Peterborough City Council considers four-year election terms

A council has said it has considered holding its elections every four years.

Peterborough City Council (PCC) currently holds its elections by thirds, which means about 20 of its 60 councillors are re-elected most years.

The proposal was made by an independent improvement panel, after the council requested "exceptional" financial support from the government in 2021.

The panel said PCC was at risk of being dominated by "short-term concerns" if councillors kept changing.

It added that the proposal could help PCC save money and ensure long-term strategies were fully implemented, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The changes would mean all 60 councillors in the council would have to be re-elected every four years.

A spokesperson for PCC said the council was going to "revisit" the idea after the local elections in May.

Matt Gladstone, the chief executive of PCC, said the council had urged councillors in all parties to consider the proposal, even though it had previously proved unpopular among some representatives.

In 2022 councillors voted to reject the proposed change to electoral terms. Thirty-five voted against it, 19 voted in favour and there were four abstentions. 

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