All you need to know about upcoming elections in Peterborough

Despite no city council elections taking place in Peterborough this year, voters will still be heading to the polls.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) mayoral election will take place on Thursday, May 1.

Whoever is elected will become the third CPCA mayor, with powers devolved from central government that are held over areas such as transport, skills and planning across the whole combined authority region.

Aside from the mayoral election, the only other votes taking place in Peterborough on May 1 will be in the Barnack ward by-election.

This was announced following the resignation of former councillor Irene Walsh.

Here is all you need to know about the upcoming elections in Peterborough:

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election

The CPCA mayoral election will take place on the same day as local elections across the country.

This year will be the first mayoral election of the region to use the first past the post system, following the Elections Act 2022.

A combined authority mayor makes important decisions for the region and can provide a single, clear point of accountability.

They oversee a £20 million annual budget devolved from government and also have devolved powers to spend up to £800 million on local housing, infrastructure and jobs.

The CPCA brings together all seven local authorities in Cambridgeshire.

Current Labour mayor Dr Nik Johnson revealed in February that he would not stand for re-election due to health issues.

Five parties have put forward candidates for the election. These include Paul Bristow (Conservative), Ryan Coogan (Reform), Lorna Dupré (Liberal Democrats), Bob Ensch (Green Party) and Anna Smith (Labour).

Any further candidates announced will be added to this article.

Applications to register to vote must reach the relevant Electoral Registration Officer by midnight on April 11, or by 5pm on April 14 for postal votes and by 5pm on April 23 for votes by proxy.

Poll cards will be posted through doors with information on how to vote and where the nearest polling station is.

Voting will take place between 7am and 10pm. All voters must bring photographic ID, such as a passport or driving licence, with them in order to vote.

Results will be published on May 2.

Barnack ward by-election

A by-election was announced for the Barnack ward in March after city councillor, and former mayor of Peterborough, Irene Walsh (Conservative) stepped down from her role for health and family reasons.

The by-election will take place in the ward on the same day as the CPCA election (May 1) and residents will receive a poll card with more information.

Candidates for the by-election are yet to be announced. Any nominations must be made no later than 4pm on Wednesday, April 2.

Why there are no city council elections in Peterborough this year

Peterborough City Council holds elections for all 60 councillors in thirds.

This means that a third of councillors face election each year for three years, with no elections in the fourth year.

For example, the May 2022 elections saw 18 seats elected, while the May 2023 elections saw 20 seats elected and the May 2024 elections saw 22 seats elected.

The council says that electing in thirds ‘reduces the risk of wholesale change’ within the authority and provides the electorate a ‘great opportunity to be involved in decision-making’.

This is opposed to all-out elections which would see an election for all 60 council seats every four years.

A consultation was held by Peterborough City Council in 2022 to consider a move to all-out elections, but the authority decided to remain with the current system.

Local elections elsewhere for all 61 Cambridgeshire county councillors across 59 electoral divisions will take place on May 1.