Peterborough opposition leaders call for Full Council meetings to resume

Cllr Shaz Nawaz (Labour), Cllr Nick Sandford (Lib Dem) and Cllr Julie Howell (Green Party) said it is “vital” that their “collective voices can be heard once more”.

The council has held a few meetings via Zoom, but Monday’s planned Full Council meeting has been cancelled, a decision which has “saddened” the trio.

In a joint statement sent to the Peterborough Telegraph, the opposition leaders stated: “As leaders of the three opposition parties on Peterborough City Council, we wish to thank council chief executive, Gillian Beasley, the directors and senior officers and those of partner organisations (NHS, police etc) for their continued hard work on our collective behalf during this pandemic.

“We believe that the fact that Peterborough has been less badly hit than other areas is due to their efforts.

“We also recognise that the council’s democratic processes have effectively been suspended during the crisis. But we believe that it will soon be time to get them running again. We are naturally saddened that the council’s AGM and another Full Council meeting in June have been cancelled, also due to the pandemic.

“There is, however, a Full Council meeting scheduled for July 29. We believe it is vital that this meeting goes ahead. Full Council is, effectively, the ‘Parliament’ of Peterborough and it is there that all councillors raise issues and ask questions about the business of our city.

“They do so not only on behalf of the people they represent but also to hold the current Conservative administration to account. It is a vital democratic function and we, the undersigned, are united in our belief that this should be restored by all necessary means to ensure that the meeting at the end of July takes place.

“We ask the executive to exercise the powers of the Coronovirus Act 2020 to ensure that this vital democratic function takes place to ensure our collective voices can be heard once more.”