Party leaders re-elected across council groups in Peterborough

The leaders of the Conservative, Peterborough First and Green groups on Peterborough City Council (PCC) have been chosen for the upcoming administrative year.

Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservatives, West) will continue to lead the Tories, while Cllr Chris Harper (Peterborough First, Stanground South) will continue to lead Peterborough First and Cllr Nicola Day (Greens, Orton Waterville) will continue to lead her group.

Cllr Christian Hogg (Lib Dems, Fletton and Stanground) has confirmed he will be running for leader of his group unopposed, although the party has not yet held its annual general meeting (AGM) at which leaders are officially chosen.

Labour will hold its AGM next week. Current leader Cllr Dennis Jones (Labour, Dogsthorpe) says he will be putting himself forward for the position again, which he first took up after former councillor Shaz Nawaz resigned from the council early last year.

Cllr Fitzgerald has faced questions about his leadership throughout his tenure: when seven members of his group resigned last year, when he was removed as leader of the council in a vote of no confidence and when he lost half of his group in this year’s local elections.

But he says he “continues to enjoy the full support of my group”.

Cllr Steve Allen (Conservatives, Eye, Thorney and Newborough) remains deputy leader as well as both social and press secretary, while Cllr Michael Perkins (Conservatives, Orton Longueville) is treasurer.

Cllr Rylan Ray (Conservatives, Eye, Thorney and Newborough) remains the group’s whip as well as head of policy – a role previously undertaken by Andy Coles, who lost his Fletton and Woodston seat last week.

Cllr Chris Harper (Peterborough First, Stanground South) remains leader of Peterborough First, a role he continued to hole while Cllr Mohammed Farooq (Peterborough First, Hargate and Hempsted) led the council. Cllr John Fox (Peterborough First, Werrington) is his deputy.

Cllr Judy Fox (Peterborough First, Werrington) is the group's secretary.

Cllr Heather Skibsted (Greens, Orton Longueville) is deputy of the Greens, while Cllr Imtiaz Ali (Greens, Orton Longueville) is group secretary.

New councillor Cllr Qaiser Farid (Greens, Ravensthorpe) is the group's chair.

Meanwhile, Cllr Chris Wiggin (Lib Dems, Hampton Vale) will remain the Lib Dems’ deputy.

Nick Sandford, a former Lib Dem leader who lost his seat in last week’s elections, will be the group’s chair and able to join their meetings in his role as the group’s prospective parliamentary candidate.