Aggrieved Peterborough Tories refuse committee roles as new Labour leader appoints eight female chair positions for first time

Councillor Dr Shabina Qayyum was elected as the new leader of Peterborough City Council at a full council meeting on Friday, September 12.

She beat Conservative group leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald by 37 to 12 votes, with four abstentions, and formed a coalition with Peterborough First and the Liberal Democrat group.

Following her election to the post, Cllr Qayyum informed members at the meeting of her cabinet and committee appointments, the latter of which ruffled some feathers in the Conservative camp.

Conservative councillors previously held three chair and five vice-chair committee positions, but Cllr Qayyum cut this to one chair and five vice-chair positions, with Tory group leader Cllr Fitzgerald claiming she made a last minute change to her appointments without his knowledge.

“There was an opportunity today to be fully inclusive, but it was squandered,” Cllr Fitzgerald said at the full council meeting.

As a result, Cllr Fitzgerald confirmed that his members would not take up any of their newly appointed positions of responsibility, claiming there was “not an equitable balance”.

He also said there were a number of other positions and committees that his members would no longer participate in, such as the financial sustainability working group (FSWG), a cross party group which meets regularly to review the council’s finances.

A spokesperson for the Conservative group labelled the new administration a “coalition of betrayal” and said: “The Conservative group counter proposed an alternative administration that would have been an all-party administration, including Labour. This was voted down in preference of a select few minority parties taking the wheel.

“The support the Conservative group gave the Labour administration in the vote of no confidence and in supporting the council budget has long been forgotten. We have been removed from our supportive roles as chairs, which with our experience we have always offered constructive support.”

The Tories also noted that Peterborough First and the Liberal Democrat group worked with the Green Party group to oust the former Labour administration via a vote of no confidence in June.

“Those who tried to bring down the administration just [12] weeks ago have been rewarded nicely,” Cllr John Howard said.

Cllr Qayyum’s committee appointments saw eight chair and vice-chair positions given to female councillors as she called it the “start of a new era”.

She urged the Conservative members to reconsider their position and said it was “not a decision that was made easily”.

In response to the Conservatives’ grievances at the full council meeting, she said: “In order to make an omelette, you have to break a couple of eggs. It is the first time that a coalition of this size has taken place.

“I take on board Cllr Fitzgerald’s comments around vice-chairs and the distribution and equity of it. That’s the nature of coming together with different minds and also trying to secure a compromise.

“I tried as leader, with other leaders, as best as I could to distribute and make representation from all political parties and place a lot of my Conservative colleagues into those positions of vice-chair because I realise their potential.

“I’m sorry if Cllr Fitzgerald and the rest of the group feel this way, it isn’t personal. It was about making representation across the board and we also have to look at gender balance and giving opportunity to women in our city to develop for the very first time.”

New deputy leader Cllr Farooq of Peterborough First said: “What brings us all on the same page here, and I’m delighted to see that, is that we all are drumming about stability.

“Stability is key. Conservative colleagues have drummed that and I think that’s the best way to deliver for our residents.”

It is not yet clear if or when the chair and vice chair positions given to Conservative members will be reallocated.

List of council committee chairs

Appeals and Planning Review Committee – Labour’s Alison Jones (chair), Conservatives’ Lynne Ayres (vice-chair)

Employment Committee – Conservatives’ Marco Cereste (chair), Labour’s Alison Jones (vice-chair)

Licensing Committee – Peterborough First’s Chris Harper (chair), Conservatives’ Steve Allen (vice-chair)

Planning Committee – Independent Amjad Iqbal (chair), Labour’s Asim Mahmood (vice-chair)

Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee – Independent Kirsty Knight (chair), Green Party’s Mohammed Rangzeb (vice-chair)

Economy, Inclusive Growth and Environment Scrutiny Committee – Green Party’s Nicola Day (chair), Conservatives’ Marco Cereste (vice-chair)

Prevention, Independence and Resilience Scrutiny Committee – Liberal Democrats’ Ann Shaheed (chair), Conservatives’ Wayne Fitzgerald (vice-chair)

Sustainable Future City Council Scrutiny Committee – Liberal Democrats’ Polly Geraghty (chair), Conservatives’ John Howard (vice-chair)

Constitution and Ethics Committee – Labour’s Samantha Hemraj (chair) and Labour’s Richard Strangward (vice-chair)