Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayoral Election: Hear from all the candidates at special election debate

With less than a month to go before Cambridgeshire and Peterborough residents go to the polls to elect a new mayor, people are being given a chance to hear from all five candidates at a special debate this week.

The election takes place on Thursday, May 1, when a successor to the current Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Labour’s Dr Nik Johnson, will be selected.

Five candidates will be standing in the election.

They are (in alphabetical order according to their surname):

Paul Bristow – Conservative

Ryan Coogan – Reform

Lorna Dupré – Liberal Democrat

Bob Ensch – Green Party

Anna Smith – Labour

All five candidates have confirmed they will be speaking at a debate being held on Thursday (April 10) between 9am and 10.30am.

The debate is being hosted by the Cambridgeshire Development Forum (CDF), and all residents will be able to watch online via Teams.

It will be chaired by the CDF Chair Lord Andrew Lansley.

He said: "Cambridge and Peterborough are among the fastest-growing places in Britain. In the Cambridgeshire Development Forum we work to secure delivery of plans for new development and urban regeneration. We want to hear from the Mayoral candidates about how they see the future of our region in terms of development, environment and infrastructure. We are delighted all five candidates have agreed to join us and answer questions."

The CDF is a body dedicated to bringing together those with an interest in development in and around Cambridge.

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

They oversee an annual budget devolved from government and have powers to spend money on large projects in the region.

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

The results of the election are set to be announced on Friday, May 2.

Anyone interested in viewing the debate should visit: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/8d56bb3a-226f-4de4-82c6-d1abc9ba55e8@a1db6ace-5684-4d09-8ea2-5b498ffbdf22