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Peter Soulsby | |
|---|---|
 Soulsby in 2011 | |
| Mayor of Leicester | |
| Assumed office 9 May 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Member of Parliament forLeicester South | |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 1 April 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Parmjit Singh Gill |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Ashworth |
| Leader of Leicester City Council | |
| In office January 1996 – May 1999 | |
| Preceded by | Stuart Foster |
| Succeeded by | Ross Willmott |
| In office May 1981 – May 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Ken Middleton |
| Succeeded by | Stuart Foster |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1948-12-27)27 December 1948 (age 76) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | |
| Domestic partner | Lesley Summerland |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Evington andGroby |
| Alma mater | University of Leicester |
| Profession | Teacher, politician |
| Website | Leicester Mayor website |
Sir Peter Alfred Soulsby (born 27 December 1948) is a BritishLabour Party politician serving asMayor of Leicester since 2011. He was theMember of Parliament (MP) forLeicester South from2005 until he resigned his seat in April 2011, in order to contest the new post of mayor.[1][2] He served asLeader of Leicester City Council from 1981 to 1994 and from 1996 to 1999.
Soulsby was born on the 27 December 1948 inBishop Auckland and attended theMinchenden School, agrammar school inSouthgate, London.[3][4] He studied at the City of Leicester College of EducationScraptoft. He gained aBEd from Leicester University in English and Drama. He worked as a teacher at Crown Hills Secondary Modern School and then as aspecial needs teacher.[5]
He was first elected toLeicester 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 aLabour councillor until he was defeated in the Spinney Hill ward in May 2003.[7]
He unsuccessfully contested theHarborough parliamentary constituency at the1979 general election.[8] In 1984, he stood for election for theLeicester European Parliamentary constituency, narrowly losing to theConservative incumbentFred Tuckman by 1.6%.[9]
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In 2004 he was the Labour Party's candidate in theLeicester 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.[citation needed] Despite his anti-war stance, Soulsby lost by 5.6% toParmjit Singh Gill of theLiberal Democrats in a by-election which was dominated by the Iraq War and the newly formed left-wing partyRespect, which took 12.7% of the vote.[10][11] In the2005 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 backPlaid Cymru and theScottish National Party's call foran 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] (seeTerrorism Act 2006.) He retained his seat in the2010 general election with a 5% swing from the Liberal Democrats.[16]
In June 2010, he was selected as a Labour member of thePolitical and Constitutional Reform Select Committee.[17]
On 5 March 2011, Soulsby was selected as Labour's candidate for the new post ofMayor of Leicester.[18] He resigned as MP for Leicester South in order to contest the mayoral election.[19] On 1 April 2011, Soulsby was appointedCrown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead, effecting his resignation from theHouse of Commons.[2]
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 ofLeicester 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 asMayor of Leicester three times, in 2015,[23] 2019,[24] and 2023.[25]
In November 2011, a salary of £100,000 was recommended by the Mayor'sremuneration committee—a rise of £44,000, based on the fact that the mayor carried out the work of the city's formerchief 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 thevice 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 ofLord 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 toan MP's salary.[29]
On Thursday 5 May 2016, Mohammed Zameer Khan, a businessman, approached Sir Peter whilst he was outside a city school campaigning for theLabour Party candidate in that day'sPolice and Crime Commissionerelection. 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 derelictHaymarket Theatre. Soulsby returned to his council office and wrote a report on the event, which he handed to council lawyers, who informed the police.[30]
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]
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 agood Samaritan on Christmas Day and even though it's important to keep this safe... there are exceptions."[33]
On 14 June 2020, theLeicester Mercury andThe Sun newspapers published photographs appearing to show Soulsby breaking rules on movement during a lockdown[34] by visiting his girlfriend during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[35] In response, the leader of the opposition on theLeicester 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]
He wasknighted in1999 New Year Honours for his services tolocal government.[3]
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He was married to Alison Soulsby,[38] who died ofcancer 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]
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forLeicester South 2005 –2011 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ken Middleton | Leader of Leicester City Council 1981–1994 | Succeeded by Stuart Foster |
| Preceded by Stuart Foster | Leader of Leicester City Council 1996–1999 | Succeeded by |
| New creation | Mayor of Leicester 2011– | Incumbent |
| Preceded by {{{before}}} | Councillor on and Member ofLeicester City Council 1973–2003 | Succeeded by {{{after}}} |
| Preceded by {{{before}}} | Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) 2010–2011 | Succeeded by {{{after}}} |
