Peterborough councillor who defected from Conservatives could have had new cabinet role

Peterborough City Council’s (PCC) cohort of cabinet members won’t change this year, despite plans to split one of the roles in two.

That was the children’s services, education, skills and university role, which will remain the sole responsibility of Cllr Lynne Ayres (Conservatives, West).

The second role would have gone to Cllr Ray Bisby (Stanground South), but he resigned from the Conservative Party – PCC’s ruling party – last week, instead joining Peterborough First.

Cllr Bisby had been a cabinet advisor to Cllr Ayres before his defection, but left because he felt “uneasy” with the party’s direction including its attitude to planning and planning appeals.

His old role of cabinet advisor will instead go to Cllr Jackie Allen (Conservatives, East).

“At the moment she doesn't have the experience to take on a cabinet role, particularly of a statutory position like children's services,” council leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservatives, West) said when asked why she wouldn't be given a full cabinet role, but added that he wouldn’t rule out splitting the role in future.

“Lynne Ayres is very experienced which is why she retains the statutory role,” he said. “We're trying to put more emphasis on [children’s services] but I have to work with what I have.”

Another planned change – to swap the name ‘cabinet advisor’ to ‘deputy cabinet member’ – has also been cancelled, he said, after initially suggesting it might be a more fitting name for those with the role.

Some of the areas of responsibility the leader previously oversaw will, however, be transferred to Cllr Andy Coles (Conservatives, Fletton and Woodston), including HR and IT, although his title (cabinet member for legal, finance and corporate services) remains the same.

This will also mean Cllr's Fitzgerald's previous cabinet advisor, Cllr Oliver Sainsbury (Conservatives, Fletton and Stanground), will work more closely with Cllr Coles while Cllr Fitzgerald will work more closely with cabinet advisor Cllr Rylan Ray (Conservatives, Eye, Thorney and Newborough).

The cabinet members and their titles are:

• Leader of the Council - Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald
• Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities - Councillor Steve Allen
• Cabinet Member for Legal, Finance and Corporate Services - Councillor Andy Coles
• Cabinet Member for Adult Services and Public Health - Councillor John Howard
• Cabinet Member for Children's Services, Education, Skills and University - Councillor Lynne Ayres
• Cabinet Member for Growth and Regeneration - Councillor Marco Cereste
• Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Environment and Climate Change - Councillor Nigel Simons

The cabinet advisors are:

• Leader's Office - Councillor Rylan Ray
• Housing and Communities - Councillor Ishfaq Hussain
• Community Cohesion - Councillor Gul Nawaz
• Legal Services - Councillor Nicolle Moyo
• Corporate Services - Councillor Oliver Sainsbury
• Children's Services, Education, Skills and University - Councillor Jackie Allen

Other roles, including the Mayor of Peterborough (Cllr Nick Sandford – Liberal Democrats, Paston and Walton) were decided at a council meeting on Monday, 22nd May.