A war of words has erupted over plans to introduce free parking in Peterborough city centre, as Labour council leader Cllr Shabina Qayyum urged Conservative Mayor Paul Bristow to “put party politics aside” and work with her to deliver a scheme that benefits residents.
The row began after Mayor Bristow released a TikTok video accusing Peterborough City Council of “stalling” and claiming the authority “don’t want to know” about his proposals for free parking. Cllr Qayyum, who became council leader on 12 September, hit back in a strongly worded letter, saying she was “disappointed that the Mayor has not once raised the matter with me” since taking office.
Cllr Qayyum said it was “really unfortunate that Mayor Bristow has decided to throw out an online video attacking us over our supposed stance on this without speaking to me about it first.”
She explained that while discussions between the council and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) have been ongoing for months, no concrete funding commitment has been made.
“What we need from the Mayor is a firm idea of exactly how much he intends to put towards free parking,” she said. “If he engages with me rather than taking a media-first approach to his job, then maybe we’d be able to get somewhere.”
The Labour leader also emphasised that parking income currently funds the council’s enforcement service, meaning that any free parking scheme would require full financial backing from the CPCA.
“Councils use money from car parking to fund services and so any free parking initiative would need to be funded by the Mayor,” she explained. “Officers have worked up a proposal and provisionally drawn up the costings for it and are due to meet with Cabinet members to discuss, so it is not true that we have rejected or stalled his offer of free parking.”
Cllr Qayyum said she hoped Bristow would choose cooperation over confrontation: “I’ve brought together a coalition of parties to run Peterborough City Council collaboratively – residents can see that this administration knows how to put politics aside, and I hope Mayor Bristow chooses to do so too.”
However, Mayor Bristow has doubled down on his campaign promise to deliver free parking, describing it as one of the central pledges of his successful bid to become Mayor in May.
Posting online this week, he wrote: “DO YOU WANT FREE PARKING IN PETERBOROUGH? I do! But Peterborough City Council seem reluctant. Labour councillors don’t want to play ball. But I am exploring options with private providers. I am going to deliver on my manifesto promise whether the City Council like it or not.”
Bristow’s stance underlines his determination to act unilaterally if necessary. “If they helped me deliver, it would be as much their success as mine,” he added.
Earlier in the year, during a visit to Bedford, he praised fellow Conservative Mayor Tom Wootton for introducing “four hours free” parking despite opposition from local councillors. “This is what is needed in Peterborough and St Neots to revive these City and Town Centres,” he said at the time.
The Mayor’s free parking pledge has been a cornerstone of his political messaging since his campaign began. In February, as the Conservative candidate, he launched a survey promising to introduce free parking in both Peterborough and St Neots if elected.
“Businesses and residents tell me time and again that the Peterborough City Centre and St Neots Town Centre need plans to encourage people to visit,” he said. “But we hear precious little from our councils. I am fed up of waiting, so I am going to do something about it.”
He added that “free parking could be the boost we need to encourage people back into our cities and towns,” arguing that out-of-town retail parks with free parking put city centre businesses at a disadvantage. “I want to try and create a level playing field,” he said.
Cllr Qayyum insists that she shares the goal of revitalising the city centre but argues that Bristow’s “media-first” approach risks politicising an issue that requires partnership.
For now, the council is finalising a proposal for a reduced free parking offer that would require less CPCA funding — but whether that will satisfy the Mayor’s ambitions remains to be seen.
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