Residents urged to vote for new elected mayor by minister

Politics

Peterborough should come out andvote for a newelected mayor, according to Communities Secretary Sajid Javid.

The cabinet minister is urging city residents to have their say whenpollsopenon Thursday, May4forthefirst ever mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Mr Javid visited members of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority - a newly formed council under devolution- at the Boathouse Business Centre in Wisbech last Thursday to talk updevolution in the county.

He said: “The people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough came up with an ambitious devolution deal which puts them in charge of decisions that matter to them.

“This multi- mill i on pound investment into the region is proof that we’re backing Cambridgeshire and Peterborough with the resources they need.”

The new combined authoritywillbeledbythemayorwiththecabinetfeaturing the leaders of the county’s seven biggest councils (including Peterborough City Council) and a representative of the Greater CambridgeGreaterPeterborough Enterprise Partnership.

The combined authority will have a devolved transport budget, £170 million to spend on housing (of which £70 million is ringfenced for Cambridge) and £20 million ayearfor the next 30yearsto invest in the county.

It will also have newpowers over skills and responsibility for the region’s adult education budget.