Peter Soulsby Explained

Honorific Prefix:Sir
Peter Soulsby
Office:Mayor of Leicester
Term Start:9 May 2011
Predecessor:Office created
Office2:Leader of Leicester City Council
Term Start2:January 1996
Term End2:May 1999
Predecessor2:Stuart Foster
Successor2:Ross Willmott
Term Start3:May 1981
Term End3:May 1994
Predecessor3:Ken Middleton
Successor3:Stuart Foster
Office1:Member of Parliament
for Leicester South
Predecessor1:Parmjit Singh Gill
Successor1:Jon Ashworth
Term Start1:5 May 2005
Term End1:1 April 2011
Birth Date:27 December 1948
Birth Place:Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England
Nationality:British
Partner:Lesley Summerland
Party:Labour
Children:3
Residence:Evington and Groby
Alma Mater:University of Leicester
Profession:Teacher, politician
Website:Leicester Mayor website

Sir Peter Alfred Soulsby (born 27 December 1948) is a British Labour Party politician serving as Mayor of Leicester since 2011. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester South from 2005 until he resigned his seat in April 2011, in order to contest the new post of mayor.[1] [2] He served as Leader of Leicester City Council from 1981 to 1994 and from 1996 to 1999.

Early life

Soulsby was born on the 27 December 1948 in Bishop Auckland and attended the Minchenden School, a grammar school in Southgate, London.[3] [4] He studied at the City of Leicester College of Education Scraptoft. He gained a BEd from Leicester University in English and Drama. He worked as a teacher at Crown Hills Secondary Modern School and then as a special needs teacher.[5]

Early political career

He was first elected to Leicester City Council in June 1973 and served as the Leader of the Council twice, firstly from 1981 to 1994 and secondly from 1996 to 1999.[6] He remained a Labour councillor until he was defeated in the Spinney Hill ward in May 2003.[7]

He unsuccessfully contested the Harborough parliamentary constituency at the 1979 general election.[8] In 1984, he stood for election for the Leicester European Parliamentary constituency, narrowly losing to the Conservative incumbent Fred Tuckman by 1.6%.[9]

Parliamentary career

In 2004 he was the Labour Party's candidate in the Leicester South by-election; he had been the election agent for the previous MP, Jim Marshall, and like Marshall was not always in agreement with the party's policies. Despite his anti-war stance, Soulsby lost by 5.6% to Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats in a by-election which was dominated by the Iraq War and the newly formed left-wing party Respect, which took 12.7% of the vote.[10] [11] In the 2005 general election, less than a year later, he won the seat back for Labour from Gill.[12]

On 31 October 2006, Soulsby was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid Cymru and the Scottish National Party's call for an inquiry into the Iraq War.[13] He also rebelled against the government on its proposals to permit the detention of terrorist suspects for 90 days without trial;[14] however, in June 2008, he supported the government on the proposal to extend the detention of terrorist suspects for 42 days.[15] (see Terrorism Act 2006.) He retained his seat in the 2010 general election with a 5% swing from the Liberal Democrats.[16]

In June 2010, he was selected as a Labour member of the Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee.[17]

On 5 March 2011, Soulsby was selected as Labour's candidate for the new post of Mayor of Leicester.[18] He resigned as MP for Leicester South in order to contest the mayoral election.[19] On 1 April 2011, Soulsby was appointed Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, effecting his resignation from the House of Commons.

Mayor of Leicester

Sir Peter Soulsby was elected Mayor of Leicester on 5 May 2011, with a majority of 37,260.[20] He had previously served as Leader of Leicester City Council from 1981 to 1994 and from 1996 to 1999.[21] In August 2011, he claimed to have delivered 99 out of 100 pledges within the first 100 days of office.[22] He said the remaining pledge, on the future of the council offices in New Walk, would be achieved by Christmas.[22] However he was criticised by opposition councillors for not explaining what services would be cut in future.[22]

He has been re-elected as Mayor of Leicester three times, in 2015,[23] 2019,[24] and 2023.[25]

Salary review

In November 2011, a salary of £100,000 was recommended by the Mayor's remuneration committee—a rise of £44,000, based on the fact that the mayor carried out the work of the city's former chief executive, who was paid £175,000.[26] The council was at the time proposing cuts of £70m in services, and the recommendations were criticised by opposing councillors and trade unionists alike. The independence of the committee, which included the vice chancellor of De Montfort University, the head of the chamber of trade and a charity sector worker, was also challenged by the only Conservative councillor "as they worked closely with Sir Peter".[27] The committee, whose report had been leaked, also recommended a reduction in the number of councillors and the abolition of the post of Lord Mayor.[28] Soulsby dismissed the committee the following day, saying it had made "fundamental costing mistakes" and would have led to "totally unacceptable extra costs".[28]

In March 2012 Soulsby's salary was set at £65,000, at the time comparable to an MP's salary.[29]

Bribery allegation and subsequent court case

On Thursday 5 May 2016, Mohammed Zameer Khan, a businessman, approached Sir Peter whilst he was outside a city school campaigning for the Labour Party candidate in that day's Police and Crime Commissioner election. Soulsby stated afterwards that Khan had tried to bribe him. Soulsby stated that the male patted himself down and said that he wasn't recording, then offered him ten per cent of any incentive money if Soulsby allowed him to open a bowling alley at the then disused and derelict Haymarket Theatre. Soulsby returned to his council office and wrote a report on the event, which he handed to council lawyers, who informed the police.

In court, Khan stated that he had patted himself down to apologise as he was wearing pyjamas after dropping his child off at school, denied that he said anything about not recording the discussion and stated that he had said that he would give ten per cent to charity and had not offered it as an incentive to Soulsby. Soulsby stated that charity was not mentioned at any point and described the event as "the most blatant attempt to bribe me in forty years of public life". The defendant wept in the dock as the jury acquitted him. He said that Soulsby was a celebrity and "hero type" and that he was over-awed by the encounter.[30] [31] [32]

Christmas Day bus lane fine

On 25 December 2017, a man who pulled in to a bus stop on Christmas Day to help a homeless man was fined by the council. Lee Williamson said he stopped to give a homeless man a blanket, hat, gloves, scarf, food, and to chat to him. Williamson later received a £70 fine, despite no buses running on 25 December. Leicester City Council said the camera enforcement was an important safety measure. Soulsby confirmed that the penalty would not be enforced, saying, "It was quite clear what Lee was doing was an act of a good Samaritan on Christmas Day and even though it's important to keep this safe... there are exceptions."[33]

Breach of COVID-19 restrictions

On 14 June 2020, the Leicester Mercury and The Sun newspapers published photographs appearing to show Soulsby breaking rules on movement during a lockdown[34] by visiting his girlfriend during the COVID-19 pandemic.[35] In response, the leader of the opposition on the Leicester City Council, Nigel Porter, and local Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors called for Soulsby to apologise and resign his position.[36] He rejected calls to stand aside and apologised the following day. He was quoted by the BBC as having said "It can be certainly interpreted as being against the spirit of the lockdown, if not against the regulations."[37]

Personal life

He was knighted in 1999 New Year Honours for his services to local government.

He was married to Alison Soulsby,[38] who died of cancer on 10 December 2011, aged 63.[39] He has three daughters and nine grandchildren from his marriage.[4] One of his daughters is Elly Cutkelvin, a councillor for Saffron ward since 2011, whom Soulsby appointed as one of his assistant mayors in 2019.[40] [41]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sir Peter Soulsby MP steps down to enter mayoral race. 6 March 2011. BBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20160109023939/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-12659179. 9 January 2016. dead. dmy-all.
  2. Web site: Manor of Northstead . HM Treasury . 1 April 2011 . 1 April 2011 . 6 April 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110406084507/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_36_11.htm . live .
  3. Web site: Peter Soulsby . politics.co.uk . 9 May 2022 . 18 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230418212450/https://www.politics.co.uk/reference/peter-soulsby/ . live .
  4. News: Leicester's mayor celebrates his commanding position . 9 May 2022 . . 24 April 2012 . 9 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509095952/https://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/apr/24/peter-soulsby-leicester-elected-mayor . live .
  5. Web site: PAPERS OF SIR PETER SOULSBY RELATING TO CITY OF LEICESTER COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, Circa 1970s . . 9 May 2022 . 20 April 2020 . 9 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220709025245/https://specialcollections.catalogue.dmu.ac.uk//records/D/098 . live .
  6. Web site: FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 . . 9 May 2022 . 21 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220521125152/https://directory.leicester.gov.uk/media/18925/0468.pdf . live .
  7. Web site: Leicester City Council Election Results 1996-2011. Plymouth University. 27 December 2020. 16 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210516163059/https://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Leicester-1996-2011.pdf. live.
  8. Web site: Sir Peter Soulsby . . 9 May 2022 . 2 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201202023146/https://members.parliament.uk/member/1592/career . live .
  9. Web site: Elections to the European Parliament 1979–99: Leicester . 10 July 2010 . 1 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200201142916/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/epe1.html . dead .
  10. Web site: Results of Byelections in the 2001-2005 Parliament. Boothroyd. David. 5 October 2015. United Kingdom Election Results. 1 December 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081201183331/http://www.election.demon.co.uk/by2001.html. dead.
  11. Book: Butt . Stephen . The History of Leicester in 100 People . 15 October 2013 . . 9781445616988 . 9 May 2022 . 18 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230418202540/https://books.google.com/books?id=MQyoAwAAQBAJ . live .
  12. News: Result: Leicester South . 9 May 2022 . . 6 May 2005 . 18 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230418212529/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/vote2005/html/362.stm . live .
  13. News: Labour MPs who rebelled on Iraq . 31 October 2006 . 31 October 2006 . BBC News . 30 June 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090630013226/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6104310.stm . live .
  14. Web site: Terrorism Bill, Clause 23 – Extension of Period of Detention to 90 days . 9 November 2005 . 4 November 2006 . Public Whip . 30 September 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070930185720/http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2005-11-09&number=84&mpn=Peter_Soulsby&mpc=Leicester+South . live .
  15. News: Counter-Terrorism Bill – Extension of period of detention to 42 days . The Public Whip . 10 July 2010 . 7 November 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121107055019/http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/division.php?date=2008-06-11&number=219&display=allpossible&sort=name . live .
  16. News: Leicester South . 9 May 2022 . . 6 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170906040853/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election2010/results/constituency/c56.stm . live .
  17. Web site: Westminster select committees: Labour & Tory membership . Financial Times . Jim Pickard . 24 June 2010 . 29 June 2010 . 1 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100701234647/http://blogs.ft.com/westminster/2010/06/westminster-select-committees-labour-tory-membership/ . live .
  18. Web site: Soulsby selected as Labour's candidate for Leicester Mayor . Ferguson . Mark . 5 March 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110306174107/http://www.labourlist.org/soulsby-selected-as-labours-candidate-for-leicester-mayor . 6 March 2011 . dmy .
  19. Web site: Sir Peter Soulsby to stand down as MP following selection as Labour's Mayoral Candidate . East Midlands Labour Party . 5 March 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120321003528/http://www.eastmidslabour.org.uk/sir-peter-soulsby-to-stand-down-as-mp-following-selection-as-lab . 21 March 2012 . dmy-all .
  20. http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/news/Elections-2011-Leicester-Mayor/article-3524024-detail/article.html Elections 2011: Leicester Mayor | This is Leicestershire
  21. Web site: Elected mayors and their value to a city – by Leicester's Sir Peter Soulsby. 18 April 2012. 7 November 2018. 8 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181108065536/https://www.birminghampost.co.uk/news/local-news/elected-mayors-value-city---3913063. live.
  22. News: Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby hails pledge 'success'. BBC News. 16 August 2011. 16 August 2011. 11 July 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140711203946/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-14539980. live.
  23. Web site: Mayoral election results . . 9 May 2022 . 26 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220526090942/https://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council/elections-and-voting/previous-elections/elections-2015/mayoral-election-results/ . live .
  24. Web site: Mayoral election results . . 9 May 2022 . 9 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509112814/https://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council/elections-and-voting/previous-elections/elections-2019/mayoral-election-results/ . live .
  25. Web site: Mayoral election results . . 7 May 2023 . 7 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230507060937/https://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council/elections-and-voting/may-2023-elections/mayoral-election-results/ . live .
  26. News: Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby set for £44,000 rise. BBC News. 16 November 2011. 6 July 2012. 25 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120425140821/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-15759818. live.
  27. News: Mayoral pay review panel's independence questioned . BBC News . 17 November 2011 . 20 June 2018 . 7 January 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160107232515/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-15769975 . live .
  28. News: Leicester mayor pay rise row panel sacked . BBC News . 18 November 2011 . 20 June 2018 . 7 January 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160107232515/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-15790297 . live .
  29. News: Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby's salary set at £65K. BBC News. 27 March 2012. 20 June 2018. 7 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160107232515/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-17522144. live.
  30. Web site: Businessman made 'blatant attempt to bribe' mayor, court hears. 20 March 2018. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109070916/https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/businessman-made-blatant-attempt-bribe-1364608. live.
  31. Web site: All updates in trial over claim man tried to bribe mayor. 21 March 2018. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109070940/https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/live-man-charged-trying-bribe-1361917. live.
  32. Web site: Businessman cleared of trying to bribe Peter Soulsby. 21 March 2018. 9 November 2018. 9 November 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181109070928/https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/businessman-weeps-dock-cleared-trying-1369529. live.
  33. News: 'Crazy' Christmas fine cancelled by mayor. BBC News. 7 February 2018. 20 June 2018. 26 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180426030824/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-42973471. live.
  34. Web site: UK government legislation. 26 March 2020. BBC News. 3 July 2020. 28 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200628034439/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/made. live.
  35. Web site: frontpageNewsLeicester NewsCoronavirus Calls for Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby to resign over alleged lockdown visits to partner's home. Leicester Mercury. 15 August 2020. 3 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200803062855/https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/calls-leicester-mayor-sir-peter-4225127. live.
  36. News: Calls for Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby to resign over alleged lockdown visits to partner's home. 14 June 2020. Leicester Mercury. 27 December 2020. 21 January 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210121152705/https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/calls-leicester-mayor-sir-peter-4225127. live.
  37. News: Leicester mayor apologises for breaking lockdown rules. BBC News. 15 June 2020. 27 December 2020. 15 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200615094701/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-53048566. live.
  38. Web site: House of Commons – The Register of Members' Financial Interests – Part 2: Part 2 . 8 September 2017 . 27 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190327091532/https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmregmem/110124/part2.htm . live .
  39. http://www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/Leicester-City-mayor-Sir-Peter-Soulsby-s-tribute/story-14114556-detail/story.html Leicester City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby's tribute to 'loving' wife | This is Leicestershire
  40. News: Martin . Dan . Who has been promoted in Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby's latest re-shuffle? . 9 May 2022 . . 24 May 2019 . 9 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509115921/https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/who-been-promoted-leicester-mayor-2900707 . live .
  41. Web site: Councillor Elly Cutkelvin . . 9 May 2022 . 24 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220524003615/https://cabinet.leicester.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=2760 . live .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Peter Soulsby".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.