City mayor, Peter Soulsby says it’s unlikely his job will soon exist amid a major shake up of Leicestershire’s local government structure
Apr 27, 2026
City mayor, Peter Soulsby. Photograph: Ian Davis / Leicester City Council
This story was written by the local democracy reporting service (LDRS), a BBC-funded scheme to improve the coverage of issues relating to local democracy. The Leicester Gazette has been a partner in the scheme since March 2024, and so receives some stories as part of it.
Because LDRS reporters are not employed by the Gazette, their stories do not follow our style guide or standards code.
Sir Peter Soulsby says it is unlikely his mayoral job will soon exist amid a major shake up of Leicestershire’s local government structure.
Last year, Leicester’s mayor told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he would give the city’s councillors a vote on whether they still wanted a directly elected leader.
He said this would happen at least 12 months before the 2027 local elections.
Now, just a year from those polls, Sir Peter has revealed there are no plans for such a vote as a looming upheaval to the structure of local powers threatens to disband the area’s councils entirely.
That shake-up, known as Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), is a government-mandated process that is meant to simplify the different councils operating in the county.
While the district and borough councils in Leicestershire want to see the county and Rutland divided up into three authorities, the county backs a proposal for a single unitary authority surrounding the city.
Leicester City Council’s suggestion is to have one council for the county and another for the city – which would expand its borders under these plans.
Sir Peter said it was “fairly likely” there will be some change in Leicester’s borders, meaning the current authority running the city will essentially be disbanded and replaced with a new one.
This authority, he said, would almost certainly start with a more traditional structure, including a leader elected by fellow councillors and not residents.
Join the conversation
Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it’s a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community.
Want to support our work? Click here for membership.
He said: “What is very clear now is that if there is any change at all in the boundaries to the city as part of LGR, it will in effect become a new council.
“The government has also made it very clear that the mayoral structure of governance can’t be used by any further councils and not by any new councils.
“If, as it is fairly likely, the council sees its boundaries changed, the question answers itself. The new council will not be electing a mayor.”
Sir Peter added that even if the city council remains untouched during LGR, he anticipates his role will be voted out soon after anyway.
He said: “If the boundary isn’t extended, it is still – in theory – possible for the council to continue.
“But I have made it clear several times now that the mayoral system of governance has gone out of fashion and favour whereas 10 to 15 years ago it was the coming thing.
“I think there is a strong feeling to return to the conventional form of the council electing its own leader.
“If, in the unlikely event of there not being a change in the boundary, that will be the time for the council to take a decision.
“I have long expressed the view that it’s the democratic way – for the people to elect whoever. However, it is not down to my personal view, it is down to government and the council.”
A decision on how the county will be sliced up – and subsequently if Sir Peter will still have a job next year – is expected from central government this summer.
Before you go… We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget.
Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.
The app connects with Bluesky, Mastodon and Threads, giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community.