'Quite bizarre' Labour higher-ups are involved in council leadership decision, Lib Dem says

It’s “quite bizarre” that Labour Party higher-ups are involved in deciding who will run Peterborough City Council (PCC), a Liberal Democrat politician has said.

Cllr Christian Hogg (Lib Dems, Fletton and Stanground), leader of the Lib Dem group in Peterborough, said he “doesn’t particularly buy” the idea that the national party should have that level of influence over local politics.

The local Labour Party, led by Cllr Dennis Jones (Labour, Dogsthorpe), is expected to form an administration with Peterborough First, which has led the council since November.

It’s currently awaiting a decision from the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) about the proposal.

Labour became the largest party on PCC for the first time in more than 20 years after the local elections, held on 2nd May.

But with 19 out of 60 council seats, it can’t form a majority administration and instead must rely on the support of a smaller party or parties.

Peterborough First, with which it’s held talks, is the second largest party with 14 councillors.

Half of its members are former Conservative councillors who resigned and joined the party last year before supporting a vote of no confidence in then-council leader Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservatives, West) in November.

This includes Cllr Mohammed Farooq (Peterborough First, Hargate and Hempsted) who has led the council since the vote.

The party also gained several new councillors elected under the Peterborough First banner at the local elections.

Final decision expected next week

It’s now been over a week since those elections and the shape of the administration which will lead PCC going forward remains unclear.

Cllr Jones said that the “white smoke of whatever’s happening to who and where will have happened by next Thursday”, which is when the local Labour group will hold their annual general meeting (AGM).

Cllr Jones also hopes to be reinstated as leader of the group at this meeting.

Cllr Hogg has warned that failing to take control of the council could play into “Conservative rhetoric”.

“They’re having to go into coalition with somebody and that doesn’t look fantastic, but equally being the largest party and walking away and saying we’re not going to get involved plays into Conservative rhetoric that Labour has no plan”, he said.

The nature of any administration that forms between Labour and Peterborough First is not yet clear and may or may not be a coalition.

It’s also as of yet unclear whether Cllr Farooq will stay on as leader or whether Cllr Jones will take up the mantle.

But Conservative leader Cllr Fitzgerald has indeed suggested that Labour should lead as the largest party – as they did themselves even when leading with a minority administration.

'Hard to see' rationale for partnership

Cllr Hogg also said that he thinks it’s “quite bizarre that someone in London is going to be deciding whether the local Labour Party are allowed to do this or they’re allowed to do that”.

“I don’t particularly buy the fact that the central office should be the one that makes that decision because they’re not the ones with the knowledge of the relationships between each of the separate parties.”

Former mayor and Lib Dem chair Nick Sandford added that it’s “hard to see” the rationale behind a Labour and Peterborough First partnership.

“Peterborough First don’t have any policies,” he said, “so it’s hard to see, unless Labour see them like a blank sheet of paper they can impose their policies”.

“My personal preference has always been for some form of Labour-Lib Dem-Green coalition.”

'Entitled to their opinion'

Cllr Jones said the Lib Dems are “entitled to their opinion”.

“We’re looking at something slightly more than the leader of the fourth largest party and former mayor are looking at,” he said. “I’m sure they’d be very interested to be in my position.

The shape of the administration will be “based on facts and evidence”, he added, “not the opinions of people who really don’t know what’s going on”.

Cllr Jones said the decision around the administration will partly be based on the input of higher ups, but added that there’s also others involved in the process.

“Think of it like a molecular chain,” he said.