Peter Soulsby facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Soulsby
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Soulsby in 2011
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| Mayor of Leicester | |
| Assumed office 9 May 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Office created |
| Member of Parliament for Leicester South |
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| In office 5 May 2005 – 1 April 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Parmjit Singh Gill |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Ashworth |
| Leader of Leicester City Council | |
| In office January 1996 – May 1999 |
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| Preceded by | Stuart Foster |
| Succeeded by | Ross Willmott |
| In office May 1981 – May 1994 |
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| Preceded by | Ken Middleton |
| Succeeded by | Stuart Foster |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 December 1948 Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
Lady (Alison) Soulsby
(d. 2011) |
| Domestic partner | Lesley Summerland |
| Children | 3 |
| Residences | Evington and Groby |
| Alma mater | University of Leicester |
| Profession | Teacher, politician |
| Website | Leicester Mayor website |
Sir Peter Alfred Soulsby, born on December 27, 1948, is a British politician from the Labour Party. He has been the Mayor of Leicester since 2011. Before becoming mayor, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Leicester South. He served as an MP from 2005 until he stepped down in April 2011 to run for the new mayor position. He also led the Leicester City Council twice, from 1981 to 1994 and again from 1996 to 1999.
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Early Life and Education
Peter Soulsby was born in Bishop Auckland on December 27, 1948. He went to Minchenden School, a grammar school in Southgate, London. He later studied at the City of Leicester College of Education in Scraptoft. He earned a BEd degree from University of Leicester in English and Drama. After his studies, he worked as a teacher at Crown Hills Secondary Modern School. He also taught as a special needs teacher.
Starting His Political Journey
Peter Soulsby was first elected to the Leicester City Council in June 1973. He became the Leader of the Council two times. His first term as leader was from 1981 to 1994. He then served a second term from 1996 to 1999. He continued as a Labour councillor until May 2003.
He also tried to become a Member of Parliament for the Harborough area in the 1979 general election, but he was not successful. In 1984, he ran for election to the European Parliament for the Leicester constituency. He lost by a small margin to the Conservative candidate, Fred Tuckman.
Serving in Parliament
In 2004, Peter Soulsby was the Labour Party's candidate for the 2004 Leicester South by-election. He had previously helped with the election campaigns for the former MP, Jim Marshall. Soulsby did not always agree with all of his party's policies. He was against the Iraq War, but he lost the by-election to Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats. This election was greatly influenced by the Iraq War.
Less than a year later, in the 2005 United Kingdom general election, he won the seat back for Labour from Gill. On October 31, 2006, Soulsby was one of 12 Labour MPs who supported a call for an investigation into the Iraq War. He also disagreed with the government's plan to hold terror suspects for 90 days without trial. However, in June 2008, he supported a proposal to extend this detention period to 42 days. He kept his seat in the 2010 United Kingdom general election.
In June 2010, he was chosen to be a Labour member of the Political and Constitutional Reform Select Committee. On March 5, 2011, Soulsby was selected as Labour's candidate for the new role of Mayor of Leicester. He resigned from his MP position for Leicester South to run for mayor. He officially resigned from the House of Commons on April 1, 2011.
Becoming Mayor of Leicester
Sir Peter Soulsby was elected Mayor of Leicester on May 5, 2011. He won with a large majority of 37,260 votes. He had already served as the Leader of Leicester City Council for many years. In August 2011, he stated that he had completed almost all of his promises within his first 100 days as mayor. He said the last promise, about the future of the council offices, would be done by Christmas.
He has been re-elected as Mayor of Leicester three more times. These re-elections happened in 2015, 2019, and 2023. This shows that the people of Leicester have continued to support him.
Mayor's Salary
In November 2011, a committee suggested a salary of £100,000 for the Mayor. This was a significant increase. The committee explained that the mayor was doing work similar to the city's former chief executive, who earned more. At the time, the council was planning to cut £70 million from services. This salary recommendation caused some discussion among councillors and trade unions.
The committee that made the recommendation included people from a university, the chamber of trade, and a charity. Some people questioned if the committee was truly independent because they worked closely with Sir Peter. The next day, Soulsby dismissed the committee. He said they had made "fundamental costing mistakes" that would lead to "totally unacceptable extra costs." In March 2012, his salary was set at £65,000. This amount was similar to what a Member of Parliament earned at that time.
Christmas Day Bus Lane Incident
On Christmas Day in 2017, a man named Lee Williamson stopped his car in a bus lane. He did this to help a homeless man by giving him a blanket, hat, gloves, scarf, and food. Even though no buses were running that day, Williamson received a £70 fine from the council. Leicester City Council said that camera enforcement was important for safety.
However, Sir Peter Soulsby confirmed that the fine would not be enforced. He said, "It was quite clear what Lee was doing was an act of a good Samaritan on Christmas Day." He added that even though safety rules are important, there are exceptions for such kind actions.
Personal Life
Peter Soulsby was made a Knight Bachelor in the 1999 New Year Honours. This honor was given to him for his important work in local government.
He was married to Alison Soulsby, who passed away from cancer on December 10, 2011, at the age of 63. He has three daughters and nine grandchildren from his marriage. One of his daughters, Elly Cutkelvin, became a councillor in 2011. Sir Peter appointed her as one of his assistant mayors in 2019.
