City of Peterborough
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox settlement The City of Peterborough,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a district with city status in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The district is named after its largest settlement, Peterborough, but also covers a wider area of outlying villages and hamlets. The district is administered by Peterborough City Council, a unitary authority.
The district's area covers parts of the historic counties of Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire, as well as a small part of Cambridgeshire. In 1965, the area became part of the short-lived county of Huntingdon and Peterborough before becoming a district of Cambridgeshire in 1974. Located in the East Anglia region of England, the area borders the surrounding counties of Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. The population of the district was 202,259 making it the second-largest district by population in East Anglia (after East Suffolk).
Most of the contemporary district was formerly part of the Soke of Peterborough, a liberty within the historic county of Northamptonshire. Between 1889 and 1965, Peterborough was governed by the Soke of Peterborough County Council, making the Soke of Peterborough a completely autonomous, self-governing part of Northamptonshire, while the rest of that county was governed by Northamptonshire County Council. Today, the City of Peterborough district holds a similar status as part of Cambridgeshire to that which the Soke of Peterborough had as part of Northamptonshire, in that the contemporary district is a Unitary Authority with its own council, and a self-governing part of Cambridgeshire while the rest of that county is governed by Cambridgeshire County Council.
Peterborough was a Saxon settlement during the Anglo-Saxon era.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The district also includes outlying villages such as Thorney, Old Fletton, Werrington, Parnwell, Dogsthorpe, Eye Green, Glinton, Northborough, Maxey, Wittering, Wansford and Ailsworth.
The district borders North Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Fenland, South Kesteven and South Holland.
Administration
Parliamentary seat
Template:Further The city formed a parliamentary borough returning two members from 1541, with the rest of the Soke being part of Northamptonshire parliamentary county. The Great Reform Act did not affect the borough, although the remaining, rural portion of the Soke was transferred to the northern division of Northamptonshire.<ref>Formally the Representation of the People Act 1832 (2 & 3 Will. 4. c. 45).</ref> In 1885, the borough's representation was reduced to one member,<ref>Under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 (48 & 49 Vict. c. 23).</ref> and in 1918, the boundaries were adjusted to include the whole Soke.<ref>Youngs, Frederic A. Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England Volume II: Northern England (Part III: Parliamentary Constituencies) Royal Historical Society, London, 1991.</ref> Recent Members of Parliament for Peterborough have included the Conservative Sir Harmar Nicholls (1950–1974), Labour's Michael Ward (1974–1979), Conservative Brian Mawhinney (1979–1997), Labour's Helen Clark (1997–2005) and Conservative Stewart Jackson (2005–2017). Fiona Onasanya won in the 2017 general election for Labour;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Onasanya was then expelled from the Labour party in December 2018,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but kept her seat as an independent until being ejected on 1 May 2019 after a recall petition, triggering a by-election,<ref>Fiona Onasanya no longer Peterborough's MP Template:Webarchive. Accessed 22 May 2019.</ref> which won by Labour's Lisa Forbes (June - November 2019).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Conservative Paul Bristow won the seat in the 2019 general election and served as MP for one term, being defeated by Labour's Andrew Pakes in 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1997, the North West Cambridgeshire constituency was formed, incorporating parts of the city and neighbouring Huntingdonshire. The inaugural member was Sir Brian Mawhinney, former Secretary of State for Transport and Chairman of the Conservative Party. Mawhinney, who had previously served as Member of Parliament for Peterborough from 1979, did not stand for re-election in 2005 and was created Baron Mawhinney of Peterborough in the county of Cambridgeshire later that year. He was succeeded by fellow Conservative Shailesh Vara; Vara remained MP until 2024 when he was defeated by Sam Carling of the Labour Party; Carling, aged 22, became the youngest member of the House of Commons.
Local government
From 1889, the ancient Soke of Peterborough formed an administrative county in its own right with boundaries similar, although not identical, to the current unitary authority.<ref>Under the Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41).</ref> The area however remained geographically part of Northamptonshire until 1965, when the Soke was merged with Huntingdonshire to form the county of Huntingdon and Peterborough.<ref>The Huntingdon and Peterborough Order 1964 (SI 1964/367), see Local Government Commission for England (1958–1967), Report and Proposals for the East Midlands General Review Area (Report No.3), 31 July 1961 and Report and Proposals for the Lincolnshire and East Anglia General Review Area (Report No.9), 7 May 1965.</ref> Following a review of local government in 1974, Huntingdon and Peterborough was abolished and the current district created by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Peterborough with Peterborough Rural District, Barnack Rural District, Thorney Rural District, Old Fletton Urban District and part of the Norman Cross Rural District, which had each existed since 1894.<ref>Under the Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73).</ref> This became part of the non-metropolitan county of Cambridgeshire.<ref>Under the Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70), see The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972 (SI 1972/2039) Part 5: County of Cambridgeshire.</ref> Letters patent were granted continuing the status of city over the greater area.<ref>Issued under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 25 June 1974, see Template:London Gazette</ref> In 1998, the city became autonomous of Cambridgeshire county council as a unitary authority, but it continues to form part of that county for ceremonial purposes.<ref>The Cambridgeshire (City of Peterborough) (Structural, Boundary and Electoral Changes) Order 1996 Template:Webarchive (SI 1996/1878), see Local Government Commission for England (1992), Final Recommendations for the Future Local Government of Cambridgeshire, October 1994 and Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of Basildon & Thurrock, Blackburn & Blackpool, Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe, Dartford & Gravesham, Gillingham & Rochester upon Medway, Exeter, Gloucester, Halton & Warrington, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Spelthorne and the Wrekin, December 1995.</ref> The leader and cabinet model of decision-making, first adopted by the city council in 2001, is similar to national government.<ref>Under the Local Government Act 2000 (c. 22), see Modular constitutions for English local authorities Template:Webarchive via at UK Government Web Archive, archived 7 March 2008, Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions, February 2001.</ref>
Policing in the city remains the responsibility of Cambridgeshire Constabulary; and firefighting, the responsibility of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service. The Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade, founded in 1884, is unique in the United Kingdom in that it functions as a retained fire station, under the control of the county fire and rescue service, but with unpaid firefighters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Walton, Jemma "Meet Peterborough's Volunteer Fire Brigade team" Template:Webarchive, Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 26 July 2007.</ref> The Royal Anglian Regiment serves as the county regiment for Cambridgeshire. Peterborough formed its first territorial army unit, the 6th Northamptonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps, in 1860.<ref>"Volunteer soldiers mark unit's centenary year" Template:Webarchive, Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 3 April 2008.</ref>
Health service
Following the Health and Social Care Act 2012, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group became the main commissioner of health services in the city. Adult social care functions of NHS Peterborough transferred back to the city council in 2012 and public health transferred in 2013. The responsibility of guided primary care services (general practitioners, dentists, opticians and pharmacists) transferred to NHS England. In 2017 the responsibility for commissioning Primary Care Services transferred back to the CCG.<ref>Cambridgeshire and Peterborough CCG Primary Care Commissioning Committee Template:Webarchive commissions primary medical (GP) services for the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.</ref> Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is one of the largest CCGs in the England with over 984,000 registered patients, 91 GP practices and a budget of £1.16bn in 2017–18.<ref>About us Template:Webarchive Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group.</ref> Although predominately providing health services in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough the CCG also has practices in both Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire.
Previously, NHS Peterborough (the public-facing name of Peterborough Primary Care Trust) guided primary care services in the city, directly provided adult social care and services in the community such as health visiting and physiotherapy and also funded hospital care and other specialist treatments. Prior to the formation of the PCT, the North West Anglia Healthcare NHS Trust provided health functions within the city and before that, Peterborough Health Authority.
Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust became one of the first ten English NHS foundation trusts in 2004<ref>The annual health check: assessing and rating the NHS Template:Webarchive (pp.22, 34 & 69) Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection, October 2006.</ref> and in 2017, merged with Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust to form North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust. Although a £300 million health investment plan has seen the transfer of the city's two hospitals into a single site, the Trust has been plagued by financial problems since the move.<ref>Peterborough and Stamford NHS trust rescue plan outlined Template:Webarchive BBC News, 12 September 2013.</ref> The full planning application for the redevelopment of the former Edith Cavell Hospital was approved by the council in 2006. Planning permission for the development of an integrated care centre on the site of the former Fenland Wing at Peterborough District Hospital was granted in 2003.<ref>Greater Peterborough Health Investment Plan Template:Webarchive Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Peterborough Primary Care Trust and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mental Health Partnership Trust (Retrieved 23 April 2007).</ref> The City Care Centre finally opened in 2009<ref>City Care Centre Template:Webarchive NHS Peterborough, 3 June 2009.</ref> and the first patients were treated at the new Peterborough City Hospital in 2010.<ref>Urem, Adam "Peterborough City Hospital: The big move begins" Template:Webarchive, Peterborough Evening Telegraph, 11 November 2010.</ref> The private Fitzwilliam Hospital run by Ramsay Health Care UK is situated in the landscaped grounds of the Milton Estate.<ref>Fitzwilliam Private Hospital Template:Webarchive Ramsay Health Care UK Operations (Retrieved 21 November 2010).</ref> Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, a designated University of Cambridge teaching trust, provides services to those who suffer from mental health problems. Following merger of the Cambridgeshire Ambulance Service in 1994, then the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust in 2006, the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust is responsible for the provision of statutory emergency medical services (EMS) in Peterborough. The East Anglian Air Ambulance provides helicopter EMS across the region.<ref>Prince William begins East Anglian Air Ambulance job Template:Webarchive BBC News, 13 July 2015.</ref>
Public utilities
The council's budget for the financial year 2018–19 is £418.7 million.<ref name=tax>Council Tax Summary Template:Webarchive Peterborough City Council, 1 April 2018.</ref> The main source of non-school funding is the formula grant, which is paid by central government to local authorities based on the services they provide. This was reduced by nearly 40% during the course of the 2010-15 parliament. The remainder, to which the police and fire authorities (and parish council where this exists) set a precept, is raised from council tax and business rates. This amounts to £59.5 million in 2015–16.<ref name=tax/> Mains water and sewerage services are provided by Anglian Water, a former nationalised industry and natural monopoly, privatised in 1989 and now regulated by OFWAT.
Following deregulation, the consumer has a choice of energy supplier. Electricity was formerly provided by Eastern Electricity, which was privatised in 1990. In 2002, the supply business was sold to Powergen (now E.ON UK) and the distribution rights to EDF Energy who sold them to UK Power Networks in 2010. Natural gas was (and still is) supplied by British Gas, which was privatised in 1986; distribution (and gas and electricity transmission) is the responsibility of the National Grid, having been demerged as Transco in 1997. These industries are regulated by OFGEM. Peterborough Power Station is a 367 MWe gas-fired plant in Fengate operated by Centrica Energy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
British Telecommunications, privatised in 1984, provides fixed ADSL enabled (8 Mbit/s) telephone lines. Local loop unbundling, giving other internet service providers direct access, is completed at four out of 12 exchanges. The city is cabled by Virgin Media (previously Peterborough Cablevision, Cable & Wireless and NTL).Template:Cn These businesses are regulated by OFCOM. Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council are embarking on a superfast broadband project to deliver access to improved connectivity to areas where it is acknowledged that the market is unlikely to deliver.<ref>Superfast Broadband for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Template:Webarchive Analysys Mason, Public Consultation (v.1.3), Ref. 21137-183, 23 May 2012.</ref>
Civil parishes
The district contains the unparished areas of Peterborough, Old Fletton and Stanground North and 29 civil parishes:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Div col
- Ailsworth
- Bainton
- Barnack
- Borough Fen
- Bretton
- Castor
- Deeping Gate
- Etton
- Eye
- Glinton
- Hampton Hargate and Vale
- Helpston
- Marholm
- Maxey
- Newborough
- Northborough
- Orton Longueville
- Orton Waterville
- Peakirk
- Southorpe
- St Martin's Without
- Sutton
- Thorney
- Thornhaugh
- Ufford
- Upton
- Wansford
- Wittering
- Wothorpe
Demographics
Ethnicity
| Ethnic Group | Year | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 estimations<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> | 1991<ref name=":412">Data is taken from United Kingdom Casweb Data services of the United Kingdom 1991 Census on Ethnic Data for England, Scotland and Wales Template:Webarchive (Table 6)</ref> | 2001<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 2011<ref name=":36">Template:Cite web</ref> | 2021<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||||||
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| White: Total | 122,726 | 94.1% | 141,803 | 92.6% | 140,003 | 89.7% | 151,544 | 82.5% | 162,581 | 75.3% |
| White: British | – | – | – | – | 133,751 | 85.7% | 130,232 | 70.9% | 128,353 | 59.5% |
| White: Irish | – | – | – | – | 1,697 | 1,257 | 1,177 | 0.5% | ||
| White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller | – | – | – | – | – | – | 560 | 551 | 0.3% | |
| White: Roma | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 938 | 0.4% |
| White: Other | – | – | – | – | 4,555 | 19,495 | 10.6% | 31,562 | 14.6% | |
| Asian or Asian British: Total | – | – | 8,560 | 5.6% | 11,400 | 7.3% | 21,492 | 11.7% | 30,801 | 14.3% |
| Asian or Asian British: Indian | – | – | 2,662 | 2,876 | 4,636 | 7,169 | 3.3% | |||
| Asian or Asian British: Pakistani | – | – | 4,752 | 6,980 | 12,078 | 16,972 | 7.9% | |||
| Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi | – | – | 54 | 113 | 229 | 442 | 0.2% | |||
| Asian or Asian British: Chinese | – | – | 358 | 534 | 872 | 990 | 0.5% | |||
| Asian or Asian British: Other Asian | – | – | 734 | 897 | 3,677 | 5,228 | 2.4% | |||
| Black or Black British: Total | – | – | 2,009 | 1.3% | 1,928 | 1.2% | 4,164 | 2.2% | 8,751 | 4.1% |
| Black or Black British: African | – | – | 204 | 551 | 2,480 | 6,225 | 2.9% | |||
| Black or Black British: Caribbean | – | – | 1,208 | 1,118 | 1,174 | 1,419 | 0.7% | |||
| Black or Black British: Other Black | – | – | 597 | 259 | 510 | 1,107 | 0.5% | |||
| Mixed or British Mixed: Total | – | – | – | – | 2,289 | 1.5% | 4,948 | 2.7% | 7,617 | 3.5% |
| Mixed: White and Black Caribbean | – | – | – | – | 950 | 1,542 | 1,990 | 0.9% | ||
| Mixed: White and Black African | – | – | – | – | 208 | 827 | 1,627 | 0.8% | ||
| Mixed: White and Asian | – | – | – | – | 687 | 1,384 | 2,021 | 0.9% | ||
| Mixed: Other Mixed | – | – | – | – | 444 | 1,195 | 1,979 | 0.9% | ||
| Other: Total | – | – | 794 | 0.5% | 441 | 0.3% | 1,483 | 0.8% | 5,920 | 2.7% |
| Other: Arab | – | – | – | – | – | – | 428 | 897 | 0.4% | |
| Other: Any other ethnic group | – | – | 794 | 0.5% | 441 | 0.3% | 1,055 | 5,023 | 2.3% | |
| Ethnic minority: Total | 7,666 | 5.9% | 11,363 | 7.4% | 16,058 | 10.3% | 32,087 | 17.5% | 53,089 | 24.7% |
| Total | 130,392 | 100% | 153,166 | 100% | 156,061 | 100% | 183,631 | 100% | 215,670 | 100% |
Religion
| Religion | 2001<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 2021<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | % | Number | % | Number | % | |
| Holds religious beliefs | 118,549 | 75.9 | 126,155 | 68.7 | 133,001 | 61.7 |
 Christian
|
106,621 | 68.3 | 104,202 | 56.7 | 99,802 | 46.3 |
 Buddhist
|
254 | 0.2 | 463 | 0.3 | 617 | 0.3 |
 Hindu
|
1,383 | 0.9 | 2,320 | 1.3 | 3,813 | 1.8 |
 Jewish
|
147 | 0.1 | 144 | 0.1 | 185 | 0.1 |
 Muslim
|
8,963 | 5.7 | 17,251 | 9.4 | 26,239 | 12.2 |
 Sikh
|
833 | 0.5 | 1,184 | 0.6 | 1,348 | 0.6 |
| Other religion | 348 | 0.2 | 591 | 0.3 | 999 | 0.5 |
| No religion | 24,388 | 15.6 | 45,183 | 24.6 | 70,066 | 32.5 |
| Religion not stated | 13,124 | 8.4 | 12,293 | 6.7 | 12,604 | 5.8 |
| Total population | 156,061 | 100.0 | 183,631 | 100.0 | 215,671 | 100.0 |
Local landmarks
The district contains many notable attractions and landmarks including: Peterborough Cathedral, Burghley House, Nene Valley Railway, and Longthorpe Tower.
2016 EU Referendum
Template:See also On 23 June 2016, Peterborough voted in the 2016 EU Referendum under the provisions of the European Union Referendum Act 2015 where voters were asked to decide on the question "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" by voting for either "Remain a member of the European Union" or "Leave the European Union". The result produced a large "Leave" majority by 61% of voters on a turnout of 72% across the city<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with only the wards of Peterborough Central, Barnack and late postal votes in the city council area returning "Remain" votes and all other wards returning "Leave" majority votes.Template:Citation needed Stewart Jackson, the then MP for the parliamentary constituency of Peterborough, backed "Leave". Shailesh Vara, MP for the neighbouring constituency of North West Cambridgeshire which includes a substantial part of the city, campaigned for a "Remain" vote.Template:Citation needed
| United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, 2016 Peterborough | |||
| Choice | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave the European Union | 53,216 | 60.89% | |
| Remain a member of the European Union | 34,176 | 39.11% | |
| Valid votes | 87,392 | 99.91% | |
| Invalid or blank votes | 77 | 0.09% | |
| Total votes | 87,469 | 100.00% | |
| Registered voters and turnout | 120,892 | 72.35% | |
| Leave: 53,216 (60.9%) |
Remain: 34,176 (39.1%) | ||
| ▲ | |||
References
Template:Peterborough Template:Cambridgeshire Template:Navbox Template:UK cities Template:Unitary authorities of England