Cambridge Enterprise Centre process review published

08:25 Wednesday 16th September 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: A review of Cambridgeshire County Council’s decision to allow a private company to take over part of Cambridge Central Library has found seven key opportunities for improvement. These cover areas including confidentiality, project management and public consultation. This Library Enterprise Centre project as it was called was very very controversial a few months ago. Our Political Reporter Hannah Olsson looks back on the story’s developments.
HANNAH OLSSON: Money saving plans to turn much of the third floor of Cambridge Central Library into a privately-run enterprise zone proved very controversial, with nearly 4,000 people signing a petition against the idea. The County Council vote came down to the wire, with six members of a thirteen strong committee voting against it, and seven for it. Councillors requested the decision to be looked at again, and in the meantime allegations emerged questioning the credibility of Kora, the private company behind the plan. So the Council decided to take back their decision, and the enterprise zone idea was shelved. Even more controversy followed because a Freedom of Information request showed that although the idea was only talked about publicly in March this year, senior council officials had held almost forty meetings with Kora, after being approached by them back in 2013. All leading to questions about trust, transparency and accountibility.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Well councillor Mike Shellens has been leading the review of this process, and has compiled a report which has been published in the last 24 hours. It will be discussed by councillors next week. Mike.
MIKE SHELLENS: Morning Dotty,
DOTTY MCLEOD: Hello. Can you summarise for us your headline findings?
MIKE SHELLENS: I think the key finding right at the top is that there was no illegality in this. people were using best endeavours. They .. at no stage did anybody .. has anybody suggested that there’s been anything untoward. Had that not been the case, had there been evidence or suggestions of malpractice, then the report would have been extremely different.
DOTTY MCLEOD: But you acknowledge in your report that mistakes were made. So what kind of things are you referrring to there?
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Mark Serwotka on a new spirit of co-operation

17:21 Monday 14th September 2015 BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: More now on the election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Leader. He spent his first day fighting for the unions. He’ll be opposing Government plans to tighten the law on strike ballots and industrial action. I got reaction to that and to his election from Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of one of the country’s biggest unions, the Public and Commercial Services, PCS.
MARK SERWOTKA: I’m very excited about Jeremy’s election, not just because of the margin of his win, but because he’s enthused so many people in actually putting forward a very different set of policies to the people of this country, something very different from what we’ve had for many many years. And I think that’s got to be a really good thing for those who want to see a very different kind of society.
CHRIS MANN: Of course the extraordinary thing is he struggled to get enough MPs nominating him, but there were the Party members, who elected him as you say with an overwhelming majority. That suggests a very split party, the views of the MPs not reflecting those of the membership.
MARK SERWOTKA: Well I think it does raise the question of whether the MPs are entirely in tune with the membership, and those who voted to support Jeremy through the registration scheme. But of course in the last twenty years in politics the Labour MPs in Parliament have actually been forced to conduct a debate with the Conservatives along very narrow lines. Austerity against austerity lite. What Jeremy offered was a very different economic strategy, one that is about a more equal society, that is against cuts in benefits for the poorest, that is for people paying tax when they are rich or a corporation. And we haven’t really had that in Parliament for years. So I think the fact that people will now be offered something so very different will electrify politics in Britain, which is why I don’t think David Cameron is happy about Jeremy’s election whatsoever. I think he’ll be quite worried about it.
CHRIS MANN: And it’s a long time isn’t it since the unions really cosied up to Labour. There was a suspicion wasn’t there between the two since Tony Blair took over. So is it beer and sandwiches again?
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Rohan McWilliam on Jeremy Corbyn

08:08 Monday 14th September 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: He inspired nearly 60% of the voters in the Labour leadership election. Has Jeremy Corbyn inspired you? We’ll be talking Corbyn-mania and Corby-nomics as he starts to build his team on the Opposition benches. Here’s what Labor MP Daniel Zeichner who represents Cambridge had to say earlier.
DANIEL ZEICHNER: Obviously I was disappointed for Yvette. I thought she was the right person for the job. But it was a huge mandate for Jeremy, and it’s really important that Labour MPs like me respond positively to that mandate.

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DOTTY MCLEOD: The Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has made the main appointments to his new top team, giving Shadow Cabinet jobs to close allies and political rivals. Probably the most significant decision he’s made is to put his campaign manager and fellow left winger John McDonnell into the key position of Shadow Chancellor. The man who came second to Jeremy Corbyn in the Leadership contest Andy Burnham has been made Shadow Home Secretary, while Hilary Benn will stay on as Shadow Foreign Secretary. Tony Blair’s old friend Lord Falconer has been made Shadow Justice Secretary. Several Labour MPs have expressed disappointment that the most prominent roles have gone to men, among them John Mann.
JOHN MANN: Jeremy is going to have to learn what leadership is about. And so some of his mates now today won’t get jobs, because he’s going to have to put some women in instead. And I think what he needs to make sure as well, he’s appointed three women from London. He needs to ensure that the whole country is represented, and it’s not just a London-led leadership.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Well Jeremy Corbyn’s team insist there will be a majority of women in the Shadow Cabinet. Angela Eagle is the new Shadow Business Secretary, and she’ll stand in for Mr Corbyn at Prime Minister’s Questions. Meanwhile Heidi Alexander who’s only been an MP for five years is promoted to the front bench, taking charge of health. Dave Prentice from the union Unison is pleased with the appointments so far.
DAVE PRENTICE: They’re really experienced Labour politicians of the middle ground. Andy Burnham, Hilary Benn, Lord Falconer, Angela Eagle, these are experienced people that Labour MPs have worked with over the years, who’ve been in government, and also been in opposition. And I think this Shadow Cabinet bodes well for the future. Also worth a look at who is not in Jeremy Corbyn’s team, two of his other rivals for the Leadership for a start, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall They decided they couldn ‘t serve him. And several of the old Shadow Cabinet have also walked away, Chuka Umunna said he was leaving the front bench by mutual agreement, after deciding he had too many disagreements with Jeremy Corbyn. Many are concerned about his reluctance to speak out in favour of the European Union, and his criticisms of NATO. ..
DOTTY MCLEOD: Rohan McWilliam is at Anglia Ruskin, a Professor of Modern British History and Director of the Labour History Research Unit. Gosh, quite a big weekend I’d have thought in your line of work Rohan.
ROHAN MCWILLIAM: Oh absolutely. A momentous day on Saturday, an extraordinary moment which I don ‘t think many of us would have expected two or three months ago.
DOTTY MCLEOD: So why is it momentous?
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An asset of community value

17:41 Wednesday 9th September 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: A former pub in South Cambs has been saved from development as a house, after a planning inspector backed the Council’s decision to refuse it planning permission. The Pear Tree in Hildersham had been listed as an Asset of Community Value by villagers, but it doesn’t look like they’ll be getting their local back just yet. To find out more I’m joined by councillor Nick Wright from South Cambs, He’s the District Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development. Hello Nick.
NICK WRIGHT: Good evening Chris.
CHRIS MANN: And someone who’s been working to try and save pubs. So when did the pub close?
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MP defends affordable homes waiver for prime development site

09:34 Wednesday 9th September 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: There was uproar in Peterborough yesterday after permission was given for a developer to backtrack on plans for the old Peterborough District Hospital site. You know, the thing that’s been derelict for, well, since the old Queen died. Lands Improvement Holdings had been set to pay £1.2 million to Peterborough City Council and build more than 50 affordable homes on the site. But the company claim they now can’t afford it, and at a meeting last night pleaded with councillors to reduce the amount of money to less than £1 million, AND to scrap any plans to build any affordable housing. Yes, the state this county is in, people need all these homes. They’re not going to build any affordable housing. Is that right? How do we solve this county’s housing crisis if we don’t build affordable homes? MP for Peterborough Stewart Jackson, let’s get his view on it. Stewart, good morning.
STEWART JACKSON: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Is this right?
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BBC aims to engage with local media

07:57 Monday 7th September 2015

DOTTY MCLEOD: The BBC is to offer content to local newspapers, and allow rival shows to be seen on its iPlayer catch-up service. These are some of the plans that will be proposed by the BBC’s Director General Tony Hall in a speech this morning on the BBC’s future. Media commentator Steve Hewlett has more details.
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Music Therapy and Dementia Care in the 21st Century

17:40 Thursday 3rd September 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: A major conference is being held in Cambridge this weekend, examining how music therapy can help people with dementia. It’s taking place at Anglia Ruskin University. Let’s find out more now and speak to Professor Helen Odell-Miller, who is the Head of Music Therapy at Anglia Ruskin. Hello
HELEN ODELL-MILLER: Hello. Hello Chris.
CHRIS MANN: Welcome to the programme. How can music therapy help people with dementia?
HELEN ODELL-MILLER: For people with dementia, music therapy can help particularly reduce their agitation. People very often feel confused. They can’t remember things, and actually active music making, singing, finding a way of communicating with people, can help calm them, and also lift their spirits and improve well being.
CHRIS MANN: OK. As it does for all of us I suppose.
HELEN ODELL-MILLER: Yes. Sure. Absolutely.
CHRIS MANN: Whatever state we’re in. (THEY LAUGH) Can people remember music better than other things, when they have dementia?
HELEN ODELL-MILLER: Quite often. So with a little trigger like the beginning line of a song, someone who hasn’t been able to hold a clear conversation can often break into song and sing a whole song through, all the words correct. And that can sometimes lead them to have a discussion with their loved ones afterwards, in a way that hadn’t previously been possible. It’s often only in the moment that these things happen, but we’ve researched and found now internationally that there are some trends arising, and we’ve got some data to show.
CHRIS MANN: What kind of music works the best with people?
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Changing the High Street

07:28 Thursday 3rd September 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: There’s further signs of improvement in the health of the UK high streets. New figures show another small year-on-year fall in the overall number of empty shops, but there’s been a sharp increase in the number of shops lying empty for more than three years. These figures come from the Local Data Company. The Director there is Matthew Hopkinson.
MATTHEW HOPKINSON: Having been empty for three years and with a balance between online and shopping in store, we know that they’re no longer required. So now’s the time that the Government and local authorities and landlords need to make a decision and change them, either back into workplaces, or into residential, or indeed knock them down.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Nationally nearly 10,000 shops have been unoccupied since 2012. Dr Tim Denison is Director of Retail Intelligence at IPSOS Retail Performance. He says the problem is oversupply. In other words there’s more units available than demand requires.
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