Elections 2025: We ask each Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral candidate what they would do if elected

Voters will head to the polls next month to elect the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor on Thursday, 1 May.

The region’s current mayor, Labour’s Dr Nik Johnson, announced earlier this year that he would not seek re-election.

He said the decision had been made with “great sadness” but it was the “right thing to do”.

The mayor leads the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority established in 2017 as part of a devolution deal, giving local government in the county additional powers and funding.

There are five candidates fighting for the position, representing the Conservative Party, the Green Party, the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK.

The incoming mayor will have a lot of responsibility as they will oversee a £20million annual budget and also have devolved powers to spend up to £800million on local housing, infrastructure and jobs.

The mayor’s salary is currently £91,699 - similar to the salary of an MP, which is currently £93,904.

Additionally, under government devolution plans the next mayor could also be granted new powers over things like housing, planning, transport, energy, skills, and employment support.

In the English Devolution White Paper it said mayors would be given a “statutory role” in governing, managing, planning and developing rail networks, and could take on powers to coordinate their road network.

It also said mayors could be given new development management powers, which would enable them to call in planning applications “of strategic importance”.

The paper said mayors could also be able to charge developers a mayoral levy to “ensure that new developments come with the necessary associated infrastructure”.

The candidates standing are (displayed alphabetically by surname):

Paul Bristow, Conservative

I’m Paul Bristow. I live in Wansford, a village just outside Peterborough, where I was the local MP. My parents were NHS nurses and I grew up in Whittlesey, on the Fens. So I’m Cambridgeshire through and through.

The first question that I ask people when I’m out campaigning is pretty simple: “Did you know we had a mayor?” The answer is nearly always, “No!”

It’s not their fault. Labour’s mayor has been anonymous and delivered almost nothing besides an internal scandal. He pushed through bus franchising, with a totally unrealistic target of doubling the number of passengers. Then he quit.

I want to make the mayor matter to you. Here are seven things that I will do:

▶ DUAL our major A-roads

Our major roads, like the A10, need to be dual carriageways. As mayor, I will designate a Key Route Network, get the plans in place and ensure that funding is prioritised.

▶ CONNECT with faster trains

The Ely Area Capacity Enhancement will remove the bottleneck on local lines.

I’ll ensure a much faster Peterborough-Ely-Cambridge service, using the new rail powers for mayors.

▶ SCRAP the failing GCP

The Greater Cambridge Partnership is a disaster: literally, the worst of Labour and the Liberal Democrats combined.

It tried and failed to impose congestion charging. It succeeded in blocking traffic. Now it wants to put bonkers busways through unspoilt countryside.

I’ll get the GCP scrapped, get Mill Road bridge reopened and stop the CSET and C2C busways.

▶ DELIVER the Fens reservoir

Water shortages are a huge issue for our region. Getting the new Fens reservoir built is essential, but political leadership has been lacking. It needs to happen now.

▶ BUILD light rail in Cambridge

With Cambridge expanding and talk about 150,000 new homes, it’s time for a light rail solution. Trams have worked in Manchester and Birmingham, as well as smaller European cities like Lausanne, Orléans and Freiburg. I will make light rail a precondition of the government’s growth plans.

▶ END the war on motorists

Labour and the Lib Dems voted to force 15 per cent of cars off all local roads by 2030. That requires road charging or closures. I want good alternatives, like light rail, but I will never punish drivers.

▶ STOP increasing our tax

Labour’s mayor put a charge on our council tax, then trebled it, then tried again. I will never increase the mayoral precept.

This isn’t an exhaustive list.

I’ll need to sort out Labour’s mess on buses. Franchising is going to happen, but it requires a model that actually works. I also want new housing to include homes that local renters can afford to buy, with neighbourhoods where people actually want to live.

There are lots of challenges to overcome, but I’ll be a mayor who is visible, who has clear priorities and who gets stuff done. Someone that you hopefully know about because I’m making your life just that little bit easier.

It’s time to get Cambridgeshire and Peterborough moving. Find out more at paulbristow.org.uk.

Ryan Coogan, Reform UK

I am Ryan Coogan, your Reform UK candidate for mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. This election presents a vital opportunity for real change, change that cuts waste, improves services and ensures our communities get the leadership they deserve.

I grew up in Soham and further studied in Cambridge. Now a parent with children schooled in Cambs, I have deep roots in the local community.

Most notably I developed, pioneered and marketed a biotech product which led direct research to find the solution to the MRSA superbug outbreak in hospitals, saving thousands and potentially millions of lives.

I am a local entrepreneur who has run businesses in Peterborough and beyond. I worked across the region in Cambridge, Ely, Wisbech, March, Chatteris and St Neots, and am passionate about Cambridgeshire.

For too long, our region has suffered from inefficient governance, poor planning and mismanagement of resources. I am committed to ensuring that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely, eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy and focusing on the real priorities: better transport, improved housing, safer streets and stronger local businesses.

We need people back in the office to achieve the best results for the residents of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Working from home leads to loneliness, distraction, limited access to resources and reduced collaborative creativity. When South Cambridgeshire District Council boasted they could get ‘100 per cent of work done, in about 80 per cent of contracted hours’, anyone with an ounce of respect for taxpayers’ money would consider that an efficiency saving. Instead, they have decided staff should get the day off as a reward while driving up council tax charges for hard-working residents.

I have a business background and have employed hundreds of Cambridgeshire residents over my years. Growing businesses and achieving results is what I do.

This is why I will look to get maximum value for residents as it isn’t free money, hard-working residents are being taken for a ride by poor leadership at our councils. Staff will be given the choice come 2 May if I am elected: come back to work or find a new job elsewhere.

However, meaningful reform cannot happen with just a new mayor, it requires a strong team of Reform UK councillors to implement the changes our area desperately needs.

A divided council will only hinder progress, so I urge you to vote for both a Reform UK mayor and your local Reform UK council candidates to ensure we can deliver the transformation Cambridgeshire and Peterborough deserve.

This is our chance to break away from the failed politics of the past and usher in a new era of leadership that truly puts people first. I ask for your support in this election, vote for me as your mayor and for Reform UK councillors to build a team that will fix our region.

Together, we can make Cambridgeshire and Peterborough a better place to live, work, and thrive.

Lorna Dupré, Liberal Democrat

I’m standing for the fresh start our area needs. Local residents are desperate for change – someone to stand up to government after years of neglect and demand the better deal we deserve.

This will be our third mayoral election. It’s probably the most significant, with great opportunities if we elect the right person, and huge risks if we don’t.

▶ Better health. Cambridgeshire receives the lowest level of funding per person in the country for GPs. Too many people are waiting too long for the care they urgently need. NHS dental treatment is becoming a thing of the past. We need a healthier environment too – walking and cycling routes, access to nature, clean air. As mayor, I’ll fight for the change we need.

▶ Rebuilding our roads. We’ve inherited a repair backlog of over £600million from the Conservatives. The shocking state of our roads puts residents at risk and it’s bad for the local economy too. I’ll work with MPs and councillors to press for serious government investment.

▶ Public transport that works. We need to get bus franchising right, with the right routes and timetables, and attractive fares like the Tiger pass. But buses are only part of the picture – it’s time to get serious about light rail for Cambridge and its travel to work area, with connecting buses and cross ticketing. As mayor I’ll press government to get on with upgrading the Ely and Haughley junctions which are vital for better rail services and our economy.

▶ Water and our environment. The raw sewage pouring into our rivers is a national scandal. Meanwhile water shortages are holding up homes, jobs and hospitals. The planned Fens reservoir is important but insufficient – as mayor I’ll prioritise water storage and reuse, as well as completing and implementing the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and cutting our area’s carbon emissions.

▶ Genuinely affordable housing. There’s an acute shortage of genuinely affordable homes across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. We don’t need gimmicks like ‘£100K homes’ – just good quality housing for social rent and opportunities for first-time buyers.

▶ Skills for the jobs of the future. Work is changing fast, and young people need access to the skills they need for those jobs. That means prioritising transport to colleges, apprenticeships, and workplaces, and spreading training and jobs nearer to where people live.

The biggest challenges are overcoming the Conservative record of neglect and complacency; and persuading the Labour government that growth here can only come with investment in the infrastructure we need – health, roads, transport, water, homes, and skills.

We need a mayor who will bring residents and businesses together to represent our area to government – not the other way round. We don’t need a big ego – just someone with a track record of working hard for our area and speaking up for it.

Last year Cambridgeshire elected three Liberal Democrat MPs – Ian Sollom, Pippa Heylings, and Charlotte Cane – who are already making a difference for our area. With a Liberal Democrat mayor and councillors we can do even more.

Bob Ensch, Green

Like you, I really thought things might start to improve last summer when we finally got rid of the incompetent and corrupt Conservative government, but since then pensioners’ winter fuel payments have gone, the two-child benefit cap hasn’t been scrapped, and now the Labour government is targeting the disabled, by reducing PIP benefits.

The cost-of-living crisis deepens for working people, as energy bills soar, and meanwhile the wealthy get richer and richer. The Green Party is now the only progressive party left in British politics; that’s why I’m standing for mayor.

Having lived in South Cambridgeshire for 45 years and directed the Cambridge office of a national construction company for 15 years, I understand business, I’m passionate about sustainability, and the importance of developing the skills of local people.

Watching how our politicians are failing residents has made me determined to drive meaningful change. Since retiring from paid work, I co-founded the FutureIN programme, which supports young people at risk of homelessness by helping them find work in construction. I’m also a trustee of It Takes a City CLT, developing small housing sites for the homeless in Greater Cambridge. As chair of the local Green Party and with my experience of managing teams, I bring strong leadership skills, underpinned by unwavering ethical values.

The rapid growth of our region driven by the life sciences and IT sectors has brought prosperity for some but also a housing crisis, failing infrastructure and deepening inequality, while public investment is missing the mark. Working people have been left to bear the brunt of rising costs, hitting low-income households most. Meanwhile, our vulnerability to climate change – through water shortages, flooding and biodiversity loss – demands urgent action.

I will ensure development is carefully managed, prioritising the needs of the many over the few. I’ll deliver an integrated transport system, with more buses on more routes with simple and affordable fares. I’ll invest to end homelessness, fight for tenants’ rights and campaign for rent controls. I’ll build more social housing because affordable housing simply isn’t. I’ll ensure that housing developments include community facilities, and that homes are properly insulated.

We cannot ignore the looming water crisis any longer – I’ll take action to get it sorted, and I want to see more space for nature across the region.

We need to increase support for small businesses, and we need to grow the green economy too.

Last month YouGov reported that 78 per cent of us would like to see extreme wealth taxed rather than have any more cuts to public services. But the other parties aren’t listening – we are, that’s our policy. The BBC recently reported that 80 per cent of us want more government action on climate change. But the two major parties are rowing back on the country’s net zero commitment. We’re not.

The Green Party is the only party listening to you on these issues. If you want real hope and real change that will deliver a better world for you and your children, vote Green.

Anna Smith, Labour

My name is Anna Smith, I live in Cambridge and I work in Peterborough.

Over the past 30 years I have made my home in Cambridgeshire first as a teacher and then as a councillor.

One of the highlights of being Labour’s candidate for mayor is having conversations with voters across our region.

Recently a young girl asked me if I was going to be the sort of mayor who wore a chain or the sort of mayor who did stuff. I want to be clear I will be the sort of mayor who does stuff.

As deputy mayor, I have seen the real potential to transform lives and our region. Recently I was speaking with a voter and helping him understand that as deputy mayor I had enabled him to use his bus pass at any time of day.

Another initiative that I am proud of is our free Tiger Bus Pass – allowing 16 to 25-year-olds to travel across our region for just £1.

These examples might seem small, but to me they exemplify the role of mayor – delivering real solutions to challenges while creating opportunity.

Having had conversations with voters across our region one thing has become clear; people just don’t feel things work right now. Whether it is potholes not being filled in or thousands of houses being built without the right infrastructure, we need a mayor who is going to get things right.

It’s easy to promise the world but I can’t promise to fix everything overnight. What I do promise is to be honest with you – always. And I promise to work with residents, businesses and politicians to deliver the best deal I can. That is what I do.

When I became acting mayor in 2022, things were challenging. It was only by working with the other parties and focusing on our shared goals, rather than political differences, that I was able to get things done.

The next four years are going to be full of opportunity. Our new Labour government is putting mayors at the heart of our programme for change. For example, the additional £10million for potholes is being given directly to mayors to distribute. No more need for councils to bid against each other and no more political point scoring.

As your Labour mayor I will have the opportunity to work alongside our new government and deliver change for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

But there are no guarantees. There is a very real risk of slipping back to Tory chaos. Back to broken promises and back to already failed vanity projects.

This is the first time we’ll choose our mayor using first past the post. We have only one vote, one chance to get it right.

I know that many of you will have voted for other parties before. But across the whole of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough only Labour or the Conservatives can win. The election is going to be incredibly close – your votes will be the decider.