TheCity of Peterborough,[6] is a district withcity status in theceremonial county ofCambridgeshire, England. The district is named after its largest settlement,Peterborough, but also covers a wider area of outlying villages and hamlets. The district is administered byPeterborough City Council, aunitary authority.
The district's area covers parts of thehistoric counties ofNorthamptonshire andHuntingdonshire, as well as a small part of Cambridgeshire. In 1965, the area became part of the short-lived county ofHuntingdon and Peterborough before becoming a district ofCambridgeshire in 1974. Located in theEast Anglia region of England, the area borders the surrounding counties ofLincolnshire and Northamptonshire. The population of the district was 202,259 making it the second-largest district by population inEast Anglia (afterEast Suffolk).
Most of the contemporary district was formerly part of theSoke of Peterborough, aliberty within the historic county of Northamptonshire. Between 1889 and 1965, Peterborough was governed by theSoke of Peterborough County Council, making the Soke of Peterborough a completely autonomous, self-governing part of Northamptonshire, while the rest of that county was governed byNorthamptonshire County Council. Today, the City of Peterborough district holds a similar status as part of Cambridgeshire to that which the Soke of Peterborough had as part of Northamptonshire, in that the contemporary district is a Unitary Authority with its own council, and a self-governing part of Cambridgeshire while the rest of that county is governed byCambridgeshire County Council.
Peterborough was aSaxon settlement during theAnglo-Saxon era.[7] The district also includes outlying villages such asThorney,Old Fletton,Werrington,Parnwell,Dogsthorpe,Eye Green,Glinton,Northborough,Maxey,Wittering,Wansford andAilsworth.
The district bordersNorth Northamptonshire,Huntingdonshire,Fenland,South Kesteven andSouth Holland.
The city formed aparliamentary borough returning two members from 1541, with the rest of the Soke being part of Northamptonshire parliamentary county. TheGreat Reform Act did not affect the borough, although the remaining, rural portion of the Soke was transferred to the northern division ofNorthamptonshire.[8] In 1885, the borough's representation was reduced to one member,[9] and in 1918, the boundaries were adjusted to include the whole Soke.[10] Recent Members of Parliament forPeterborough have included theConservative SirHarmar Nicholls (1950–1974),Labour'sMichael Ward (1974–1979), ConservativeBrian Mawhinney (1979–1997), Labour'sHelen Clark (1997–2005) and ConservativeStewart Jackson (2005–2017).Fiona Onasanya won in the2017 general election for Labour;[11] Onasanya was then expelled from the Labour party in December 2018,[12] but kept her seat as an independent until being ejected on 1 May 2019 after arecall petition, triggering aby-election,[13] which won by Labour'sLisa Forbes (June - November 2019).[14] ConservativePaul Bristow won the seat in the2019 general election and served as MP for one term, being defeated by Labour'sAndrew Pakes in 2024.[15]
In 1997, theNorth West Cambridgeshire constituency was formed, incorporating parts of the city and neighbouring Huntingdonshire. The inaugural member was SirBrian Mawhinney, formerSecretary of State for Transport andChairman of the Conservative Party. Mawhinney, who had previously served as Member of Parliament for Peterborough from 1979, did not stand for re-election in 2005 and was createdBaron Mawhinney of Peterborough in the county of Cambridgeshire later that year. He was succeeded by fellow ConservativeShailesh Vara; Vara remained MP until 2024 when he was defeated bySam Carling of the Labour Party; Carling, aged 22, became theyoungest member of the House of Commons.
From 1889, the ancient Soke of Peterborough formed anadministrative county in its own right with boundaries similar, although not identical, to the current unitary authority.[16] The area however remained geographically part of Northamptonshire until 1965, when the Soke was merged withHuntingdonshire to form the county ofHuntingdon and Peterborough.[17] Following a review oflocal government in 1974, Huntingdon and Peterborough was abolished and the currentdistrict created by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Peterborough withPeterborough Rural District,Barnack Rural District,Thorney Rural District,Old Fletton Urban District and part of theNorman Cross Rural District, which had each existed since 1894.[18] This became part of thenon-metropolitan county ofCambridgeshire.[19]Letters patent were granted continuing the status of city over the greater area.[20] In 1998, the city became autonomous of Cambridgeshirecounty council as a unitary authority, but it continues to form part of that county for ceremonial purposes.[21] The leader and cabinet model of decision-making, first adopted by thecity council in 2001, is similar to national government.[22]
Policing in the city remains the responsibility ofCambridgeshire Constabulary; and firefighting, the responsibility ofCambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service. ThePeterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded in 1884, is unique in the United Kingdom in that it functions as aretained fire station, under the control of the county fire and rescue service, but with unpaid firefighters.[23][24] TheRoyal Anglian Regiment serves as the county regiment for Cambridgeshire. Peterborough formed its first territorial army unit, the 6th Northamptonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, in 1860.[25]
Following theHealth and Social Care Act 2012, Cambridgeshire and PeterboroughClinical Commissioning Group became the main commissioner of health services in the city. Adultsocial care functions of NHS Peterborough transferred back to the city council in 2012 andpublic health transferred in 2013. The responsibility of guided primary care services (general practitioners, dentists, opticians and pharmacists) transferred toNHS England. In 2017 the responsibility for commissioning Primary Care Services transferred back to the CCG.[26] Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is one of the largest CCGs in the England with over 984,000 registered patients, 91 GP practices and a budget of £1.16bn in 2017–18.[27] Although predominately providing health services in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough the CCG also has practices in both Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire.
Previously, NHS Peterborough (the public-facing name of PeterboroughPrimary Care Trust) guided primary care services in the city, directly provided adult social care and services in the community such ashealth visiting andphysiotherapy and also funded hospital care and other specialist treatments. Prior to the formation of the PCT, the North West Anglia Healthcare NHS Trust provided health functions within the city and before that, Peterborough Health Authority.
Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust became one of the first ten EnglishNHS foundation trusts in 2004[28] and in 2017, merged withHinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust to formNorth West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust. Although a £300 million health investment plan has seen the transfer of the city's two hospitals into a single site, the Trust has been plagued by financial problems since the move.[29] The full planning application for the redevelopment of the formerEdith Cavell Hospital was approved by the council in 2006. Planning permission for the development of an integrated care centre on the site of the former Fenland Wing atPeterborough District Hospital was granted in 2003.[30] The City Care Centre finally opened in 2009[31] and the first patients were treated at the newPeterborough City Hospital in 2010.[32] The private Fitzwilliam Hospital run byRamsay Health Care UK is situated in the landscaped grounds of theMilton Estate.[33]Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, a designated University of Cambridge teaching trust, provides services to those who suffer from mental health problems. Following merger of the Cambridgeshire Ambulance Service in 1994, then the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust in 2006, theEast of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust is responsible for the provision of statutoryemergency medical services (EMS) in Peterborough. TheEast Anglian Air Ambulance provides helicopter EMS across the region.[34]
The council's budget for the financial year 2018–19 is £418.7 million.[35] The main source of non-school funding is the formula grant, which is paid by central government to local authorities based on the services they provide. This was reduced by nearly 40% during the course of the2010-15 parliament. The remainder, to which thepolice andfire authorities (andparish council where this exists) set a precept, is raised fromcouncil tax andbusiness rates. This amounts to £59.5 million in 2015–16.[35] Mains water and sewerage services are provided byAnglian Water, a formernationalised industry andnatural monopoly,privatised in 1989 and now regulated byOFWAT.
Following deregulation, the consumer has a choice of energy supplier. Electricity was formerly provided byEastern Electricity, which was privatised in 1990. In 2002, thesupply business was sold to Powergen (nowE.ON UK) and thedistribution rights toEDF Energy who sold them toUK Power Networks in 2010. Natural gas was (and still is) supplied byBritish Gas, which was privatised in 1986; distribution (and gas andelectricity transmission) is the responsibility of theNational Grid, having been demerged as Transco in 1997. These industries are regulated byOFGEM.Peterborough Power Station is a 367 MWe gas-fired plant inFengate operated byCentrica Energy.[36]
British Telecommunications, privatised in 1984, provides fixedADSL enabled (8 Mbit/s) telephone lines.Local loop unbundling, giving otherinternet service providers direct access, is completed at four out of 12exchanges. The city is cabled byVirgin Media (previously Peterborough Cablevision,Cable & Wireless andNTL).[citation needed] These businesses are regulated byOFCOM. Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council are embarking on a superfast broadband project to deliver access to improved connectivity to areas where it is acknowledged that the market is unlikely to deliver.[37]
The district contains theunparished areas of Peterborough, Old Fletton andStanground North and 29 civil parishes:[38]
| Ethnic Group | Year | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 estimations[39] | 1991[40] | 2001[41] | 2011[42] | 2021[43] | ||||||
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| White: Total | 122,726 | 94.1% | 141,803 | 92.6% | 140,003 | 89.7% | 151,544 | 82.5% | 162,581 | 75.3% |
| White:British | – | – | – | – | 133,751 | 85.7% | 130,232 | 70.9% | 128,353 | 59.5% |
| White:Irish | – | – | – | – | 1,697 | 1,257 | 1,177 | 0.5% | ||
| White:Gypsy or Irish Traveller | – | – | – | – | – | – | 560 | 551 | 0.3% | |
| White: Roma | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 938 | 0.4% |
| White:Other | – | – | – | – | 4,555 | 19,495 | 10.6% | 31,562 | 14.6% | |
| Asian or Asian British: Total | – | – | 8,560 | 5.6% | 11,400 | 7.3% | 21,492 | 11.7% | 30,801 | 14.3% |
| Asian or Asian British:Indian | – | – | 2,662 | 2,876 | 4,636 | 7,169 | 3.3% | |||
| Asian or Asian British:Pakistani | – | – | 4,752 | 6,980 | 12,078 | 16,972 | 7.9% | |||
| Asian or Asian British:Bangladeshi | – | – | 54 | 113 | 229 | 442 | 0.2% | |||
| Asian or Asian British:Chinese | – | – | 358 | 534 | 872 | 990 | 0.5% | |||
| Asian or Asian British: Other Asian | – | – | 734 | 897 | 3,677 | 5,228 | 2.4% | |||
| Black or Black British: Total | – | – | 2,009 | 1.3% | 1,928 | 1.2% | 4,164 | 2.2% | 8,751 | 4.1% |
| Black or Black British:African | – | – | 204 | 551 | 2,480 | 6,225 | 2.9% | |||
| Black or Black British:Caribbean | – | – | 1,208 | 1,118 | 1,174 | 1,419 | 0.7% | |||
| Black or Black British:Other Black | – | – | 597 | 259 | 510 | 1,107 | 0.5% | |||
| Mixed or British Mixed: Total | – | – | – | – | 2,289 | 1.5% | 4,948 | 2.7% | 7,617 | 3.5% |
| Mixed: White and Black Caribbean | – | – | – | – | 950 | 1,542 | 1,990 | 0.9% | ||
| Mixed: White and Black African | – | – | – | – | 208 | 827 | 1,627 | 0.8% | ||
| Mixed: White and Asian | – | – | – | – | 687 | 1,384 | 2,021 | 0.9% | ||
| Mixed: Other Mixed | – | – | – | – | 444 | 1,195 | 1,979 | 0.9% | ||
| Other: Total | – | – | 794 | 0.5% | 441 | 0.3% | 1,483 | 0.8% | 5,920 | 2.7% |
| Other: Arab | – | – | – | – | – | – | 428 | 897 | 0.4% | |
| Other: Any other ethnic group | – | – | 794 | 0.5% | 441 | 0.3% | 1,055 | 5,023 | 2.3% | |
| Ethnic minority: Total | 7,666 | 5.9% | 11,363 | 7.4% | 16,058 | 10.3% | 32,087 | 17.5% | 53,089 | 24.7% |
| Total | 130,392 | 100% | 153,166 | 100% | 156,061 | 100% | 183,631 | 100% | 215,670 | 100% |
| Religion | 2001[44] | 2011[45] | 2021[46] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Holds religious beliefs | 118,549 | 75.9 | 126,155 | 68.7 | 133,001 | 61.7 |
 Christian | 106,621 | 68.3 | 104,202 | 56.7 | 99,802 | 46.3 |
 Buddhist | 254 | 0.2 | 463 | 0.3 | 617 | 0.3 |
 Hindu | 1,383 | 0.9 | 2,320 | 1.3 | 3,813 | 1.8 |
 Jewish | 147 | 0.1 | 144 | 0.1 | 185 | 0.1 |
 Muslim | 8,963 | 5.7 | 17,251 | 9.4 | 26,239 | 12.2 |
 Sikh | 833 | 0.5 | 1,184 | 0.6 | 1,348 | 0.6 |
| Other religion | 348 | 0.2 | 591 | 0.3 | 999 | 0.5 |
| No religion | 24,388 | 15.6 | 45,183 | 24.6 | 70,066 | 32.5 |
| Religion not stated | 13,124 | 8.4 | 12,293 | 6.7 | 12,604 | 5.8 |
| Total population | 156,061 | 100.0 | 183,631 | 100.0 | 215,671 | 100.0 |
The district contains many notable attractions and landmarks including:Peterborough Cathedral,Burghley House,Nene Valley Railway, andLongthorpe Tower.
On 23 June 2016, Peterborough voted in the2016 EU Referendum under the provisions of theEuropean Union Referendum Act 2015 where voters were asked to decide on the question "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" by voting for either "Remain a member of the European Union" or "Leave the European Union". The result produced a large "Leave" majority by 61% of voters on a turnout of 72% across the city[47] with only the wards of Peterborough Central, Barnack and late postal votes in the city council area returning "Remain" votes and all other wards returning "Leave" majority votes.[citation needed]Stewart Jackson, the then MP for the parliamentaryconstituency of Peterborough, backed "Leave".Shailesh Vara, MP for the neighbouringconstituency of North West Cambridgeshire which includes a substantial part of the city, campaigned for a "Remain" vote.[citation needed]
| United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016 Peterborough | |||
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave the European Union | 53,216 | 60.89% | |
| Remain a member of the European Union | 34,176 | 39.11% | |
| Valid votes | 87,392 | 99.91% | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 77 | 0.09% | |
| Total votes | 87,469 | 100.00% | |
| Registered voters and turnout | 120,892 | 72.35% | |
| Leave: 53,216(60.9%) | Remain: 34,176 (39.1%) | ||
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