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18 July 2024

My first two months as council leader have certainly been eventful. Some might say ‘exciting’. 

I’ve been busily ingraining myself into the inner workings of the authority and getting to grips with the key issues and opportunities for us, as well as supporting the Labour party’s general election campaign.

The results of the election put our city in a great position to move forwards with two local Labour MPs, a Labour administration running the council and a Labour-led Combined Authority.

This alignment will make sure Peterborough gets what it needs to fulfil its enormous potential, with all those elements of government working collaboratively together.

We may not always agree on absolutely everything, but I can assure everyone that we will be working together for a common cause - the enhancement of our communities and creating a city of opportunity for all.

Andrew Pakes and Sam Carling will both make excellent MPs. Andrew has a long and distinguished political pedigree and will represent the whole of the city. He has close links with several cabinet members and with Keir Starmer and is fully aligned with his priority of working hard for everyone.

Nobody expected Sam to win, but that really was the cherry on the cake for us. A huge credit to him and his campaigning team for that, especially when you consider the 25,000 majority Shailesh had at the last election.

I also want to thank our outgoing MPs for their hard work. Paul Bristow served the city over the past five years. He also fought a hard campaign to be re-elected and I certainly salute him for that.

Shailesh Vara has been a gentleman throughout the election process, working hard for his constituents and the city since being elected in 2005.

Certainly, both seats were hotly contested, and we now have two first-class MPs, which bodes well.

One of many wonderful things about living in Peterborough is the fact that we have some excellent parks and open spaces for everyone to enjoy.

We can officially say that three of our parks are among the best in the country, following the news that Central Park, Itter Park and Manor Farm Park in Eye have all maintained prestigious Green Flag awards.

Central Park has now held the award for 22 consecutive years, which is an outstanding achievement.

Green Flag awards highlight that the parks, maintained on behalf of the council by Aragon Direct Services, hold the highest possible environmental standards, setting a benchmark for the management of green spaces across the United Kingdom and around the world.

The award is testament to the hard work of the teams at Aragon, who have maintained these much-loved spaces to such high standards, so my thanks to all involved. I also want to thank the volunteer groups who support these parks.

We are committed to creating a greener city and reducing carbon emissions, as well as promoting our parks as places to enjoy healthy lifestyles. I’m fully aware how much quality green spaces matter to our communities, and we will continue to maintain them to the highest standards.

If you live in the Millfield, New England, Eastfield or the Embankment areas we would like to hear your views on plans to continue our Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) there for a further three years.

If extended, the order will give the council and police additional powers dedicated to tackling crime and improving the quality of life for communities. This is not just about clearing the streets of those who cause issues, but supporting vulnerable people to get help if they are in genuine need.

We’ve launched a public consultation on these plans which runs until Sunday 4 August and is accessible on the council’s website, with hard copies available on request. It will only take a few minutes of your time and all feedback will be considered before a final decision is made.

To take part visit www.peterborough.gov.uk or alternatively paper copies can be requested by calling 01733 863853 or by emailing antisocialbehaviour@peterborough.gov.uk

We’ve certainly had some fantastic events in Peterborough recently and I’m delighted that this trend is continuing throughout the summer.

This week Peterborough Cathedral launched an exciting exhibition called ‘Monsters of the Sea’ which runs until 1 September and features 16 life-size animatronic sea creatures spanning from prehistoric eras to modern times. Visit www.peterborough-cathedral.org.uk for more information and ticket details.

I love fish. Did I tell you?