Month: February 2012

North Westgate – Time to Get On With It

08:10 Tuesday 21st February 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: The long hoped for North Westgate development, remember that? David Shaw is one of the men behind it, planning adviser to Hawksworth, who’ve been trying to get this North Westgate development sorted for, how long David?
DAVID SHAW: Ooh, a very long time. Eighteen years. I really am beginning to get a little old, I think.
PAUL STAINTON: I was going to say, you must have been a boy in short trousers when it started.
DAVID SHAW: I was nearly. I’ve been trying to get things to happen in the city centre for nearly thirty eight years. Queensgate did succeed, but with North Westgate we’re not having any success. Continue reading “North Westgate – Time to Get On With It”

Kilian Bourke on Coalition Politics, Local Democracy and His Alternative Budget for Cambridgeshire County Council

17:20 Monday 20th February 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: The County Council tomorrow votes on the budget for next year, including a 2.95% rise in council tax. When they announced their proposals, the Leader of the ruling Conservatives, Council Leader Nick Clarke gave us an extended interview on this programme. Now, on the eve of the crucial vote, it’s the turn of the Leader of the Opposition, Liberal Democrat councillor Kilian Bourke. Continue reading “Kilian Bourke on Coalition Politics, Local Democracy and His Alternative Budget for Cambridgeshire County Council”

BBC Facebook Policy

A listener in Peterborough posted a picture up onto the BBC Peterborough Breakfast Show Facebook wall.  In order to see the content on that BBC produced site it is necessary to register an account with Facebook, a private company. In this case, the listener’s point seems to be that his/her next door neighbours have erected a structure in the garden, and he/she believes that this might be used as residential accommodation for Eastern European migrant workers.
Continue reading “BBC Facebook Policy”

Reed Buntings Benefit From Diverse Farming Practices

17:53 Thursday 16th February 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: The RSPB has paid tribute to farmers near its reserve at Fowlmere in South Cambridgeshire. According to the RSPB, their bird-friendly farming technique has resulted in unprecedented numbers of reed buntings flocking to the Fowlmere reserve. Robert Law is one of those farmers, and he joins me from his arable and sheep filled Thrift Farm. Robert, good evening.
ROBERT LAW: Good evening.
CHRIS MANN: Just tell us, whereabouts are you?
ROBERT LAW: Right. I’m right on the Hertfordshire/Cambridgeshire border, and I’m just out from Royston, going towards Baldock.
CHRIS MANN: And what are you doing that’s so good for the birds, and bringing them back? Continue reading “Reed Buntings Benefit From Diverse Farming Practices”

Selective Licensing – A Potential Bonanza for the Council

08:12 Wednesday 15th February 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

JOANNE HODGES PETERBOROUGH CITY COUNCIL: .. we’ve also got the thing called Selective Licensing, which is another tool that we’re considering using within the Millfield and New England area. That means that all rented accommodation within that area would need to be licensed. So it would allow us to work with landlords, and landlords that don’t comply, to tackle things like anti-social behaviour, and the fact that they don’t give rent books, tenancy agreements, litter, that kind of thing. It would give us a lot more control over those issues. Continue reading “Selective Licensing – A Potential Bonanza for the Council”

13 Trees in Bridge Street Peterborough

07:40 Tuesday 14th February 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY GALL: We need to get an understanding about the reasons for the trees being cut down, so that we can move forward with the discussion.  So we’ll be able to speak to Andrew Edwards who’s from Peterborough City Council. Good morning Andrew.
ANDREW EDWARDS: Good morning. How are you this morning?
ANDY GALL: Pretty good. So can you tell us a little bit about the reasons for removing some of the trees please.
ANDRE EDWARDS: OK. The first thing to mention of course is that we don’t make a decision to take out trees lightly. And this has been a very well thought through, discussed and considered option. But in essence we’ve taken professional advice, looking at the trees, and the key thing here is to give a public space that will be there, not just for our generation, but for the generations to come.
ANDY GALL: And also during the process though, is it .. people want it to look aesthetically pleasing right now as well as in the future, so will it be done sympathetically?
ANDREW WILSON: Oh yes. We will do it in the best way possible. We’re very keen for the public realm that is produced as a result of taking these trees out to meet the needs of people of today and the future. The reason though that we are looking at taking these trees out is to ensure the life of the remainder. We could leave them in. We could say, right, we’re not going to do anything with these trees. And then, after a couple of years, you’ll see some of the trees starting to struggle. Some of them starting to die. And there’s a chance that we could lose considerably more than the thirteen we’re planning to take out at the present moment.
ANDY GALL: OK Andrew. Thank you very much for talking to us. And apologise for it being a little bit brief, but we certainly got the salient points from you. That’s Andrew Edwards from Peterborough City Council.

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Council Budget Numbers “Suspiciously Round”

08:07 Monday 13th February 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY GALL: Peterborough City Council has made more changes to its budget, but it still has a budget deficit of £2.7 million. The amount Enterprise has to save has been reduced by £320,000. Enterprise, of course provides a number of services for the City Council, including street cleaning and looking after parks and trees. The amount being invested in trees is £250,000 less, and crossing patrols have been saved as well, which would have been an extra £43,000 for the Council. Nick Sandford is the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party in Peterborough, and joins us in the studio now. Good morning Nick.
NICK SANDFORD: Good morning Andy.
ANDY GALL: So what do you make of these figures then? Continue reading “Council Budget Numbers “Suspiciously Round””