Peterborough council confirms it will consider move to all out elections

Peterborough City Council (PCC) has confirmed it will consider a move to ‘all out elections’ later this year.

The authority currently holds its elections by thirds, meaning that around 20 of its 60 councillors stand for re-election each year on a four-year cycle, with one year off.

All out elections would see voting for every council seat take place just once in that cycle, as is the case in general elections.

PCC says that it will “re-visit” the possibility after this year’s local elections in May on the recommendation of the independent improvement panel which monitors its governance and finances.

The panel has issued PCC with six-monthly progress reports since it requested exceptional financial support from the government in 2021 and has made the suggestion multiple times as a way to save money and ensure long-term strategies are seen through.

Its latest report, published in December, says that the council risks “decision-making being dominated by short term and parochial concerns” if power is continually changing hands.

Currently, every election has the potential to change which party is in charge of the council, although the Conservative group has taken control, with or without a majority, at every election for the last two decades.

Their hold on power was interrupted in November, though, when the Peterborough First group, supported by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party, ousted the Conservatives with a vote of no confidence.

Speaking at a meeting this week, chief executive Matt Gladstone said: “The new administration, I think, has changed the culture [and] behaviours and there has been some good collaboration.

But he added that they still require “a lot of support” from himself and the rest of PCC’s executive team.

Mr Gladstone added that the move to all out elections is “something we’re urging councillors in all parties to look at again”, although it has previously proven unpopular among some.

In 2022, councillors rejected the change in a vote that saw 35 against it, 19 in favour and four abstentions.

It was, however, agreed that they would look again at the proposal in 18 months' time.