Conservatives walk out of Peterborough council meeting after vote to silence leader for ‘derogatory’ comment

Much of Peterborough City Council’s (PCC) Conservative group left a meeting partway through after other parties voted to silence its leader.

Cllr Shabina Qayyum (Labour, East) asked that the council chamber no longer hear from Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (Conservatives, West) after he made a personal comment towards her.

This was supported by the majority of councillors, cutting off Cllr Fitzgerald’s right to speak for the remainder of the meeting.

It was the final “full council” before May’s local elections; these are meetings held in the Town Hall which all 60 councillors are invited to attend.

The issue arose during discussion of an independent report on the council’s governance and finances.

Cllr Fitzgerald said he disagreed with the report that the council was working together collaboratively, saying there was a “rift” between the Conservatives and Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens.

Cllr Qayyum interrupted him – something which is a normal part of full council meetings – to raise a point of accuracy, saying there was no rift between Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens.

'She just loves the limelight'

Cllr Fitzgerald clarified he meant there was a rift between the Conservatives and the other groups – not that they had their own rifts – before adding that she “constantly interrupts – it’s a trait with her; she just loves the limelight”.

Cllr Qayyum said the Conservative leader's manner and conduct was “incredibly derogatory” before bringing a motion that he no longer be heard.

This is a rare but not unprecedented move, which is permitted by the council’s rules and regulations.

Chair Cllr Nick Sandford (Liberal Democrats, Paston and Walton) tried to avoid the issue escalating by asking for an apology from Cllr Fitzgerald, who responded that “if she’s offended I’m happy to apologise, but it doesn’t mean I can’t think it”.

'Very unwilling apology'

Cllr Qayyum then pressed ahead with her motion after this “very unwilling apology”.

Council leader Cllr Mohammed Farooq (Peterborough First, Hargate and Hempsted) asked Cllr Qayyum to “just forgive on this occasion” so the meeting could continue, but the majority of councillors present (33) voted in favour of revoking Cllr Fitzgerald’s right to be heard. There were two abstentions and 22 votes against.

Cllr Fitzgerald then said his comment had been “proven to be true” and that he wouldn’t withdraw it.

Much of his group then left, although Conservatives deputy leader Cllr Steve Allen (Conservatives, Eye, Thorney and Newborough) remained and commented that “political cooperation is destroyed by this in fighting we have”.

‘Doesn’t bode well’

“I must apologise to you for what you’ve seen here this evening,” he said, addressing representatives of the independent improvement panel which produced the report councillors were discussing. “It doesn’t bode well for future cooperation”.

One of the representatives then clarified that the cooperation referred to in the report applies to the last two-and-a-half-years since the panel was set up, regardless of which party was in charge of the council.

After the Conservatives had left, deputy council leader Cllr John Howard (Peterborough First, Hargate and Hempsted) said that “before I’m a councillor, I’m a Dad. I’m a husband. When people use words in the chamber such as amnesia, cancer, freak show, do I want my children and my wife to see that on the live feed? The answer is no”.

He added that it’s “one of the reasons I’m not sitting in that group at the moment”.

Cllr Howard was among the councillors who left the Conservatives and joined Peterborough First, which then took over the council after a vote of no confidence in Cllr Fitzgerald last November.

Cllr Fitzgerald’s comments he referred to relate to other meetings.

The meeting concluded a short while later with only three of the Conservative group remaining seated.