Opinion: Reflecting with pride on our successes

​ It is traditionally a time for family to get together and for others a chance to begin again as we start 2024 with high hopes of better times ahead.

But I shall also take a moment now to reflect on 2023 so far. Despite what the other political parties say about me personally or the Conservatives in Peterborough, I and my colleagues are proud of our successes. We have been delivering growth and increased prosperity for the majority of people that live here in Peterborough. Creating more jobs and building more homes for people to live in and raise a family, as well as improving our schools to afford a better education for our children.

As a highlight this year, it was also particularly pleasing to be nominated as the most improved council across the UK in the local government awards which is truly a testament to all the hard work we collectively put in.

We managed to get on top of the council’s finances with a much improved in year position and the reduction of overall debt which was very positive news indeed. We are certainly not “bankrupt” as is being claimed by Labour and others in the city. We are in fact in a stable financial position but like all council’s up and down the country, money is certainly tight.

In February next year, the budget will be balanced and signed off as it always is. However, there are still difficult choices to be made about what we can and cannot deliver for the budget we will have available.

On November 1st this year, democracy in our city was not best served when a group of 10 councillors made up mostly of former Conservatives, got together with opposition parties and ousted me as Leader of the council and the Conservatives from power in an ill-timed council coup. This was of course done for the personal ambition of a few individuals within that group who I had either sacked or excluded from the cabinet for not being up to the job and in our view, they are still not. We call them “Conservative Lite”. They sound like us and try to act like us, even saying the same kind of things as us. But guess what folks, all that is now carefully scripted by the council’s communications team as the administration seemingly now can’t speak for themselves without a script.

I also noted that the Labour Leader (the man is obsessed with me) said I have nothing to say in last week’s PT. That is not entirely accurate I just have nothing to say to him or his Liberal and Green party chums, as in our eyes they have betrayed local democracy by backing an illegitimate group that has no public mandate to lead the city council.

Make no mistake folks, it is the Labour party running this city now with a puppet “independent” leader in place dancing to their tune, all aided and abetted by the Liberals, a truly terrible bunch, and the Greens who incidentally at the last council meeting refused to rule out bringing in congestion charging for the city. There is no new dawn or a sea of change happening in Peterborough, it is just a short-lived coalition of chaos. We know it and so do they.

As we edge closer to 2024, the eagle eyed amongst you will have spotted that over the last few weeks, I have shared our allotted column space in this paper with a number of my Conservative shadow cabinet colleagues so that they may express their own views and thoughts on the portfolios they have been appointed to. After all, it is called “opposing view” which is not just mine to express. This has clearly shown we have the depth and breadth of experience to run this city just in sheer numbers alone.

I shall continue and encourage those around me to prosper with the democratic freedom to express their own views without fear or favour – from within that is what strong leadership is all about. Whilst we are in opposition, we shall continue to hold this illegitimate administration to account and watch their every move as you would expect us to do. We shall support any decisions we believe are right for the city and will strongly oppose all those that we don’t believe are. Like the 200% increase in the Mayoral precept in 2024 which the current leader has agreed to support. Believe me, we know it is tough out there for many families and this kind of increased financial burden will certainly not be welcomed by the vast majority of people in the city. The Conservatives will not support this.

In drawing this year to a close, I would like to thank all those that have supported me personally in recent months, which I admit at times has been difficult. I can only assure the people of this city that we will continue to work hard for them no matter the circumstances. Our political opponents and critics can say what they like but we shall carry on regardless in our efforts to make Peterborough the very best it can be for everyone. For now and from all in the Peterborough Conservative Group - have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.