Election 2010 – The New Listener

Horses For Hay

Changes to Peterborough City Council Members’ Allowances following the Cereste reshuffle.

As documented elsewhere under a Freedom of Information request Peterborough City Council were asked to publish an up-to-date list of Members’ Allowances, ie who gets what following Marco’s reshuffle.
PCC have supplied some information.
They have refused the FOI request itself, on the grounds that the information requested is now published. They have provided some pdf files on their website from which the information which was requested could eventually be collated.
Comment with any corrections.
Continue reading “Horses For Hay”

Openness and Transparency: Another FOI Request Refused

On 17th June 2010 under the Freedom of Information Act Peterborough City Council were asked to update the list of Members Allowances and publish the current figures for who gets what. The request was refused.

On 17th June 2010 under the Freedom of Information Act Peterborough City Council were asked to update the list of Members Allowances and publish the current figures for who gets what.

On 21st June they responded as follows:

FOI-10-0276
Continue reading “Openness and Transparency: Another FOI Request Refused”

Asif Shaheed New Peterborough LibDem Councillor

Asif Shaheed talks to the BBC about how he defeated the warring Conservative Party in the Walton Peterborough ward election. Broadcast at 07:20 on Monday 10th May 2010 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

STAINTON: Let’s speak to one of the new boys. Asif Shaheed is the new Liberal Democrat councillor for Walton. Morning.
SHAHEED: Morning Paul. How are you sir?
STAINTON: I’m very good sir. Nice to speak to you.
SHAHEED: Thank you.
STAINTON: So you’ve been elected. You must be full of the joys of spring this morning. Continue reading “Asif Shaheed New Peterborough LibDem Councillor”

Ashley Law IFA on the Economy

Independent Financial Adviser Joe Jennings from Ashley Law Peterborough talks to Paul Stainton on the three main political parties and their policies on the economy. Broadcast at 07:10 on Thursday 29th April 2010 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

PAUL: Ten past seven. It’s been described as the issue that none of the Leaders have an answer for. Yes it’s also the subject of tonight’s third election debate as I mentioned earlier, of course, the economy, stupid, which could be the deciding factor in the race to number ten. I would just like to apologise for calling you stupid there. So which of the parties if any have the right strategy? Joe Jennings is from independent financial advisers Ashley Law in Peterborough. He’s got a nice cup of tea. Morning.
JOE: Good morning Paul.
PAUL: You look a right mess in that jacket.
JOE: (LAUGHS)
PAUL: Sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. I do apologise. (LAUGHS)
JOE: (LAUGHS) That sort of morning, is it?
PAUL: It’s a good excuse though, isn’t it? If our illustrious leader can call people bigots, you know. Do you know what a bigot is, by the way? It’s someone who’s strongly partial to one’s own group, religion, race or politics, and is intolerant of those who differ. You muppet. Sorry. Do any of the main parties, Joe, in all seriousness, have the right answer to get us out of this economic mess and avoid us sliding down the slippery slope towards Greece-dom?
JOE: No. I look forward to tonight in the debate, because each party is supposed to be giving a strategy on how we’re going to get out of this mess. There’s not one. Pain is the only thing to get us out this strategy. Continue reading “Ashley Law IFA on the Economy”

The Big Election Debate

A one hour debate between the three main candidates for the Peterborough seat in the 2010 general Election. Broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday 20th April 2010 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

A one hour debate between the three main candidates for the Peterborough seat in the 2010 General Election. Broadcast at 09:00 on Tuesday 20th April 2010 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

STAINTON: Good morning. It’s nine o’clock. Welcome to a specially extended Peterborough Breakfast Show, the big election debate for Peterborough between now and ten for the Peterborough Parliamentary seat, between the three main parties. For Conservatives Stewart Jackson, Ed Murphy for Labour, and also Nick Sandford for the Liberal Democrats. Good morning gentlemen. How are you? Are you alright?
ALL: Good morning.
STAINTON: We’ll start with Stewart, the former Peterborough MP, of course, no longer. He’s got to bid for it again. Stewart MP for Peterborough since two thousand and five, winning with a majority of two thousand seven hundred and forty votes, a former Lloyds Bank manager before becoming an MP. Worked with Business Link in London, also a councillor in Ealing for eight years. Stewart is currently Chairman of the All England Party Group on Pakistan. He was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government, and had front bench responsibility. In his spare time he enjoys reading biographies, travel, architecture, history, swimming and bungee jumping. He’s married to Sarah, and has a daughter Isabel. Good morning Stewart Jackson.
JACKSON: Good morning Paul.
STAINTON: You’ve got your chance to sell yourself for a minute to the electorate. They’re listening. Continue reading “The Big Election Debate”

Rob King English Democrat Candidate

An outside broadcast from the launch of the English Democrat election campaign in Cambridgeshire. Broadcast at 07:35 on Thursday April 15th 2010 in Paul Stainton’s Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

An outside broadcast with studio edit from the launch of the English Democrat election campaign in Cambridgeshire. Broadcast at 07:35 on Thursday April 15th 2010 in Paul Stainton’s Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

STAINTON: Yesterday the English Democrats launched their General Election manifesto in Peterborough. The Party made waves in the city last year when two city councillors joined them, after defecting from the Tories. One of those councillors, Stephen Goldspink, is now standing in the North West Cambridgeshire constituency, alongside Rob King, who’s standing in Peterborough. Our political reporter Steve Titman was at the launch event in Peterborough yesterday. (TAPE – OB and studio edit)
GOLDSPINK: (OB) A twenty billion pound bill each year for England’s taxpayers. English MPs can’t vote … (RINGTONE – “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder”) ..Yes. Well that’s a reminder to us all, isn’t it? Continue reading “Rob King English Democrat Candidate”

Stewart Jackson Conservative Party Candidate

An interview with Stewart Jackson Conservative Party Candidate for Peterborough broadcast on Friday 9th April 2010 at 08:10 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

STAINTON: Now, four days of election talk, has it been enough to persuade you to go out and cast your ballot on May 6th yet? If not, don’t worry. We’ve got four more weeks. Yesterday, Dr Ken Ritchie from the Electoral Reform Society said that under the current voting system, there’s no way the Conservatives would lose their majority in Peterborough.
RITCHIE (TAPE) What are the chances that the Conservatives are not going to hold Peterborough? Look, they won it with a little margin way back in 2005. Back in 2005 the Conservatives were trailing Labour by a mile in the opinion polls. Now it’s the Conservatives that are way ahead. There’s no way, you go down to the bookies, and see what odds they’ll give, on Labour taking back Peterborough.
STAINTON: (LIVE) Well Liberal Democrat candidate in Peterborough, Nick Sandford, said the system was the reason seats were staying the same.
SANDFORD: (TAPE) Across the whole of Cambridgeshire, certainly four out of the six seats in Cambridgeshire do hardly ever change hands, and that is a feature of the corrupt and undemocratic electoral systrem. That’s a system that enabled Tony Blair to be elected in 2005, only getting just over a third of the people supporting him. More people in the City of Peterborough vote against the Conservatives, but we end up with two Members of Parliament.
STAINTON: (LIVE) So could the election in Peterborough be a bit dull? Well Labour candidate Ed Murphy didn’t think so.
MURPHY: (TAPE) I know I’m from Peterborough. Most people know. When the personalities come through, one of the things is true, in Cambridgeshire we’ve got very boring Members of Parliament. Let’s talk to people about the issues, about how we need decent jobs for hard-working folk in Peterborough. There is a change in this election. We’ve got several right-wing parties standing. And it is going to be a very tense time in Peterborough, and very interesting.
STAINTON: (LIVE) Well Peterborough’s Conservative MP Stewart Jackson is in the studios this morning. Good morning Stewart.
JACKSON:Morning Paul.
STAINTON: So um .. no point really. You’re going to walk it, according to the Electoral Reform Society. Continue reading “Stewart Jackson Conservative Party Candidate”

Fiona Radic Green Party Candidate

An interview with Fiona Radic Green Party Candidate for Peterborough broadcast on Thursday 15th April 2010 at 08:10 in the Paul Stainton Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Peterborough.

STAINTON: Today the Green Party launched their manifesto in Brighton. We already know they are very passionate about the environment. But what else are they going to be fighting for? Well Fiona Radic is the Green Parliamentary Candidate for Peterborough. She’s here now. Morning.
RADIC: Good morning Paul.
STAINTON: Is it just green policies that you’ll be offering the people of Peterborough?
RADIC: Well when you say green policies, do you mean the environment?
STAINTON: Yes I do. Green jobs. I mean are you going to try and get us out of this massive economic hole with green policies?
RADIC: Well exactly. We have a massive set of problems to deal with. The biggest one at the moment has got to be the economy. And the Green Party has tackled this by producing policies to bring down the amount of money that we need to borrow. We’re actually proposing to borrow less than the Labour Government is intending to borrow, but also to increase the number of jobs in the public sector.
STAINTON: How are you going to do that? Continue reading “Fiona Radic Green Party Candidate”