Month: March 2013

A14 Upgrade A Mixed Blessing For Cambridge

07:07 Friday 29th March 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[R]ONNIE BARBOUR: We won’t give you any money for the A14 upgrade. That’s the message from Cambridge City Council. Councillors say they won’t receive financial benefit from it. Liberal Democrat Councillor Tim Bick is Leader of Cambridge City Council. Tim, good morning to you.
TIM BICK: Good morning.
RONNIE BARBOUR: So you’re not going to give any money towards this. Continue reading “A14 Upgrade A Mixed Blessing For Cambridge”

Fighting Deprivation – Labour’s Manifesto For Cambridgeshire

17:07 Friday 29th March 2013
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[D]OTTY MCLEOD: Now, equality. That’s what the Labour Party in Cambridgeshire claims is at the heart of its Manifesto this year, ahead of the County Council elections in May. Labour currently holds just three seats on the Council. That’s out of a total of 69. Paul Sales joins me now. He’s the head of the Labour group in Cambridgeshire. Good afternoon Paul.
PAUL SALES: Good afternoon Dotty.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Now as a general question Paul, is this election .. does it feel different to those in previous years, given what a huge issue the economy is at the moment in Britain as a whole, and in Cambridgeshire? Continue reading “Fighting Deprivation – Labour’s Manifesto For Cambridgeshire”

Nigel Farage On Peterborough

08:35 Tuesday 26th March 2013
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BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: The Leader of Ukip, Nigel Farage, told a packed public meeting last night in Suffolk that he was flabbergasted at the immigration problems in Peterborough. His comments came after the Prime Minister David Cameron visited the region to deliver his keynote speech on immigration, saying that Britain will no longer be a soft touch for benefit claimants. Well, our political correspondent from Look East Andrew Sinclair spoke to Mr Farage last night. (TAPE)
ANDREW SINCLAIR: Want to ask you about something else you said tonight. You said you were flabbergasted to go to Peterborough and see ghettos you called them where people don’t speak any English. Continue reading “Nigel Farage On Peterborough”

A14 Upgrade – Contributions Invited

08:20 Wednesday 27th March 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Fifty years ago the Beeching Report was released, massive cuts to lines, massive cuts to jobs. It begs the question, are we suffering for it now, as our roads struggle with the weight of traffic. And could expensive projects like the Guided Bus and the proposed A14 upgrade have been avoided if Beeching had never happened? And even if the need is there, can our train companies provide a financially viable service? Nick Clarke is the Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council. Morning Nick.
NICK CLARKE: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Do you wish Beeching had never been born? Continue reading “A14 Upgrade – Contributions Invited”

Cambridge Railway Circle On Beeching

07:18 Wednesday 27th March 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: It’s the 50th anniversary of the controversial Beeching Report. (TAPE)
ANNOUNCER: All the proposals in it are directed towards making the railways do those things that they can do best, and stopping them doing those things that they’re no longer well suited to do. I think there’s no sensible alternative. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well the 1963 document led to the closure of some of the UK’s railways, decimated really the landscape, after the author Richard Beeching announced more than 2,000 stations should shut to make savings, including many many in Cambridgeshire. This this morning from Martin, who says, “Hello Paul. Dr Beeching was only the fall guy, not the villain of the piece. Ernest Marples was Transport Secretary.I’m told Ernie had shares in Tarmac.” he says, who won the Government contract to build Britain’s motorways. So he was the fall guy, not the villain of the piece. Well David Pepperell is the Chairman of the Cambridge Railway Circle and can give us a full history of what happened back then. David morning.
DAVID PEPPERELL: Yes, good morning to you.
PAUL STAINTON: So was he the fall guy, or was he the villain of the piece? Continue reading “Cambridge Railway Circle On Beeching”

Soham Celebrating 60th Carnival

17:55 Tuesday 26th March 2013
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[D]OTTY MCLEOD: A reunion of beauty poise and elegance is being planned for Soham. The town will celebrate its 60th ever Summer Carnival this year, and to mark the diamond anniversary, the organisers are trying to get together all 60 past Soham Carnival Princesses. Kim Botting is the Chairman of the Carnival Committee. Good evening Kim.
KIM BOTTING: Good evening.
DOTTY MCLEOD: How much luck are you having? How many have you got so far?
KIM BOTTING: Oh at the moment we’ve got in a good fifteen at the moment. So hopefully that should array to piling up with quite a few women at the moment, yes.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Quite a few women. And what are the duties of a Soham Carnival Princess?
KIM BOTTING: Well as it is they’re all judged so obviously local, and hopefully what it does it extends over the years with having a good array of girls that would like to step up to the plate and be our Princess for the year.
DOTTY MCLEOD: And what are they going to be doing this year?
KIM BOTTING: Well hopefully this year it’s just a matter of as I’m saying it’s nice to get some past members, past Princesses get in touch with us so we can have a good show with on the parade.
DOTTY MCLEOD: So the search continues. That’s Kim Botting the Chairman of the Soham Carnival Committee, and the Carnival this year takes place on 27th May (2013) And if you are a former Soham Carnival Princess, then Kim would love to hear from you. You can email him on carnival@soham.org.uk. Or if you want to contact him by phone, then give us a call. We’re on 08459 252000, and we’ll be able to put you in touch.

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A Long Weekend In Cyprus

17:50 Thursday 21st March 2013
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[C]HRIS MANN: It’s deadline day in Cyprus again. The Cypriot President said a decision must be made on a Plan B to rescue the country’s indebted banks. On Tuesday the Parliament overwhelmingly rejected a bailout which involved taxing people’s savings. Banks there have been shut all week to prevent mass withdrawals, and are now to stay closed until next Tuesday. The European Central Bank has warned it may stop emergency funding on Monday. Our Europe Correspondent Duncan Crawford is in Brussels with more.
DUNCAN CRAWFORD: Well the European Central Bank clearly racheting up the pressure on Cypriots’ leaders to try and sort out a deal which will allow it to move past this current terrible financial plight it’s in. Cyprus’ leaders know they need to find €17 billion to refinance their banks and the Government. That’s the equivalent of a whole year of Cyprus’ economic output. They were offered €10 billion in emergency loans in exchange for putting in place a tax on deposits to raise the rest. We saw the protests that that led to. And they’re trying to find a Plan B. The question is what that Plan B is going to involve. Some details have come out. Continue reading “A Long Weekend In Cyprus”

Peterborough Performing Well Despite Record Jobless Totals

07:20 Thursday 21st March 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Unemployment has reached a record high in Peterborough, 5.6%, well above the national average. That’s according to the latest figure from the Office of National Statistics, which show that nearly 400 more people were receiving JobSeekers’ Allowance in February than in January. Meanwhile in Cambridgeshire only 2.2% of the workforce are receiving the benefit. Well let’s speak to John Bridge, Chief Executive of Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce. Morning John.
JOHN BRIDGE: Yes good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: This is very high, isn’t it?
JOHN BRIDGE: It is, and it is always disappointing when we see the level of JobSeeker Allowance people going up.
PAUL STAINTON: Why so much higher in Peterborough than elsewhere across Cambridgeshire? Continue reading “Peterborough Performing Well Despite Record Jobless Totals”