Labour in talks over potential coalition to lead Peterborough City Council

Councillor Dr Shabina Qayyum was announced as the Labour group’s new leader last week following the suspension of Cllr Dennis Jones from the party.

Cllr Jones’ resignation as Peterborough City Council leader triggered an extraordinary full council meeting which will take place on September 12 to elect a new leader and executive.

Ahead of the meeting Labour’s candidate for leader of the council, Cllr Qayyum, confirmed that a “potential” coalition of her group, Peterborough First and the Liberal Democrat group was in the works, subject to authorisation.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “My vision is that, if I do cross over the line on Friday, I want to set the example of elected representatives in whichever capacity and whatever party they belong to, to be the best possible example of standards, behaviour and upholding the basic principles and values of our council that were designated under a Conservative administration back then. And I think we want to follow through with that.”

Cllr Qayyum added: “Our city has been neglected for far too long and, as someone who hopes to lead the administration, I want to be able to foster that culture and make it integral in all of our communications.”

There are now 15 Labour members on the city council, 11 Conservative members, 11 members of Peterborough First, 10 independents, eight Liberal Democrats, and five members of the Green Party.

If the coalition of Labour, Peterborough First and Liberal Democrats goes through and all members vote, it is likely that Labour’s Cllr Qayyum will be elected as the new council leader at Friday’s meeting.

Notably, a coalition between Peterborough First, Liberal Democrats and Greens tried to oust the former Labour administration in June via a motion of no confidence.

When asked about the potential new coalition, deputy leader of Peterborough First Cllr Neil Boyce said that the group was “still in negotiations”.

Cllr Mohammed Farooq, former leader of Peterborough First and the city council, said: “The council desperately needs stability. It hasn’t had that stability for a while.

“Whoever comes in tomorrow, we need an extremely stable administration. People who are not even part of that administration, I would urge them to work collaboratively to deliver what is best for the people of Peterborough, Peterborough City Council and the region.”

One group which has remained tight-lipped over their intentions since Cllr Jones’ resignation is the Conservatives.

The day before the meeting, group leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald said: “The Conservatives have not yet met to discuss in any detail the upcoming council meeting and a final decision as to what we might do will be decided at that meeting.”

Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Christian Hogg and Green Party group leader Cllr Heather Skibsted previously said they were open to negotiations with all parties ahead of the meeting.

How will the leadership vote work?

The extraordinary full council meeting will take place at Sand Martin House in Peterborough at 2.30pm on Friday, September 12.

Mayor Cllr Judy Fox will seek nominations for the position of leader and for them to be valid. They will need to be formally proposed and seconded.

A debate will then take place to consider all nominations at the same time, with each speech limited to three minutes.

At the end of the debate, a vote will be taken on all nominations. If there is more than one nomination, the councillor who receives the fewest votes will be taken off the list and the vote will be taken again.

This process will be repeated until there is a clear majority in favour of one nomination. Should the final vote be a tie, Mayor Cllr Fox will have the casting vote.

The leader will be elected for a period of four years, commencing on September 12 and ending at the close of the 2028/29 municipal year.