Episode
Hitting the High Notes - Peter Soulsby
- Podcast
- 50 Shades of Planning
- Published
- Jun 20, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3826
- Processing state
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Summary
Sam Stafford was invited to a ProCon Leicestershire event in Leicester in October 2025 and also on the panel that evening was his old friend Grant Butterworth. Grant, Head of Planning at Leicester City Council, kindly invited Sam down early for a tour of the city, and whilst so doing suggested that Peter Soulsby would make a good podcast guest. Peter has been a politician for over 50 years. He was first elected to Leicester City Council in 1973, but lost his seat in 2003. In between he served as the Leader of the Council twice, first from 1981 to 1994 and then from 1996 to 1999. He was the Member of Parliament for Leicester South from 2005 until he resigned his seat in 2011, in order to contest the new post of City Mayor, a role he has held since 2011. Long-serving listeners will know that, hitherto, it has been preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors that have talked Sam through the planning permissions or projects that helped to shape them as professionals during these Hitting the High Notes episodes. Given the relationship between planning and politics it was a good idea of Grant’s to broaden that tent and hear another perspective. Hitting The High Notes is town planning’s equivalent, nee rip of Desert Island Discs in that, so listeners can get to know people a little better personally, for every project or stage of their career Sam also asks his guests for a piece of music that reminds them of that period. Unlike Desert Island Discs you will not hear any of that music during the episode because using commercially-licensed music without the copyright holders permission or a very expensive PRS licensing agreement could land Sam in hot water, so, when listeners have finished listening to this episode, please check out the YouTube videos and a Spotify p…