding Cambridgeshire, I feel it is the right decision to pause this for now so it isn’t rushed through.

“A change like this should be given correct amount of time to get the best possible solution and it seems that the Secretary of State supports this view too.

“Peterborough has come on leaps and bounds under the new cross-party administration and the new Fairer Funding investment; this decision will allow us to continue the journey towards a better more prosperous Peterborough.”

Chris Harper, leader of Peterborough First, said: “It is frustrating we are now to suffer further delay before any certainty of Peterborough’s administrative future.

“Whilst it’s understandable a newly appointed PM will wish to ensure all major legacy programmes are the direction he and his new government are happy with and the advised ‘legal’ issues are now being investigated, surely all the boxes should have already been checked and signed-off before this massive administrative shift even started?”

Peterborough Green Party group leader Heather Skibsted said: “As a group we feel that a lot of time and taxpayers money has been wasted on the plans for LGR which are now being delayed when we were told this would definitely be happening in 2027.

“There have been countless meetings to discuss these plans meaning councillor and administration time used to no avail.

“This is the second time within a year that there has been a U turn regarding elections from the government which is very disappointing and causes disruptions for all parties and time spent which could have been used to focus on our current services.

“We now need to focus on what is important for the people of this city and prioritise improving the services we have and on preparing for PCC elections in 2027.”

The leader of Reform UK was approached for comment but did not respond before publication.

Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes and North West Cambridgeshire MP Sam Carling, both Labour, were also approached for comment.

Independent Peterborough councillor Mark Ormston said on Monday that he believed the government’s decision was a positive one.

He added: “I don’t think this will be a surprise to many. I have very publicly doubted the timeframes for this monumental piece of work.

“In truth, I am very pleased by today’s announcement, it gives everyone further time to gather thoughts, data and make the right decisions. I would rather see delays and U-turns, to achieve long-lasting, robust and best outcomes.”