Children in Poverty – Department in Disarray

08:08 Tuesday 8th May 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

Listen to the audio here

PAUL STAINTON: A charity that helps families and kids in poverty says Peterborough City Council isn’t equipped to support people who struggle to make ends meet. According to 4Children, the Council doesn’t have a strategy in place for helping youngsters and parents cope. It comes after research reveals that three local authorities, Central Bedfordshire, Suffolk and Peterborough, have failed to take even the first steps towards combatting the problem. Well Mark Bennett from 4Children was on the show earlier. He says he’s alarmed by the lack of preparation by Peterborough City Council. (TAPE)
MARK BENNETT: It sounds to me like there is a council in Peterborough which is not taking its duties to children and particularly children in poverty and struggling families very seriously. If you can’t measure anything, you can’t show in a year’s time whether you’ve made any progress or not, because you’ve not actually set yourself any targets. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well we asked Peterborough City Council for their strategy on child poverty, and we’ve yet to receive it. But they have let us speak to the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Cllr. Sheila Scott. Morning Sheila.
SHEILA SCOTT: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Have you managed to find the strategy document anywhere?
SHEILA SCOTT: Well it’s a really interesting question, because .. Continue reading “Children in Poverty – Department in Disarray”

MP Rails Against Cost of Uncontrolled EU Migration

17:06 Thursday 26th April 2012
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NICK FAIRBAIRN: The interpretation and translation services provided by Peterborough Crown Court and Peterborough Magistrates Court has almost doubled in the past five years. The cost has risen from £36,447 in 2006/7 to more than £75,000 in the last financial year. MP for Peterborough Stewart Jackson told me earlier it is a big problem. (TAPE)
STEWART JACKSON: It shows that again Peterborough is suffering in terms of the impact without any Government assistance in terms of extra funding of uncontrolled European Union migration. Continue reading “MP Rails Against Cost of Uncontrolled EU Migration”

Socialists in Peterborough

08:20 Thursday 26th April 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridge

PAUL STAINTON: The local elections just a week away, and we’ve been talking to the various parties who have people standing in Peterborough. We’ve already heard from the Conservatives, the LibDems, Labour, UKIP. Earlier we had Fiona Radic of the Green Party on, suggesting a 20mph speed limit across the city. And there are also two socialist party candidates standing this time around.Stephen Woodbridge is one of them, and I spoke to him earlier. Continue reading “Socialists in Peterborough”

UKIP in Peterborough

08:29 Wednesday 25th April 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: The polls are suggesting that UKIP could overtake the LibDems as the 3rd biggest party, and the party could grow further as disillusioned Tories perhaps jump ship. But apart from leaving the EU, what else do they stand for, UKIP? Well let’s speak to Peter Reeve, who’s Cambridgeshire’s County Councillor for UKIP. Morning.
PETER REEVE: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: You are just a one-issue party, aren’t you? Continue reading “UKIP in Peterborough”

Local Businesses Turn Against Tories

08:35 Tuesday 24th April 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Well as we’ve been talking about all morning, the Prime Minister’s been forced to dismiss fierce criticism from a Conservative MP that he’s out of touch. Nadine Dorries said the Prime Minister and the Chancellor George Osborne were two arrogant, posh boys, who have no passion to understand how people live their lives. Well earlier we heard from a Tory potential candidate in Huntingdon, who rejected it, and said she was absolutely ridiculous to be saying that during an election. Well Dilys from Sawtry, morning.
DILYS MARVIN: Morning.
PAUL STAINTON: You’re right with Nadine, aren’t you?
DILYS MARVIN: I congratulate her on speaking out. It’s time someone did. I wrote to David Cameron on this very subject about a year ago, and I said to him you keep saying Mr Cameron we need loans. I said we don’t want loans, we have to pay them back with interest. And that’s ridiculous, if we haven’t got the customers that you’re denying us because you’re putting them all out of business, you’re making them lose their jobs. And I’ve got hundreds of customers who’ve just done that. And they’re not only victimising my customers, they’re victimising the pets as well. Because the pets are going to Wood Green, and they’re going to these rescue centres, because they can’t afford to look after them.
PAUL STAINTON: You own a cattery Dilys, don’t you?
DILYS MARVIN: I do.
PAUL STAINTON: Yes. So you’re finding it tough.
DILYS MARVIN: I’m finding it very tough:
PAUL STAINTON: What was the response from David Cameron? Did he listen to you?
DILYS MARVIN: Well he wrote back and said that he’d read my letter, and that he would take a note. But that’s as far as it ever went.
PAUL STAINTON: What do you think then? Do you think they are just posh boys that don’t listen to the everyday problems?
DILYS MARVIN: I think that they live a different life. They certainly do. I went to a public school, but my home life was very different. And I lived in the real world when I was at home. These public schools, they distance you from reality.
PAUL STAINTON: Dilys, thank you for your comments this morning. Appreciate that. Dilys in Sawtry runs a cattery. Right behind Nadine Dorries. They live different lives.

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Lords Reform Means Westminster Will Cost More

07:35 Monday 23rd April 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Should the House of Lords be abolished? If you went around the streets of Peterborough, people would like to do more than just abolish the House of Lords I would think. A Committee of MPs will be asking that question today though. The peers are calling for the second chamber to be replaced by a largely elected body, with members serving for a fifteen year term. Well the issue is threatening to split the Coalition right down the middle. Even talk of resignations Paul Rowley. Is that right? Resignations? That would be an outrage. Continue reading “Lords Reform Means Westminster Will Cost More”

Apprenticeships at Cambridge Regional College

17:45 Thursday 19th April 2012
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NICK FAIRBAIRN: Pupils at Cambridge Regional College are reaping the benefit of a new apprenticeship scheme. Since it was launched in February, the number of pupils being offered apprenticeships has risen dramatically. Earlier on today I spoke to someone from the Regional College. It was CRC’s Programme Leader of Painting and Decorating. His name is Keith Bryant, and he told me that the scheme is working an absolute treat. Continue reading “Apprenticeships at Cambridge Regional College”

Free Kicks In Scotland

17:55 Thursday 19th April 2012
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NICK FAIRBAIRN: Yesterday our Peterborough Breakfast team caught up with a group of Posh fans who are driving 939 miles to all of the Scottish football league clubs in just two days. Why, you ask. Well to raise money for the Peterborough charity the Free Kicks Foundation. And one of those intrepid travellers is on the line now. Chris Dowsett’s with us. Hi Chris.
CHRIS DOWSETT: Hi Nick.
NICK FAIRBAIRN: Chris, wher are you at the moment?
CHRIS DOWSETT: We have just left Aberdeen, and we are on our way to Peterhead, which is about 30 miles.
NICK FAIRBAIRN: A long old way. Are you on schedule? How are you looking? Continue reading “Free Kicks In Scotland”