Leicester Mercury political correspondent
Peter Soulsby hits the ground running
He’s back.
Sir Peter Soulsby won a landslide on Friday, and it was clear long before the official announcement at the Tigers ground that he’d won big.
But Sir Peter, eager to make changes in the city, appeared to be frustrated that election rules meant he couldn’t start work until the official result was announced at close to 9pm.
“I just want to get started and get things done,” he told me at 7pm on Friday, “but I can’t talk to officers in a city mayoral capacity until the results are announced.”
It underlined how eager he is to make his mark.
He’s under immense pressure to make a big difference in the city, of course. The creation of the all-powerful mayoral position, a new cabinet, and a Labour council with just two opposition members means there’s no excuse for failure.
The slate has been wiped clean, the blood-letting is over. The way the position came about was murky, but the election result itself couldn’t have been any clearer.
A page has been turned in Leicester’s political history. The Mercury made clear in its Saturday edition that the paper is here to ensure the city is the best that it can be, and that we will support Sir Peter in taking Leicester forward. But with such a small opposition group, our scrutiny is more important than ever.
The power of such a strong administration must be balanced with openness and transparency. Executive authority must be balanced with deference to the people on major issues.
