Games a Massive Distraction

17:55 Friday 10th August 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Well it’s official. London 2012 has made us a more positive nation. Research released by a conversation tracking word-of-mouth expert company reveals that during the first week of the Games, discussions about crime, energy costs and economic woes dramatically decreased, because everyone was talking about just one thing, the Games. Steve Thompson is MD of that company. It’s called Keller Fay UK, and apparently they can track everyday conversations across the UK. A bit worrying Steve. How do you do that? Continue reading “Games a Massive Distraction”

Cambs Police Commissioner Video

17:40 Wednesday 8th August 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Cambridgeshire Police Authority have made a special video on YouTube to mark 100 days to go until the election for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s first Police and Crime Commissioner. In November people will be able to choose who they will hold to account .. for the services provided. Ruth Rogers is the Chair of Cambridgeshire Police Authority. So. You’re trying to get people interested in something that frankly up to now they’ve shown little interest in.
RUTH ROGERS: Yes. This is a completely new election of course. It’s not something that any of us will have voted for before.
CHRIS MANN: Or asked for even.
RUTH ROGERS: The Government was very keen. They were absolutely certain that there was lots of support for this idea that people wanted to have somebody that they could hold to account through the ballot box. So that’s the purpose of this, that people will be able to hold this person to account by electing them, or not electing them in years to come, if they feel that they haven’t performed properly.
CHRIS MANN: They really have handed you a bit of a dud here Ruth. They say it’s going to be a popular idea. Now you’ve got to get people interested in it. I don’t sense a huge clamour out there for people to have yet another election for yet another public servant to be paid .. how much is it? Continue reading “Cambs Police Commissioner Video”

Is This a Record?

17:00 – 17:30 Monday 6th Auguat 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

Plenty of people just getting into the spirit and the atmosphere, and it’s absolutely fantastic.
We heard the women in the introduction doing a fantastic job.
They’re basically just trying to introduce people to the Park in the friendliest way possible and that’s fantastic.
We hoped she might get a gold, but a bronze, still fantastic.
Getting a gold medal which is quite fantastic.
Grabbed two people in fantastic fancy dress.
The organisation has been brilliant, absolutely fantastic.
Everyone loves doing it as well, so it’s been fantastic.
Fantastic! Who’s playing?
How was that? It was fantastic.
Fantastic! Well I’ll let you get on.
We’ve got this lovely red orbit to our right as well that everyone can see in the background of the BBC studios, so it’s just fantastic. Fantastic.

(That’s enough of that. Ed.)

Housing Crisis Up Ahead

08:11 Thursday 2nd August 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Earlier we revealed we couldn’t find any afffordable accommodation for someone living on housing benefit anywhere in the city. Let’s speak to Mick Leggett, Chief Executive of Cross Keys Homes. Mick, first of all, the last couple of days for me have been a real eye-opener. We’ve heard of people struggling to find a home, and when they have found somewhere it’s an absolute eye-sore they’re forced to live in. And the Council copying landlord lists from the internet. Is enough being done for people, do you think, that are on benefits in this city? This is 2012. I was absolutely horrified yesterday. Continue reading “Housing Crisis Up Ahead”

Rogue Landlords Out of Control in Peterborough

08:35 Wednesday 1st August 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: We’ve been looking at homeless people in the city this morning, and the state and squalor that some people are having to live in. A lack of affordable housing is to blame, and a lot of people are calling on the Council to offer more help to find a home. And the recent reduction in Government housing benefit hasn’t helped either. It’s seen a number of people, a growing number of people, struggle to find accommodation. It comes after yesterday’s announcement by SSentif that the number of households declared in need of emergency accommodation in England has risen by about 25% over just the past three years. And the East of England has seen the biggest rise as well. Earlier we heard from Darren Frith. (TAPE)
DARREN FRITH: I basically say to them, go round the properties that you’ve accredited, to all the landlords you’ve accredited, and look at their properties before you make people live in there really. It needs to start being regulated a lot tighter, because there’s a lot of rogue landlords in Peterborough, and all they want is the money, because they know the people are here and they want to live in the houses, and they’ve got no choices. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well earlier we heard from Sean Evans, the Housing Needs Manager at Peterborough City Council, who said they were looking at reintroducing the Accredited Landlord Scheme that they got rid of four years ago. And basically, now, they get a list of landlords from rightmove.co.uk, and just copy and paste them, and give them to people looking for housing. Well Rachael Orr is Campaigns Manager for Shelter. Continue reading “Rogue Landlords Out of Control in Peterborough”

Homelessness Reaching Middle Class Families in South Cambridgeshire

17:40 Tuesday 31st July 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

NICK FAIRBAIRN: There’s been a rise in the number of households needing emergency accommodation in the East of England. Date company SSentif has found that homelessness has risen by around 25% over the last three years, with the highest rise happening in this region.Cllr Mark Howell is the Cabinet Member for Housing at South Cambridgeshire District Council, and joins me in the studio now. Mark, have you seen a rise in homelessness in South Cambridgeshire? Has this been an upward trend? Continue reading “Homelessness Reaching Middle Class Families in South Cambridgeshire”

No Way Back for the High Street

07:26 Monday 30th July 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: We’ve all seen the shops closed on the high street. Clinton Cards going, Game going, and plenty of independents as well. Well now not only are they blaming the austere times that we’re living in, Adam Kirtley, they’re blaming the weather, aren’t they?
ADAM KIRTLEY: Well they’re blaming the weather in part. Julian Graves by the way is another one who’s just gone. I think that does, or did, wholefood, and that sort of thing. Now, 426 retailers went into insolvency in the second quarter of this year, and that’s up from 386 in the same period last year, so it’s 40 more, if you like, retailers have gone belly-up. Some of these will be very very small, some will be the big ones like Clinton Cards. Now the wash-out of the summer does appear to have exacerbated the problem, but I think Paul it would be unfair to blame it all on the weather. The bottom line is we’re just not shopping. Continue reading “No Way Back for the High Street”

Sir Roger Tomkys – A Perspective on the Syrian Conflict

17:22 Monday 23rd June 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Syria’s under-pressure government says it will not use chemical weapons against its own people, but would do so against an external attack. The President’s days in power seem to be numbered. The Arab League has called on Bashar al-Assad to step down, offering him safe passage, and rebels say they’re encouraged by assassinations last week. Let’s get some analysis now from a former Uk ambassador to Damascus, Sir Roger Tomkys, now Master of Pembroke College in Cambridge. Continue reading “Sir Roger Tomkys – A Perspective on the Syrian Conflict”