A public enquiry was held in 1873, to determine whether it would be advantageous for the city to be administered by a municipal corporation. The result being in the affirmative, the city council, sometimes archaically called the corporation, was founded by a Charter of Incorporation dated 17 March 1874, under the government of a mayor, six aldermen and 18 councillors.[6] Something of an anomaly, the Parliamentary Boundary Commission of 1868 had decided that the urban parts of Fletton and Woodston were so involved in Peterborough that they ought to be in the borough and added the newly built-up portions of these parishes to the parliamentary constituency. In local matters they were still in Huntingdonshire and, as the City of Peterborough did not extend south of the River Nene, the full title of the new municipality was the City and Borough of Peterborough and its inhabitants, citizens and burgesses.[7]
Sunken relief by sculptor Arthur Ayres for Mitchell Engineering Limited at Bridge House, later in use by the city council.[9]
Reorganisation
Expansion
In 1927, the city council submitted a memorial to the Minister of Health for permission to extend the borough boundary to include Gunthorpe, Longthorpe, Paston, Walton, Werrington and the area north-east of Fengate; this became effective from 1929.[10] Until this point the council were using the Guildhall and a large number of subsidiary offices, but the need to widen Narrow Bridge Street and the need for a new Town Hall came together in a combined scheme, resulting in the building of the present Town Hall. It was opened in 1933 and accommodated both Peterborough city council and the former Soke of Peterborough county council.[11][12]
Administrative county
Under the Local Government Act 1888, the ancient Soke of Peterborough formed an administrative county in its own right, with boundaries similar, although not identical, to the current unitary authority. Nonetheless, it remained geographically part of Northamptonshire until 1965, when the Soke of Peterborough was merged with Huntingdonshire to form the county of Huntingdon and Peterborough.[13] The municipal borough covered the urban area only; under the Local Government Act 1972, Huntingdon and Peterborough was abolished and the current district created, including the outlying rural areas.[14] However, as a result of intervening development and a new town project, this has a much larger population than the Soke had.[15] Having petitioned for borough status under Section 245 of the Act, letters patent were granted continuing the style of the city over the wider area, which became part of the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire.[16]
Unitary authority
In 1998, the city gained autonomy from county council control as a unitary authority area, but it continues to form part of Cambridgeshire for ceremonial purposes.[17]Policing in the city remains the responsibility of Cambridgeshire Constabulary. The police authority comprises 17 members, including nine councillors, of which seven are nominated by Cambridgeshire county council and two are nominated by Peterborough city council.[18]Firefighting remains the responsibility of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service. The joint fire authority comprises 17 elected councillors, 13 from Cambridgeshire county council and four from Peterborough city council.[19] Nowadays the Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade, one of few of its kind, effectively functions as a retained fire station, responding to calls as directed by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service.[20]
In 2018 the council moved most of its staff from Peterborough Town Hall to modern facilities at Sand Martin House, a refurbished and extended Victorian railway building at Fletton Quays on the south side of the River Nene.[21] Both Sand Martin House and the Town Hall are used for council meetings.[22]
Governance
Executive model
The leader and cabinet model of decision-making, adopted by the city council under the Local Government Act 2000, is similar to national government. The council appoints the Leader (usually a member of the group with the political majority) and the leader appoints up to nine other councillors to serve on the cabinet. The cabinet members, one of whom is appointed Deputy Leader, assume responsibility for different key areas of local governance.[23] The full council meets around ten times a year. There are decisions that only full council can make, these include setting budgets and spending programmes, setting council tax levels and approving major policies and priorities. In addition to the Leader of the Council, the council also appoints the Mayor of Peterborough, the Deputy Mayor, committee chairmen and the chief executive. The cabinet and committees report to, and are accountable to, council.
Budget
The council's budget for the financial year 2018/19 is £418.7m[24] (down from £432.6m in 2017/18[25]). The main source of non-school funding is the formula grant, which is paid by government to local authorities based on the services they provide. The remainder, to which the police and fire authorities (and parish council where this exists) set a precept, is raised from council tax and business rates. Following the 2010 Spending Review, the council announced that 11.1% could be cut from departmental budgets to save £65m over a five-year period and up to 181 posts could be lost.[26]
Mayoralty
The city council elects a Mayor to serve for a term of one year. The role is now largely ceremonial, with political leadership provided instead by the Leader of the Council. Former leaders are listed with the historic election results. The Mayor has social and legal precedence in all places within the city unless HM the King or his personal representative, a close member of the Royal Family or the Lord Lieutenant is present. The Mayor also has a key democratic role to play, acting as a politically impartial chairman of the council and making sure that proper conduct takes place in the chamber during its meetings. The Mayor does not take part in debate or vote, except to break ties.[27] Mayoralty of the unitary authority has been held by the following councillors:
Arms of the Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of the City of Peterborough, used from 1874 to 1960.
GO East, the Government Office for the East of England, co-ordinated the functions of national government in the region until 2011. The abolition of the Government Office network was announced in the 2010 Spending Review.
In 2016, every councillor was up for re-election following changes made by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.[56] Following a vote of no confidence backed by all opposition parties in November 2023, the Conservative group leader and his team were ousted. The council is now run by Independents, a group of 11 known as Peterborough First.
Wards and councillors
The council comprises 60 councillors who represent the city and surrounding villages. Each councillor typically serves for a four-year term, representing an electoral ward. Wards are divided so that each councillor serves an average of around 2,000 electors.[57]
Independent and Werrington First councillors sit as an Independent group known as "Peterborough First" on the council.[59]
* Julie Stevenson (Orton Waterville) resigned from the Green Party to sit as an Independent in June 2022.[60]
** Councillors Bisby, Hiller and Rush defected from the Conservatives to Peterborough First just two weeks after the Local Election in May 2023.[61] Councillor Elsey defected the following day.[62]
*** Councillor Mohammed Farooq was suspended by the Conservative Party in May 2023.[63] Despite being re-admitted in June, Cllr (M) Farooq quit the party due to a "bullying, toxic culture[64] - followed by his son, Cllr Saqib Farooq[65] and ward-colleague Cllr John Howard.[66]
Each ward elects up to three councillors by the first past the post system of election. Barnack and Wittering each elect one councillor, Glinton & Castor and West each elect two. All other wards elect three councillors. The current composition of the city council, following the 2023 elections, inclusive of defections and deaths, is:[67]
One third of the council is elected each year, followed by one year without elections. At the 2019 election, for example, there were 97 candidates from 9 parties contesting 20 seats and turnout at the polling stations ranged from 24% in Stanground South to 46% in Park ward.[68]
Electoral fraud
In April 2008 a former Mayor, Mohammed Choudhary, was convicted for making a false instrument, namely a poll card, in connection with vote-rigging allegations during the 2004 election.[69][70] In May 2008 chief executive, Gillian Beasley, said "People can have confidence in this result because measures that have been put in place have ensured that the vote was carried out within the law." Beasley also revealed the city council was to write a report on tackling election fraud, after the Electoral Commission said it could be adopted as best practice. As part of the drive to reduce election fraud, the council sent out blank registration forms, resulting in more than 8,000 people falling off the electoral roll.[71]
On Thursday 23 June 2016 Peterborough voted in the 2016 EU Referendum under the provisions of the European Union Referendum Act 2015 where voters were asked to decide on the question "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" by voting for either "Remain a member of the European Union" or "Leave the European Union". The result produced a large "Leave" majority by 61% of voters on a turnout of 72% across the city[73] with only the wards of Peterborough Central, Barnack and late postal votes in the city council area returning "Remain" votes and all other wards returning "Leave" majority votes.[citation needed] The then local MP Stewart Jackson backed "Leave", whereas local MP Shailesh Vara campaigned for a "Remain" vote.
Result
United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016 Peterborough
Choice
Votes
%
Leave the European Union
53,216
60.89%
Remain a member of the European Union
34,176
39.11%
Valid votes
87,392
99.91%
Invalid or blank votes
77
0.09%
Total votes
87,469
100.00%
Registered voters and turnout
120,892
72.35%
Peterborough referendum result (without spoiled ballots):
Leave: 53,216(60.9%)
Remain: 34,176 (39.1%)
▲
Results by Council Wards
Council Wards
Votes
Remain
Leave
Barnack
1,010
955
Bretton
1,387
2,798
Central
1,728
1,617
Dogsthorpe
1,273
2,622
East
1,384
2,186
Eye, Thorney & Newborough
1,846
3,568
Fletton & Stanground
1,612
2,949
Fletton & Woodston
2,170
2,669
Glinton & Castor
1,774
2,275
Gunthorpe
1,438
2,670
Hampton Vale
1,262
1,400
Hargate & Hempsted
1,320
1,439
North
1,178
2,127
Orton Longueville
1,555
3,124
Orton Waterville
2,144
3,129
Park
1,770
1,975
Paston & Walton
1,442
3,226
Ravensthorpe
1,686
2,746
Stanground South
1,430
2,762
Werrington
2,173
3,647
West
1,482
1,904
Wittering
649
1,094
Late Postal
422
344
Arms
Coat of arms of Peterborough City Council
Notes
Granted 6 September 1960
Coronet
A mural crown of six towers Gold.
Escutcheon
Azure two keys in saltire Or enfiled by a mural crown Argent.
Supporters
On either side a lion Ermine winged Argent charged on the wing with three estoiles Sable the interior paw resting on a tree trunk fesswise Proper.
^Mellows, William Thomas "Peterborough's Municipal Jubilee: a record of 50 years of Local Government 1874–1924" Peterborough Standard, 1924. See 17 & 18 Geo. V c.xciv ext. (mods.) — Min. of Health Provnl.O.Confn. (Peterborough Extn.) 1928 (c.xix), art.27(1)(a), sch.2 pt.I of O. ss.5–9, 20, 23, 24 appl. — Soke and City of Peterborough 1929 (c.lviii), s.33
^The Municipal Buildings Peterborough Standard for Peterborough City Council, 26 October 1933
^Mellows, William Thomas "An outline of the history of Peterborough's public buildings" Peterborough Citizen and Advertiser, 1934
^The Huntingdon and Peterborough Order 1964 (SI 1964/367), see Local Government Commission for England, Report and Proposals for the East Midlands General Review Area (Report No.3), 31 July 1961 and Report and Proposals for the Lincolnshire and East Anglia General Review Area (Report No.9), 7 May 1965
