Peterborough City Council was formed as a unitary authority in 1998, having previously been part of Cambridgeshire County Council. As a unitary authority, the council has both the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-year estimate for the population of Peterborough was 193,980 in 2015. You can read about the city's 2011 census and view various maps of Peterborough in the About Peterborough section.

Our values

We are committed to putting people first. Everyone matters.

We are a values-led organisation. There are six values that we strive to achieve across all our work - with colleagues, partners and our communities:

Transparent - we keep our promises
Collaborative - we create and maintain a supportive environment
Inclusive - we recognise and value diversity
Respectful - we respect all people and communities
Innovative - we are bold and courageous
Integrity - we are open and honest

You can read more about our vision on our Corporate Strategy page.

Council structure

The council’s constitution sets out how the council works, how decisions are made, and the procedures we follow to make sure our work is efficient and accountable to local people. Some of these procedures are set by law, while others are ones we have chosen to follow.

The council is made up of 60 councillors, one-third of whom are normally elected each year, with no elections in the fourth year. Members are elected to represent the area they cover and be accountable to people living in their ward.

Council Leader and Cabinet

The council uses a leader and cabinet model of decision making. The Cabinet is responsible for running council services and ensuring best value is delivered. They are also responsible for implementing policies, delivering services, approving new policies other than major policies, playing a leadership role and generally promoting the economic, environmental and social well-being of the city.

The Mayor

The council elects a Mayor to serve for a term of one year. The Mayoral year is always busy and the Mayor will attend many functions including formal civic events and the annual meeting of the council. At the beginning of the year the Mayor will nominate charities which will receive the proceeds from the fundraising undertaken during the year.

Service areas

There are directors and heads of service for each of the service areas within the council. The structure charts for these areas can be viewed on the council structure page.

Council Constitution

The Council’s Constitution (a set of rules and principles) sets out how we work, how we make decisions, and the procedures we follow to make sure our work is efficient and accountable to local people. Some of these procedures are set by law, while others are ones we have chosen to follow.

The constitution is divided into Articles (sections) which set out the basic rules governing the council’s business. More detailed procedures and codes of practice are provided in separate rules and ‘protocols’ within the constitution.

Read the Council Constitution in full.

Planning and development