Public safety, taxi licensing and financial management among new Peterborough council leader’s key priorities

Labour’s Shabina Qayyum was voted in as leader by fellow councillors on Friday, September 12 following the resignation of former Labour leader Dennis Jones.

Beating Conservative group leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald by 37 to 12 votes, Cllr Qayyum told members at the meeting that it was the “start of a new era”.

Notably, seven councillors were absent from the extraordinary full council meeting, including Cllr Jones who was suspended from the Labour Party following comments made about Rotherham grooming gang victims.

Labour’s Cllr Qayyum will lead the council in a coalition with Peterborough First and the Liberal Democrats, something she called “a collaboration of common purpose and not convenience”.

"Safeguarding and the safety of women is something I’m very focused on”

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service about her key priorities as leader, Cllr Qayyum touched on public safety, taxi licensing and making sure residents were getting value for money.

She said: “As a woman I’m incredibly passionate, following on from our previous leadership, to make this a child friendly city. I can do that with the reliable hands of Cllr Katy Cole (cabinet member for children’s services).

“One of the things I really want to do and put on the table is to ensure that, in line with our MPs’ work on the Casey Review recommendations, we have them implemented as soon as possible. Safeguarding and the safety of women is something I’m very focused on.”

Cllr Qayyum added: “The second is also about having a look and cleaning up some of our issues around CCTV and licensing.

“I know that there have been complaints from taxi drivers. They run our city, they are part of the gig economy, they contribute an awful lot. So I think it’s really important that we take that into consideration and make processes streamlined for them.

“Part of that is because of staff shortage, but we have to fix it. Now we’re in a position of responsibility that is something we most definitely should look at, actually coupled with safety. So coming up with a good policy that is both suitable for drivers and passengers.”

Financial stability a key priority

Peterborough City Council has faced criticism for its financial management in recent years and is currently more than £500 million in debt.

Cllr Qayyum said having fiscal responsibility is her third key priority.

“I couldn’t be more grateful and proud to have the strength and experience of someone like Cllr Mohammed Jamil (cabinet member for finance) who was at the forefront of getting our budget delivered last year,” she said.

“I trust him blindly to take this city forward, to make sure we deliver a balanced budget with fiscal responsibility to know that people have got value for money.”

When asked if she would find it difficult to balance her work as a GP with leading the authority, Cllr Qayyum insisted she was “very, very part time”.

“When I took up the cabinet role [last year], I had already cut down. If anything, I only work about one and a half days. But it’s something that keeps me sane.

“And that role in the NHS, the whole theme around service, very much keeps me grounded. It’s my way of living and breathing amongst people, knowing about what their issues are.”

She added: “I love this city, I love the people in it. My doors are open to anybody to come and talk to me.”

“I want to be walking down the street and see people happy"

Cllr Qayyum said she was “humbled” by the fact she was the first female leader of Peterborough City Council since Labour’s Cathy Weaver in 1999.

“I think having a woman at the helm is good because you can be the best possible example of supporting other women as well.

“It’s important to also foster a sense of collaborativeness, cohesion, and more than that positivity.

“I want to be walking down the street and see people happy. I want to be able to say hello to them and know that I am a leader not just for Peterborough City Council, but actually someone who lives and works amongst the people.”

The new Peterborough City Council cabinet

Cllr Qayyum appointed her new deputy leader as Cllr Mohammed Farooq of Peterborough First, who is a former leader of the council himself.

Her new cabinet is as follows:

Deputy leader and cabinet member for growth and regeneration – Cllr Mohammed Farooq (PFirst)

Cabinet member for finance and corporate governance – Cllr Mohammed Jamil (Labour)

Cabinet member for adult services – Cllr Neil Boyce (PFirst)

Cabinet member for children’s services – Cllr Katy Cole (Labour)

Cabinet member for housing and regulatory services – Cllr Christian Hogg (Lib Dems)

Cabinet member for environment and transport – Cllr Angus Ellis (Labour)

Cabinet member for communities, poverty and public health – Cllr Zameer Ali (Labour)

Cabinet advisors – Cllr Ray Bisby (PFirst) and Cllr Chris Wiggin (Lib Dems)

The first public meeting of the new cabinet will take place on Tuesday, September 30.