Only mayor I want is one who jumps in the Lido

Anyone working in local government for the past few years can be forgiven for getting excited at the prospect of getting more funding. Times have been hard with central government slashing budgets of local councils.

Central government, or should I call it the Bogeyman, has now come up with an initiative/bribe that would allegedly see more money heading into Peterborough’s coffers. And, yes, you might ask, how, in these times of austerity is that money suddenly available? Wherever it’s been magic-ed from there is a price to pay for this “generosity’’.

Not satisfied with foist- ing on us an elected yet unloved police and crime commissioner, it now wants us to have an elected mayor for Cambridgeshire to include little old Peterborough.

But this mayor won’t be a smiling city stalwart who lets schoolchildren try on his chain of office or jump in the Lido (fully clothed this year!). This one will wield significant powers and control a barrel-load of public money.

City council leader John Holdich seems cockahoop and claims it is “the best devolution deal in the country’’ and that there is “absolutely no chance’’ of the city council being swallowed up by Cambridgeshire County Council. Even though the councils already share a chief executive!

I have my doubts – the big fear and we’ve seen it with the police commissioner – is that the city will once more have to play second fiddle to handsome older brother Cambridge. For those whose memory is better than a goldfish that’s the key reason Peterborough wanted to split from Cambridgeshire in the first place.

So, where do you think the new mayor will base his office (and, no doubt, a squadron of well-paid underlings)? Dogsthorpe? Or will it be the dreaming spires of Cambridge, or at least somewhere handy?

I’ll take a punt and go for the latter.