Leicester’s elected mayor launches into his second year on the job with spending cuts and job losses looming over the city. Sir Peter Soulsby closes the book on his first year in office as the country’s second most powerful mayor, after London’s Boris Johnson,
on May 5, 2012.
On February 22 Leicester City Council voted to cut £20 million from its budget across the next two years, with cuts expected to result in 600 job losses.
The 63-year-old mayor delivered on 99 of his 100 pledges or “priorities for action” within the first 100 days in office, including highways repair work and helping boost the city’s night time economy with 100 new car parking spaces.
For example, before the city’s austerity budget was approved, city council highways officials announced that 4,000 potholes have been repaired during the elected mayor’s reign, followed by a promise to increase the city’s highways maintenance budget to continue the repair work.
Sir Peter told us that more effort was needed in his second year to attract investment into the city, if jobs were to be safeguarded.
He said: “The biggest challenge we face going into 2012 is what is happening to Leicester’s economy as a result of what is happening at a national level.
“We have to re-double our efforts to attract investment into the city, to retain and create jobs. All of this is happening at a time when the government is taking away our own finances and our ability to do things directly.”
Last May Sir Peter Soulsby became Leicester’s first directly-elected mayor, winning 46,948 votes – 55 per cent of the total number cast for all eleven candidates.
To contact the mayor with your suggestions for his second year in office email themayor@leicester.gov.uk or call 0116 252 8313.
