Peterborough mayor's new Jaguar car sparks cost row

Darren Fower says spending £6,000-a-year on the Jaguar XJ is too costly when the city faces a £24m shortfall

A row has broken out over a brand new Jaguar car for the mayor of a Conservative-led authority facing a £24m budget shortfall.

The Jaguar XJ has been leased for £6,000 a year to replace Peterborough mayor John Peach's official car, another Jaguar.

Deputy leader of the council's Liberal Democrats group, Darren Fower, said the move was "outdated and costly".

Tory John Holdich said it was a "civic responsibility" to replace the old car.

A council spokesman said: "The civic car was taken off the road earlier this year due to serious issues with its brakes.

"To keep it going for a further 12 months would cost more than £6,500 and future repairs, given the car's age, are inevitable."

All political groups on the council agreed to lease a newer version of the same car - a Jaguar XJ - for Mayor John Peach.

The old car would be auctioned to support the costs of the lease, the council said.

"The mayor is the city's first citizen and the council's civic protocol state that the car should be of British origin and in keeping with the status of the mayor's role," the spokesman added.