Labour council leader Dennis Jones responds to Peterborough First takeover plans
A motion of no confidence could be put forward on June 18
Peterborough City Council leader Dennis Jones has spoken out on a political group’s plans to oust the Labour administration.
The leader of Peterborough First, Cllr Chris Harper, confirmed his intention to put forward a motion of no confidence in the current Labour administration at the next full council meeting on June 18.
Cllr Jones has been leader of the council since last May, when Labour won the most seats to form a minority administration.
However, Cllr Harper insists his group are close to finalising an agreement for a coalition with the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party in order to take control of the authority.
Cllr Harper said: “We’re discussing our joint coalition agreement at the moment which is going through the groups to make sure everyone is happy to sign off on it, but it’s very positive and most people seem very happy on that.
“Things are going extremely well. We are confident that we are nearly there now and we’ll go for it. It will be up to the vote on the night.”
Cllr Harper confirmed that the group is currently talking to different independent councillors, whose votes could make all the difference at full council.
Responding to the takeover plans, Cllr Jones said he was “incredibly proud” of the work Peterborough Labour had done so far.
He added: “While it is true that financial pressures remain for Peterborough City Council, and councils across the UK, our Labour administration remains committed to rebuilding the foundations of our council, delivering high quality services and protecting taxpayers’ money.
“That Peterborough First, and other parties, would choose this point to call a vote of no confidence shows that they care more about political point scoring than they do about delivering for Peterborough residents. Their actions do nothing but risk throwing Peterborough back into instability and chaos.
“Having risked bankruptcy by refusing to back a budget for the Council this year – despite not putting forward any alternative ideas – it is clear that Peterborough First have no real plan for our city and are playing games with this politically motivated back-room plot.”
A spokesperson for the Labour Party labelled the plans “disappointing”.
The current makeup of the council includes: 17 Labour councillors, 13 Peterborough First councillors, 11 Conservative councillors, eight Liberal Democrat councillors, six independent councillors and five Green Party councillors.
It would not be the first time that Peterborough First have taken control of the authority after a vote of no confidence saw former leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservative) ousted in November 2023 – a move backed by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party.