Conservatives suffer huge losses in Peterborough City Council elections

Labour has become the largest party on Peterborough City Council after winning five additional seats – taking their total to 19 -in Thursday’s local elections. Peterborough First also did remarkably well, adding three new councillors to take their tally to 14.

It was a dreadful night for the Conservatives who now have only 11 councillors – a year ago they bucked the national trend and emerged after the May election with 30 councillors.

Lib Dems have 9, up one, Green 4, up 2, and independents still retain three seats.

Results coming in from Thursday’s city council elections in Peterborough

Werrington ward (2 seats)

BRISTOW Sara Louise (Conservative) 626

DALTON Ruta (Conservative) 392

FOX John Raymond (Peterborough First – Werrington Independent) * 1,664

HILLIER Sarah Areatha (Peterborough First – Werrington Independent) 1,307

JONES Roz (Labour) 421

KAIL Simon James (Liberal Democrat) 92

SHARP Katherine Ann (Green Party) 178

WARNE Barry (Green Party) 103

Peterborough First HOLD both

Turnout 33.84 per cent

Park ward (1 seat)

AHMED Murtaza (Conservative) 825

ALI Iqra (Green Party) 509

ELLIS Angus Alexander (Labour) 827

HARDMAN Ian (Liberal Democrat) 95

MORRIS Sue (Reform UK) 111

RADIC Fiona (Independent) 94

Labour GAIN from Conservatives

Turnout 34.01 per cent

Orton Longueville ward (1 seat)

ALI Imtiaz (Green Party) 669

BAKER David Frederick John (Labour) 521

MILLS Nicola (Liberal Democrat) 84

PATEL Ekta (Conservative) 647

PENNIALL Nick (Independent) 251

Green GAIN from Conservatives

Orton Waterville ward (1 seat)

AKINYELE Oluwaseun (Labour) 207

ALLEN Jackie (Conservative) 440

KNIGHT Kirsty (Independent) * 1,254

MURPHY Ed (Green Party) 701

Independent GAIN from Green

Turnout 36.17 per cent

Ravensthorpe ward (1 seat)

FARID Qaiser (Green Party) 1,045

KHAN Raja Ejaz Ahmed (Liberal Democrat) 74

MANNAN Abdul (Labour) 598

NAWAZ Gul (Conservative) * 948

Green GAIN from Conservatives

Turnout 34.1 per cent

Hargate and Hempsted ward (1 seat)

FAROOQ Saqib Mohammed (Peterborough First Independent) 826 (elected)

HORNE Amanda (Green Party) 124

JESUS Kelly (Labour) 364

SPEED Rachel Ann (Liberal Democrat) 86

VICHARE Vishal (Conservative) 421

Peterborough First GAIN from Conservatives

Turnout 26.05 per cent

North ward (1 seat)

ALI Zameer (Labour) 1,078

MCGARRY John Anthony (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) 101

RUTTUN Deeshen (Liberal Democrat) 95

SHAFIQ Misbah (Green Party) 419

TOKIR Mohammed (Conservative) 640

Labour HOLD

Turnout 32 per cent

Gunthorpe ward (1 seat)

ALI Shazad (Green Party) 82

SHAHEED Ann Louise (Liberal Democrat) 899 (elected)

TYLER Bryan (Conservative) * 865

WEEDON Joanna Susan (Labour) 303

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Conservatives

Turnout 31.65 per cent

Eye, Thorney, Newborough ward (1 seat)

JOHNSON Carol Sarah (Green Party) 141

ORMSTON Mark David Michael (Peterborough First Independent) 862

PEACH John Philip (Conservative) 853

SHEARMAN John Francis (Labour Party) 540

Peterborough First GAIN from Conservatives

Turnout 31.98 per cent

West ward (1 seat)

AYRES Lynne (Conservative) * 663 (elected)

COLE Christopher Ian (Labour) 472

FRANCIS Collette (Independent) 171

GERAGHTY Annie (Liberal Democrat) 80

WINDSOR Chelsea (Green Party) 149

CON: 42.77% (-14.26%) LAB: 30.45% (+5.41%) IND: 11.03% (NEW) LDEM: 5.16% (-1.17%) GRN: 9.61% (+2.60%)

West CON: 42.77% (-14.26%) LAB: 30.45% (+5.41%) IND: 11.03% (NEW) LDEM: 5.16% (-1.17%) GRN: 9.61% (+2.60%) No Freedom Alliance (1.92%) or UKIP (1.70%) as previous. Conservative HOLD

Turnout: 36.8 per cent

Barnack ward (1 seat)

BULL June (Green Party) 60

MATTHEWS Stephanie Gillian (Labour) 132

SELLICK Beki (Liberal Democrat) 70

TIGHE Kevin (Independent) 396

WALSH Irene (Conservative) 437 (elected)

Turnout 39.89 per cent

Dogsthorpe ward (1 seat)

GRAY Matthew (Green Party) 178

HUSSAIN Ishfaq (Conservative) * 760

MCNALLY Jason (Labour) 766

PETCH Rob (Workers Party) 89

RINGLER Sandra (Liberal Democrat) 145

Labour GAIN from Conservatives

Turnout 28 per cent

Bretton ward (1 seat)

FENNER Chaz (Conservative) * 757

JENKINS Nicola (Labour) 835 (elected)

WILLIAMS Mark (Green) 175

WILSON Rohan (Liberal Democrat) 121

Turnout 27.9 per cent

LAB: 43.99% (+3.53%) CON: 39.88% (-8.13%) GRN: 9.22% (NEW) LDEM: 6.38% (+0.31%).

Labour GAIN from Conservatives

Stanground South

HARPER Chris (Peterborough First Independent) * 1,111 (elected)

HORNE Joe (Green Party) 88

SEEKINGS Neil Frank (Conservative) 373

THULBOURN Margaret (Labour) 404

Turnout 25.5 per cent

Peterborough First HOLD

Glinton and Castor ward (1 seat)

BOYCE Neil David (Peterborough First Independent) 714 (elected)

BYSSHE Claire (Liberal Democrat) 174

FARR Sue (Labour) 270

GUTHRIE Greg (Green) 122

WILLEY Andrew Stephen (Conservative) 539

PETERBOROUGH FIRST: 39.04% (NEW) CON: 29.47% (-36.94%) LAB: 14.76% (+4.60%) LIB DEM: 9.51% (-3.08%) GREEN: 6.67% (-2.45%)

Peterborough First GAIN from Conservative

Turnout: 35.20%

Central ward (1 seat)

CAWLEY Steve (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) 94

HOLTON Jenae Hannah Toni Gloria (Conservative) 412

IQBAL Amjad (Labour) * 1,377 (elected)

KERRIDGE Jason (Liberal Democrat) 161

MUNIR Mohammed Aziz (Green) 820

Turnout 31.59 per cent.

Labour hold

LAB: 47.68% (-11.17%) GRN: 28.45% (+22.98%) CON: 14.30% (-11.18%) LDEM: 5.59% (-0.68%) TUSC: 3.26% (NEW)

Fletton and Stanground ward (1 seat)

CREEDON-GRAY Sam (Green Party) 168

GERAGHTY Polly (Liberal Democrats) 884 (elected)

HASHMI Muhammad Mujtaba (Labour Party) 338

OKPALA Chibuzo (Conservative) 299

Liberal Democrats GAIN from Conservatives

Turnout 22.79 per cent

Fletton and Woodston ward (1 seat)

BLAKEMORE-CREEDON Daisy (Labour) 940 (elected)

COLES Andy (Conservative) * 658

GARNER Simon John (Liberal Democrat) 99

LLOYD Jon (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) 37

WARR Adam (Green Party) 222

Labour GAIN from Conservatives

Hampton Vale ward (1 seat)

ANTUNES Roger (Peterborough First Independent) 400 (elected)

COSTER Charles Rhys (Green Party) 66

MCCARTHY Christopher Martin (Labour) 256

SHARP Lindsay John (Conservative) * 327

WALTON Neil Christopher (Liberal Democrat) 292

Peterborough First GAIN from Conservatives

Turnout 24.8 per cent

East ward (1 seat)

BRUZDA Adam (Liberal Democrat) 123

IQBAL Numan Ali (Labour Party) 1,080

JOHNSON Jo (Independent) 152

MIRAN Aleem (Conservative) 870

NOOR Bismah (Green Party) 192

Labour GAIN from Conservatives

Turnout 31.45 per cent

Paston and Walton ward (1 seat)

ALEXANDER Callum Patrick (Labour Party) 339

ALI Shokat (Green Party) 86

RAFIQ Alex (Conservative) 824 (elected)

SANDFORD Nick (Liberal Democrat) * 819

Conservative GAIN from Liberal Democrats

Turnout 28.51 per cent

The question facing nervous candidates and party officials tonight as they await the outcome of today’s elections in Peterborough and Cambridge – and of course for the police and crime commissioner – is not simply how many bothered to turn out to vote, but what are those who did vote telling them.

You don’t need to be a harbinger of perpetual gloom to recognise the Conservatives face an electoral challenge on a scale not witnessed for probably two decades.

A YouGov opinion poll this week shows the party hitting a new low of 18 per cent, worse even than when Liz Truss was outlasted by a lettuce in her tenure of No 10, and translated to Parliamentary seats at a general election would see the party emerge with just 32 seats.

An unlikely scenario? Possibly but today’s local elections in places such as Peterborough will provide some clues as to the outcome.

Wayne Fitzgerald, as leader of the Conservative group and until last November leader of Peterborough City Council, travelled to Cambridge yesterday to be interviewed by that wily old local radio presenter Chris Mann.

Wayne cut a lonely figure, as best we could tell from listening, but the clues were there: his ebullience seemed to have been cast off somewhere on the A14, and instead we were treated to the rolling out of old arguments, the unfairness of the political make-up of the council that still sees his party with the largest number of seats but the horrific antics of those who wanted him gone.

And no amount of attacks by Tory MP Paul Bristow on the city council and its leadership since have made a blind bit of difference. The Bristow/Fitzgerald ‘Con-Chummery’ so familiar in recent times is no longer, for which some may be grateful whilst most are simply relieved.

The Bristow offensive remains against the informal alliance now running affairs but even after a staggering (I counted 20) onslaught tweets against the new council leadership in recent times, these do not seem to have resonated with the electorate.

Maybe, as Wayne reminded Chris Mann, the Tories in Peterborough will buck the national trend and outperform the rest of the country when tonight’s votes are cast. Not impossible, but then again Wayne didn’t like being reminded in the same interview that his failure to retain the 30 Tory councillors as one homogeneous group was only brief.

By the time he lost the leadership after a vote of confidence, 7 Tory councillors had stepped away, including of course Cllr Farooq who now seems comfortable and assured among the small, but influential, group of Peterborough First councillors who took over with the support of the remaining political groups.

What happens tonight is critical to who runs the council but with a third of the council up for re-election, any outcome is possible, although the most likely outcome is that the Tory numbers on the council will reduce, Labour will add a few, and Peterborough First will be offered an extension of the informal ‘contract’ to retain the leadership and cabinet posts.

There is no doubt Cllr Farooq is a moderating influence on the political scene, but he is no-one’s fool and is already scrutinising some of the spending decisions that have financially challenged the city council.

And lending council taxpayers money to fund private developments – such as the Hilton hotel – are off the table, and even Cllr Fitzgerald will probably agree with that given the efforts he made yesterday in the BBC interview to distance himself from that lending decision.

So here we go, the candidates for Peterborough waiting anxiously at the Kingsgate Community Centre for the first results.

We’ll bring you those as they are declared – and catch up with other political news from across Cambridgeshire. Turnout in Peterborough: 23 per cent without postal votes