Peter Soulsby
Encyclopedia
Sir Peter Alfred Soulsby (born 27 December 1948) is a British
Labour Party
politician
and the current Mayor of Leicester
. He was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Leicester South
from 2005
until he resigned
in order to contest the new post of mayor
in April 2011. He is considered to be one of the most powerful public officials in the United Kingdom.
, Soulsby attended the Minchenden School (a grammar school
, which merged with Arnos School in 1984 to become Broomfield School
although the former building is now used by Southgate College
) on High Street in Southgate
London
, and then he studied at the City of Leicester College of Education in Scraptoft
(part of Scraptoft Hall, which later was to become the Scraptoft Campus of De Montfort University
until its closure in 2003) where he gained a BEd
. He worked as a teacher at Crown Hills Secondary Modern School and in special needs
schools.
He was first elected to Leicester City Council
in 1974 and remained a Labour councillor until he was defeated in Spinney Hills ward in May 2003. Despite his own opposition to the Iraq War
and his participation in rallies and marches, his defeat (and that of other sitting Labour councillors) reflected the widespread local opposition to the war.
He contested the Harborough
parliamentary seat in 1979. In 1984, he stood for election to the European Parliament
for the Leicester European Parliamentary constituency
but lost to the Conservative incumbent Fred Tuckman
by 1.6%.
Since July 1998, he has been on the board of British Waterways
, becoming Vice-Chairman in 2000. He is a senior Unitarian
, serving on the Executive Committee of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
and acting as its convenor. He was knighted in 1999 for his services to local government
. He has also served as a member of the Audit Commission
.
–he had previously 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 vote. In the 2005 general election
, less than a year later, he won the seat back for Labour from Gill.
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. He also rebelled against the government on its proposals to permit the detention of terrorist suspects for 90 days without trial; however, in June 2008, he supported the government on the proposal to extend the detention of terrorist suspects for 42 days.
He retained his seat in the 2010 general election with a 5% swing from the Liberal Democrats.
In June 2010, he was selected as a Labour member of the political and constitutional reform committee.
On 5 March 2011, Soulsby was selected as Labour's candidate for the directly elected position of Mayor of Leicester. He resigned as MP for Leicester South in order to contest the Mayoral election. On 1 April 2011, Soulsby was appointed Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead
, allowing him to formally resign as MP.
on 5 May 2011, with a majority of 37,260.
In August 2011, he claimed to have delived 99 out of 100 pledges within the first 100 days of office. He said the remaining pledge on the future of the New Walk council offices would be achieved by Christmas. However he was criticised by opposition councillors for not explaining what services would be cut in future.
. The Conservative opposition councillor Ross Grant claimed that some panel members had vested interests as they worked closely with Soulsby. He said: "The pay proposals are disgraceful. The panel has been promoted as independent, but its members were appointed by Labour after the election, with no involvement for opposition parties." City council UNISON
chief Gary Garner, who backed Soulsby's mayoral bid, also spoke out against the proposed pay rise: "It's clearly wrong and I'm against it at a time of significant cuts. The scale of the proposed rises isn't acceptable." Soulsby sacked the board on 17th November, citing failings on the board's part, although not referencing the issue of his own salary, stating that a new board was to be appointed.
Soulsby was also accused of nepotism
for employing his two daughters as junior secretaries whilst serving as MP. He also employed his wife Lady Alison, who earned £25,000 a year as office manager.
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and the current Mayor of Leicester
Directly elected mayor of Leicester
The directly elected mayor of Leicester is responsible for the executive function of Leicester City Council. The incumbent is Sir Peter Soulsby of Labour.-Elections:The first mayoral election on 5 May 2011 saw Peter Soulsby elected as mayor....
. He was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Leicester South
Leicester South (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicester South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament , by the first past the post voting system...
from 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
until he resigned
Resignation from the British House of Commons
Members of Parliament sitting in the House of Commons in the United Kingdom are technically forbidden to resign. To circumvent this prohibition, a legal fiction is used...
in order to contest the new post of mayor
Directly elected mayor of Leicester
The directly elected mayor of Leicester is responsible for the executive function of Leicester City Council. The incumbent is Sir Peter Soulsby of Labour.-Elections:The first mayoral election on 5 May 2011 saw Peter Soulsby elected as mayor....
in April 2011. He is considered to be one of the most powerful public officials in the United Kingdom.
Life
Born in Bishop AucklandBishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
, Soulsby attended the Minchenden School (a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
, which merged with Arnos School in 1984 to become Broomfield School
Broomfield School (Arnos Grove)
-History:Broomfield was originally named Arnos School was founded in 1938 at the school's current site and took on the senior pupils of Bowes School, which thus became exclusively a primary school. It later became a secondary modern school...
although the former building is now used by Southgate College
Southgate College
Southgate College campus is located in the London Borough of Enfield, and situated beside the Southgate's main shopping centre and within a 200m walk of the Southgate tube station on the Piccadilly Line...
) on High Street in Southgate
Southgate, London
Southgate is an area of north London, England, primarily within the London Borough of Enfield, although parts of its western fringes lie within the London Borough of Barnet. It is located around north of Charing Cross. The name is derived from being the south gate to Enfield Chase...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and then he studied at the City of Leicester College of Education in Scraptoft
Scraptoft
Scraptoft is a village in Leicestershire, England that is effectively a suburb of Leicester. It has a population of about 1,500. It lies north of the A47 road east of Leicester, and runs directly into the built up area of Thurnby and Bushby to the south...
(part of Scraptoft Hall, which later was to become the Scraptoft Campus of De Montfort University
De Montfort University
De Montfort University is a public research and teaching university situated in the medieval Old Town of Leicester, England, adjacent to the River Soar and the Leicester Castle Gardens...
until its closure in 2003) where he gained a BEd
Bachelor of Education
A Bachelor of Education is an undergraduate academic degree which qualifies the graduate as a teacher in schools.-North America:...
. He worked as a teacher at Crown Hills Secondary Modern School and in special needs
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
schools.
He was first elected to Leicester City Council
Leicester City Council
Leicester City Council is a unitary authority responsible for local government in the city of Leicester, England. It consists of 54 councillors, representing 22 wards in the city, overseen by a directly elected mayor. It is currently controlled by the Labour Party and has been led by Mayor Sir...
in 1974 and remained a Labour councillor until he was defeated in Spinney Hills ward in May 2003. Despite his own opposition to the Iraq War
Opposition to the Iraq War
Significant opposition to the Iraq War occurred worldwide, both before and during the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States, United Kingdom, and smaller contingents from other nations, and throughout the subsequent occupation...
and his participation in rallies and marches, his defeat (and that of other sitting Labour councillors) reflected the widespread local opposition to the war.
He contested the Harborough
Harborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Harborough is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
parliamentary seat in 1979. In 1984, he stood for election to the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
for the Leicester European Parliamentary constituency
Leicester (European Parliament constituency)
Prior to its uniform adoption of proportional representation in 1999, the United Kingdom used first-past-the-post for the European elections in England, Scotland and Wales...
but lost to the Conservative incumbent Fred Tuckman
Frederick Tuckman
Frederick Augustus Tuckman is a former Member of the European Parliament.He served as Conservative MEP for Leicester from 1979 until 1989.He also served as president of the Anglo-Jewish Association.-References:...
by 1.6%.
Since July 1998, he has been on the board of British Waterways
British Waterways
British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...
, becoming Vice-Chairman in 2000. He is a senior Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
, serving on the Executive Committee of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches is the umbrella organisation for Unitarian, Free Christian and other liberal religious congregations in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1928, with denominational roots going back to the Great Ejection of 1662...
and acting as its convenor. He was knighted in 1999 for his services to local government
Local government in the United Kingdom
The pattern of local government in England is complex, with the distribution of functions varying according to the local arrangements. Legislation concerning local government in England is decided by the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, because England does not have a devolved...
. He has also served as a member of the Audit Commission
Audit Commission
The Audit Commission is a public corporation in the United Kingdom.The Commission’s primary objective is to improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local government, housing and the health service, directly through the audit and inspection process and also through value for money...
.
Parliamentary career
In 2004 he was the Labour Party's candidate in the Leicester South by-electionLeicester South by-election, 2004
A by-election was held in Leicester South on 15 July, the same day as the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election. It was won by Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats, over-turning a Labour majority of 13,243 votes at the 2001 General Election....
–he had previously been the election agent for the previous MP, Jim Marshall
Jim Marshall (UK politician)
James Marshall was a British Labour Party politician.-Education:Marshall was born into a working class family in the Attercliffe district of Sheffield...
, 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
Parmjit Singh Gill
Parmjit Singh Gill is a British Liberal Democrat politician. As Member of Parliament for Leicester South from 2004 to 2005, he is the only ever ethnic-minority Liberal Democrat MP....
of the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
in a by-election which was dominated by the Iraq war and the newly-formed left-wing party Respect
RESPECT The Unity Coalition
Respect is a socialist political party in England and Wales founded in 2004. Its name is a contrived acronym standing for Respect, Equality, Socialism, Peace, Environmentalism, Community and Trade Unionism.-Policies:...
, which took 12.7% of vote. In the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, less than a year later, he won the seat back for Labour from Gill.
On 31 October 2006, Soulsby was one of 12 Labour MPs to back Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru
' is a political party in Wales. It advocates the establishment of an independent Welsh state within the European Union. was formed in 1925 and won its first seat in 1966...
and the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
's call for an inquiry into the Iraq War. He also rebelled against the government on its proposals to permit the detention of terrorist suspects for 90 days without trial; however, in June 2008, he supported the government on the proposal to extend the detention of terrorist suspects for 42 days.
He retained his seat in the 2010 general election with a 5% swing from the Liberal Democrats.
In June 2010, he was selected as a Labour member of the political and constitutional reform committee.
On 5 March 2011, Soulsby was selected as Labour's candidate for the directly elected position of Mayor of Leicester. He resigned as MP for Leicester South in order to contest the Mayoral election. On 1 April 2011, Soulsby was appointed Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead
Manor of Northstead
The Manor of Northstead was once a collection of fields and farms in the parish of Scalby in the North Riding of Yorkshire in England. By 1600, the manor house had fallen into disrepair and was occupied only by a shepherd. At present the Manor is part of the Barrowcliff area of the town of...
, allowing him to formally resign as MP.
Mayor of Leicester
Sir Peter Soulsby was elected as Mayor of LeicesterDirectly elected mayor of Leicester
The directly elected mayor of Leicester is responsible for the executive function of Leicester City Council. The incumbent is Sir Peter Soulsby of Labour.-Elections:The first mayoral election on 5 May 2011 saw Peter Soulsby elected as mayor....
on 5 May 2011, with a majority of 37,260.
In August 2011, he claimed to have delived 99 out of 100 pledges within the first 100 days of office. He said the remaining pledge on the future of the New Walk council offices would be achieved by Christmas. However he was criticised by opposition councillors for not explaining what services would be cut in future.
Criticism
On 16th November 2011 there was controversy arising over the supposed independence of an advisory board that recommended raising Soulsby's annual salary by £44,000 to £100,000 which would make him the highest paid directly elected English Mayor after the Mayor of LondonMayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
. The Conservative opposition councillor Ross Grant claimed that some panel members had vested interests as they worked closely with Soulsby. He said: "The pay proposals are disgraceful. The panel has been promoted as independent, but its members were appointed by Labour after the election, with no involvement for opposition parties." City council UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
chief Gary Garner, who backed Soulsby's mayoral bid, also spoke out against the proposed pay rise: "It's clearly wrong and I'm against it at a time of significant cuts. The scale of the proposed rises isn't acceptable." Soulsby sacked the board on 17th November, citing failings on the board's part, although not referencing the issue of his own salary, stating that a new board was to be appointed.
Soulsby was also accused of nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
for employing his two daughters as junior secretaries whilst serving as MP. He also employed his wife Lady Alison, who earned £25,000 a year as office manager.
Personal life
He is married to Alison and they have three daughters. He has traversed much of the British canal network in his own narrowboatNarrowboat
A narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of Great Britain.In the context of British Inland Waterways, "narrow boat" refers to the original working boats built in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries for carrying goods on the narrow canals...
.