The Council
Political make-up of the council
Peterborough City Council is a unitary local authority with over 6,500 employees, serving a local population of 170,000. The council has 57 councillors who represent 24 wards in the city and surrounding villages. The political make up of the council following the May 2010 elections is 40 Conservative, 9 Peterborough Independent Forum Group, 3 Liberal Democrat Group, 3 Labour Group and 2 English Democrats Party.
The council's political management structure follows the Leader and Cabinet model of decision-making. The cabinet, appointed by the leader of the council, takes 'executive' decisions within the council's overall policy and budget framework and makes clear recommendations to council about any changes to this overall framework. Individual cabinet members also make decisions in relation to their service areas.
The council meets publicly approximately seven times a year and retains overall responsibility for the budget, corporate and community strategies and major policies.
Customer services standards
Peterborough City Council aims to provide the best possible service to the people of Peterborough, within available resources.
The council's customer services standards sets out a number of principles:-
- All people will be treated with equal respect and fairness
- Wherever possible the council will place the interest of the customer first before the interest of the organisation
- Listen to customers and respond courteously
- Be positive
- Concentrate on getting it right first time
- Ensure effective two way communication
A full copy of the council's customer service standards and corporate standards is available upon request.
Peterborough ...... growing towards a bigger and better city...
Peterborough combines all the advantages of an exciting, modern regional centre with the timeless traditions of an historic cathedral city. Peterborough 's magnificent Norman cathedral sits amid peaceful precincts, while nearby the commercial heart of the city offers first-rate shopping and leisure facilities. With easy access to the surrounding countryside, including 2,000 acres of riverside parkland, there is a vast range of outdoor leisure activities to enjoy.
At night, Peterborough adopts a more vibrant personality with theatres, sports venues, pubs, clubs and restaurants ensuring there is something to suit all tastes. With excellent transport links, Cambridge (40 miles/64 km) and London (80 miles/128 km), Peterborough makes an ideal city in which to live and work.
Peterborough City Council has ambitious plans to attract more jobs, build new houses and to develop the physical, economic and environmental fabric of the city and surrounding areas.
This will improve the quality of life for all our communities and ensure they benefit from growth, renewal and regeneration in a sustainable way.
Learning
Our vision for learning in Peterborough is about delivering the best possible learning opportunities to give people the skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that will strengthen the city's community and economy. A full range of both state and independent education is available to Peterborough residents, from pre-school nurseries through to courses for retired people.
Peterborough City Council is responsible for providing primary, secondary and special needs education, with most secondary schools providing sixth form courses. In 2007 we completed the first stage of our major reorganisation of secondary schools, with an investment of more than £100 million. This included the opening of two new schools as well as an expansion and major refurbishment of two others. With a further investment of £30 million, we are in the progress of expanding and refurbishing three further secondary schools.
We are also putting plans in place to secure the successful completion of our educational and ICT transformation of primary schools.
For more details visit www.peterborough.gov.uk
Peterborough Regional College offers more than 500 courses for school-leavers and adults taught by industry professionals in excellent training facilities. The college also offers tailored training for businesses and is committed to helping Peterborough to thrive by providing a well-qualified, skilled workforce, who can meet future challenges head on.
For details of available courses visit www.peterborough.ac.uk.
City College Peterborough offers a varied programme of instruction for adult students including training for work and specialist courses for retired people and its own nursery.
For more details visit www.pals.ac.uk.
The future
Peterborough City Council and Opportunity Peterborough (the urban regeneration company) have developed a comprehensive, single vision for the integrated growth of the city, which will by 2021, deliver sustainable growth and regeneration through:
- Regeneration of the city centre and inner urban areas
- Improved range of services and facilities including retailing, housing, leisure, cultural and green infrastructure
- Strong economic development
- Greater access to higher education
- Greater access to good quality sustainable housing
- Enhanced city and area wide transport links
- Recognition as leading on the city environmental agenda
A number of projects in the city centre are currently being planned or are underway to deliver the vision.