This week I was confirmed as Leader of the Council for a further year which was a very proud moment.
It was an honour to step up to the role last September, and I am delighted to be given the chance to lead the council for a further 12 months.
At Monday night’s Annual Council meeting I confirmed my Cabinet for the year ahead, which remains a Labour, Liberal Democrat and Peterborough First coalition. We have worked positively and productively over the past nine months, putting the needs of our residents and our city first, and that will continue as we look to deliver further successes and improvements and tackle the issues that need addressing.
I have also offered committee chair roles to members of the Green and Conservative groups, extending the hand of collaboration.
This makes the system of decision making and scrutiny the most collaborative and cross party that we have seen in many years, perhaps ever.
This is how we work best, with everyone pulling in the same direction for the good of the council, the city and our residents.
I also look forward to extending that offer of collaboration to our new Reform councillors. They will all be finding their feet and undergoing training to be able to fulfil their role, but I look forward to working with them.
On Monday night we also paid tribute to outgoing Mayor, Councillor Judy Fox, who has had a fantastic year as our first citizen, ably supported by her husband, Councillor John Fox. With the support of the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress, Councillor Peter Hiller and his wife Debbie Hiller, they have raised more than £40,000 for their charities which is remarkable.
Good luck to Councillor Chris Harper and his wife Rita who are our new Mayor and Mayoress, and Cllr Andrew Bond who will be Deputy Mayor and Cllr Jade Seager who will be Deputy Mayoress.
Our exciting City Centre Visioning project, which we have recently consulted on, is focussed on how we can create a truly inclusive city centre attracting residents, visitors and new businesses to invest.
Therefore, the investment by the CPCA Mayor Paul Bristow to provide free parking across four of our city centre car parks, Monday to Friday from 3pm, is most welcome.
Peterborough city centre has so much to offer in terms of shopping, places to eat and drink, visitor attractions such as our fantastic Cathedral, Museum, Key Theatre, and Lido. This free parking offer should encourage more people to see what our city has to offer.
Our administration is helping to build real momentum in Peterborough and by the time you are reading this I will have spent the past few days in Leeds for UKREiiF 2026 with council colleagues and partners to showcase our progress on the national stage.
This prestigious event is the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum, with over 16,000 attendees – including developers and master-planners - expected over the three days.
The council, along with the Combined Authority and Homes England, will be highlighting exciting plans to transform the city through major regeneration, strategic partnerships and new investment opportunities. It will outline our journey to launch a Growth Board and later a Mayoral Development Corporation.
We will also be networking with major investors and developers, which may lead to exciting opportunities in future, so watch this space.
On the subject of growth and regeneration, I am delighted that work is now under way on Cygnet Bridge.
This exciting £8.3million project is expected to take around 12 months to complete and will provide a more direct, pedestrian and cyclist friendly route between the residential developments, businesses and football stadium on the south of the river to the city centre and North Embankment, home to the Key Theatre, ARU Peterborough’s University Campus and the proposed site of the new leisure development.
The bridge will play a key role in our city’s growth, creating a more connected and walkable city. When we better connect places, we also create the conditions for businesses to invest and for people to live, work, and enjoy the city more.