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Cllr John Holdich praises impact of Combined Authority as he is made Deputy Mayor

Cllr John Holdich praises impact of Combined Authority as he is made Deputy Mayor

Peterborough City Council leader Cllr John Holdich has been appointed Deputy Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority by Mayor James Palmer.

Cllr Holdich is  now the statutory Deputy Mayor, taking over from Cllr Charles Roberts, who previously held the post.

Cllr Holdich was first elected to Peterborough City Council 40 years ago in 1979, said he is delighted to be able to support Mayor James Palmer as his deputy, and continue to drive forward the key priorities of the Combined Authority.

Cllr John Holdich said:

“My focus will be on supporting the Mayor with the continues progress of transformational schemes such as the University of Peterborough, the CAM Metro, dualling the A10 and A47, new rail station in Wisbech, Soham and Cambridgeshire and increased housing delivery.

“In Peterborough we remain on course to welcome the first 2,000 students to the new University 2022, we are investing in upgrading city centre infrastructure, and the A47 dualling will also offer significant benefits to the city.

“Devolution has made the accelerated delivery of such schemes possible. Since the Combined Authority began just two years ago, it has brought hundreds of millions of pounds of additional money into Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to help meet our ambitions.

“Our key goal is to ensure our economy’s growth continues into the future by investing in transport, infrastructure, delivering more homes and tackling our skills deficits. We are addressing the challenge laid out to us by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Independent Economic Review, and the aims in out Growth Ambition document, by bringing forward innovative, much-needed new schemes.

“In addition to this, I will be continuing in my role as Combined Authority Portfolio Holder for Skills and Chairman of the Skills Committee to continue to push forward projects like the University of Peterborough and Adult Education devolution.

“The Mayor has a clear vision and ambition for what the Combined Authority can achieve and I will be delighted to further support him in delivering for people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.”

Mayor James Palmer said:

“I was delighted when Cllr Holdich agreed to become Deputy Mayor because his knowledge, experience and record of achievement as a councillor is second to none.

“Cllr Holdich has contributed hugely to the skills agenda of the Combined Authority as Portfolio Holder and he will continue to commit his passion and energy to this very important pillar of the work we do.

“We have worked very effectively together since the formation of the Combined Authority and his determination to do the very best he can to seize the opportunity of devolution is clear.”

As Deputy Mayor, Cllr Holdich will act on behalf of the Mayor when required, or in his absence. Cllr Holdich was previously a non-statutory, constitutional Deputy Mayor, a role which is appointed at the discretion of the Mayor, but is not being filled at the current time.

During his time at Peterborough City Council, Cllr Holdich has held most of the senior positions, but majored on housing and social services and until recently was the cabinet member for Education, Skills and University.

Cllr Holdich is also a director of economic development company Opportunity Peterborough, wholly owned by the City Council, and recently formed the Peterborough Investment Partnership.