Month: March 2012

Before Queensgate

07:12 Friday 9th March 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Trevor Pearce is ..Chairman of the Peterborough Local History Society. Do you remember the .. centre of Peterborough pre-1982?
TREVOR PEACRE: I do indeed Paul. Yes.
PAUL STAINTON: Was it a vibrant centre at the time?
TREVOR PEARCE: Yes it was. You’ve got to remember, in the middle of what is now Queensgate, was Perkins Engine factory.
PAUL STAINTON: Yes.
TREVOR PEARCE: That’s where it all started. There was also a huge printing works. There was a big department store called Trollope’s, and numerous little shops. And I think something like fifteen pubs.
PAUL STAINTON: Was there really?
TREVOR PEARCE: Yes.
PAUL STAINTON: Really! It’s before my time. I came in ’89. It was all built then. It was all sorted, and running very very nicely. It’s undoubtedly been a success.
TREVOR PEARCE: Indeed.
PAUL STAINTON: We were one of the first places to get a shopping centre. And that was a great thing. But has it had a detrimental impact do you think on those independent shops that we had before?
TREVOR PEARCE: Yes. Maybe. I think there was a huge price to pay. It was a labyrinth of tiny little streets. Very narrow little streets. And I think there was a price to pay for that centre. But at the other side of the coin is I think we came off pretty good, because it’s a good centre. You compare it with the Broadmarsh or the Viccy Centre in Nottingham ..
PAUL STAINTON: Hmm.
TREVOR PEARCE: We’ve come off quite well.
PAUL STAINTON: Well the Broadmarsh is half empty all the time. That’s the thing. (THEY LAUGH)

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Weeping and Wailing as Green Bank Long Shot Kicks the Bucket

07:21 Friday 9th March 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: The Government announced yesterday where the UK’s Green Investment Bank will be based. You may remember we’ve been bidding for it, we’ve been expecting it, hoping for it, looking for it. Well we didn’t get it. We were snubbed. It’s gone to Edinburgh. Edinburgh of all places. What was Vince Cable playing at? (TAPE)
VINCE CABLE: Edinburgh has a very good financial centre. A lot’s happening in the green industry front. London is a centre for specialist banking. We want to tap into both of them. And we’ve had a competition which showed that those two were the two cities that came out on top. But this is a big step forward. By the end of this year the Green Investment Bank will be getting out good projects. So we’re well on the way to making Britain a world leader in green investment.” (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well, disappointing for Peterborough. Opportunity Peterborough disappointed too. They put the bid together for the city. Neil Darwin, Director of Economic Development is here with a little frown on your face this morning. Continue reading “Weeping and Wailing as Green Bank Long Shot Kicks the Bucket”

UKIP Welcome New Believers

17:21 Thursday 8th March 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Nigel Farage, Leader of the UK Independence Party, is in Cambridgeshire this evening. In fact he’s in this studio, claiming growing support in Cambridgeshire. In a moment I’ll be talking to him, but earlier this week a Tory MEP defected to UKIP. Roger Helmer, and MEP for 13 years, explained his reasons to us earlier. (TAPE)
ROGER HELMER: I have strong views about Europe. I think we would be better off out. I have strong views about climate and energy. I don’t think we should be covering the country with windfarms. And on a whole range of other issues, I’m afraid I disagree with the direction that Cameron’s Conservative Party is going. Indeed, I would say that the Conservative Party today is just another pro-European social democratic party, a bit like the LibDems, a bit like the Labour Party. Whereas the common sense solutions that most Conservative Party members want, on Europe, on energy, on all these issues, actually UKIP is offering the common sense solution. Those are the opinions that I’ve had right the way through, and I’ve been trying all the time to move the Conservative Party in a more Eurosceptic direction, more closely in line with the members. because it’s the leadership that are going in the wrong direction. And I finally finished pushing water up hill. Too many disappointments, too many false dawns, and I’m afraid I don’t think the Conservative Party is going to adopt a sensible attitude on Europe, or on these other issues. And by the way, I would stress, you say UKIP is an anti-European party. We’re in favour of Europe, we’re just against the European Union. But we also have a range of other policies. And I do want to stress, the media often presents us as a single issue party. We’re not. We’ve got very clear policies on a wide range of issues. (LIVE)
CHRIS MANN: Roger Helmer talking on this station a little earlier on. He defected earlier this week from the Conservative Party to UKIP. And the Leader Nigel Farage is in the studio now. Good evenening. Welcome.
NIGEL FARAGE: Good evening.
CHRIS MANN: On your way to St Ives this evening, where you’re going to be announcing another move, are you not, another recruit? Continue reading “UKIP Welcome New Believers”

Campaign Lifeline for the Cambridge Royal Standard

17:54 Wednesday 7th March 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: The demise of the pub in the county continues. Planning applications to remove three more pubs from Cambridge have just been submitted. They are The Royal Standard in Mill Road, The Greyhound in Coldhams Lane, and the Seven Stars in Newmarket Road. They could all be destined to be knocked down or converted into flats and businesses, in the face of, it has to be said, stiff opposition from some residents. Well Paul Ainsworth from CAMRA joins me now. Paul. Well we’ve discussed this before haven’t we?
PAUL AINSWORTH: Yes we have.
CHRIS MANN: Because there’s already been quite a toll in the last decade on pubs around the county, and specifically in Cambridge. But this is three more. What do you think? Continue reading “Campaign Lifeline for the Cambridge Royal Standard”

Nick Clarke on His Day in Wisbech

17:20 Tuesday 6th March 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Today the spotlight in Cambridgeshire very much on Wisbech, as the County Council held its Cabinet meeting there. Cllr. Nick Clark, Leader of the County Council, and Alan Melton, Leader of Fenland District Council, announced an ambitious vision for the town. Well Nick Clarke joined me a short time ago to explain. (TAPE)
NICK CLARKE: Wisbech, a vibrant town, the north of our county, the only port in the county, a place where we aim to help the economy grow, and somewhere that we’ve got a lot of trust and we’re making lots of investments in.
CHRIS MANN: One of the quotes attributed to you today is it’s currently “like driving through Beirut”. As bad as that, is it? Continue reading “Nick Clarke on His Day in Wisbech”

Government Changes Rules For Becoming a Brit

17:40 Monday 5th March 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson has backed new Home Office rules which mean unskilled immigrants from outside the EU will no longer have an automatic right to settle in the UK. Until now, someone who had lived in the UK for five years was virtually guaranteed to be allowed to settle here permanently. Those who have settled in the past tend to be lower earners, more than those who have not. Now, in order to settle, workers must be paid at least £35,000. Stewart Jackson joined me earlier to give his reaction. Continue reading “Government Changes Rules For Becoming a Brit”

Peterborough Council and the Section 106 Money

08:08 Monday 5th March 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: A City councillor has expressed his dismay after the City Council agreed a deal with a developer to accept a lower Section 106 contribution. Basically every time a development is built in the city, a fee is agreed between the developer and the Council for how much money needs to be given to accommodate the new facilities. And it means if you get something built in your ward, then you generally get something nice to spend on say a park, or a community centre, or something that your ward needs. This particular deal means that Central ward has missed out on around £39,000. Now earlier we heard from Councillor Nazim Khan. He represents Labour in Central ward. He explained what happened. (TAPE)
NAZIM KHAN: There was a development taking place on Lincoln Road. There was about 23 apartments that were to be built. And the money was allocated, £50,000 towards the Hobson site, that they were going to make use of for children and young people. And apparently, after the completion of the building and everything else, they have decided that they can’t afford to pay £50,000, and they can only make the contribution of £11,000. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well the Council says the terms of the development has changed. Well last year the Council revealed that a total of £6.5 million of Section 106 money has yet to be spent, and was lying in Council coffers. Nick Sandford’s here from the LibDem group. Morning Nick.
NICK SANDFORD: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: It sounds a bit odd to me, that you make an agreement with a developer. They agree to pay £50,000. Then they go at the end, I can’t afford that. What if we call it student accommodation, and we only pay £11,000? Continue reading “Peterborough Council and the Section 106 Money”

The BBC Cannabis Debate with Peter Reynolds

10:35 Thursday 1st March 2012
The JVS Show Three Counties Radio

JONATHAN VERNON-SMITH: Over a week ago I spoke to Jill about her son. Now he’s 23 now, and has been smoking cannabis since he was 14. It’s now dominating his life, and he’s become addicted to it. His wife has kicked him out, no longer able to cope with his drug taking. He’s stolen from his parents to fund his dependency, and he’s just not able to have a relationship with his young son that most fathers would want, as a result of his drug taking. Well when I spoke to Jill, I had Del Conlan, a drug rehabilitation counsellor from Trust the Process in Luton on the programme as well. After hearing Jill’s story, Dale made a staggering offer to Jill. He said that he’d arrange a 12 week rehab. programme for Jill’s son. This is what happened next. (TAPE)
JONATHAN VERNON-SMITH: Jill, I want you to tell him now. He’s sitting there next to you. Tell him now. You’ve got two options today. Either you go to Trust the Process counselling for three months now, or this afternoon he’s leaving the house. Tell him that now. Continue reading “The BBC Cannabis Debate with Peter Reynolds”