Council leader says Peterborough First group will support whoever comes to power in local elections

Peterborough First will support whoever comes to power after this year’s local elections, the city council’s current leader has said.

Cllr Mohamed Farooq (Peterborough First, Hargate and Hampsted) said that if his group, made up largely of ex-Conservative councillors, is in a position to continue leading “we’ll do it”, but that “we’ll support whoever it is” to deliver for residents if not.

The leader took over from Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservatives, West) in November after a vote of no confidence in the former administration.

His party of 11 – out of 60 Peterborough City Council (PCC) councillors – was able to do so with the backing of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party.

Combined, these groups currently have more councillors on PCC than the Conservatives, which nevertheless remain the largest single party, but the balance of power could change again in May.

Group will need 'alliance or coalition or partnership'

Cllr Farooq’s deputy, Cllr John Howard (Peterborough First, Hargate and Hempsted), said that it’s “quite clear we’ll need an alliance or coalition or partnership of some sort” to lead PCC.

“It’s really interesting for residents because they can contribute to which slice of the cake they want contributing a voice in the council come May,” he said. “You might feel a Green councillor is best for your own interests or it might be a Peterborough First councillor or a Liberal Democrat or a Conservative, but they’re all going to contribute to the slices of cake. Residents have the power to say, 'this is the mix'”.

Even if the Conservatives successfully defend every seat they have up for election this year (PCC stands a third of its councillors each year) and gain every non-Conservative seat, the greatest number of councillors they could have would be 30, one short of the 31 needed for a simple majority.

But that doesn’t preclude them from ruling with a minority administration as they have in the past if they can get sufficient backing; but equally other parties could band together to form a majority administration.

Labour could become biggest party

If Labour swept every seat it currently doesn’t hold up for election this year and defended its existing seats, it could form its own majority of 32 – but that would mean taking some 14 seats from the Conservatives, four from current allies Peterborough First, one from the Greens and one from the Lib Dems.

Asked whether it’ll be awkward for Peterborough First to try to win seats against its current allies, Cllr Farooq said that there’s “two ways of campaigning”, either “fighting and attacking each other” or “saying, this is what I’ve done and what I’m going to deliver”.

“I think that is the key way of doing things,” he said.

Party relationships 'improving over a period of time'

Relationships between certain parties on the council have undoubtedly been fraught since November’s no confidence vote, but Cllr Farooq says they’re “improving over a period of time”, while Cllr Howard says that he thinks “overall, everyone is keeping a mature enough relationship in the chamber to allow business to carry on”.

(As recently as this week, Cllr Fitzgerald has described the current administration as "pretenders squatting in the town hall" – suggesting ongoing tension – but Conservatives do of course still contribute to the running of the council.)

In the meantime, talks are ongoing around selling the former TK Maxx building on bridge street, Cllr Farooq said, as well as on the future of the Regional Pool and Cathedral Square.

In place of the fountains, which PCC have suggested could be permanently switched off, he would like to see flower beds and market stalls, he said, to make the area more “welcoming” and “shopping-oriented”.

PCC’s next set of local elections will be held on 2nd May.