Surprise as chief executive of Peterborough's mayoral authority hands in resignation

Martin Whiteley had only been in his post at the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority since June last year.

His resignation was revealed in an email by Peterborough City Council Cllr John Holdich which was then leaked to the Peterborough Telegraph.

Cllr Holdich wrote: “Martin has done a great job in setting up and running the combined authority but is leaving to pursue new interests.

“We wish him well for the future and his position, in the short term, will be filled by a combination of Mrs Kim Sawyer (no stranger to Peterborough herself), supported by Mr John Hill, chief executive of East Cambridgeshire District Council.”

Cllr Holdich is deputy mayor of the combined authority which is led by Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough James Palmer.

Mr Whiteley had first of all been the interim chief 
executive of the combined authority when it was created in March 2016. Before then he had been the chief executive of the Blue Marble Group and managing director of Capita Consulting, the management consultancy arm of the Capita Group.

Neither the combined authority nor Mayor Palmer have yet commented publicly on Mr Whiteley’s resignation.