Lewis Herbert Under Fire for Cambridge Bin Strike Backlog

07:20 Friday 18th July 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: So the mercury is rising, believe me. The sun cream, you’ll need it for later on. And the rubbish bins are still out as well in Cambridge, eight days over last week’s strike over pay and pensions. And the last of the 8,000 uncollected bins in Cambridge we’re told will finally be cleared away today. But the hot weather coupled with rotting refuse has prompted several people to make unfavourable comparisons with the bad old days of the 1970’s and the Winter of Discontent. Former County Council Leader Nick Clarke tweeting yesterday “Labour-run council in trouble already in Cambridge. Bins not being emptied because of strikes. Labour union strikes” And the city’s MP Julian Huppert calling it “a poor start to Labour’s stewardship of Cambridge City Council.” Well Lewis Herbert is the Leader of Cambridge City Council. Lewis, morning.
LEWIS HERBERT: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Is it your fault?
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Lewis Herbert on the Challenges Facing Labour on Cambridge City Council

10:18 Thursday 17th July 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[A]NDIE HARPER: How long have you been in the city? I’ve been here twenty seven years, and I have seen dramatic changes over that time as you might expect of a period of that long. But what about you?
LEWIS HERBERT: Twenty four years. I came to Cambridge out of choice. It was on a shortlist of three or four places I wanted to live in. I’d been living in New Zealand. I’d been a councillor in London, and I was an expert on recycling, so I took on the job of going from nothing to about 40% recycling at the County Council, working closely with the city. And one of the things I did then was actually to work with the different councils to create the partnerships, and actually make sure that we were all doing it together. So twenty four years. It is a special city. It looked truly magical on the day of the Tour de France, and it does have major challenges. But I think at heart what I’m hearing from people is we’ve got something so precious and so special that we build on what we’ve got.
ANDIE HARPER: Now at the time that you were elected you described Cambridge as a tale of two cities, and that part of your master plan really was to close the gap between the rich and the poor. And John in a way, he’s texted this morning, and he’s really hit the nail on the head, because he says “Question for the Labour Leader. Chesterton is often overlooked, as things done in the city centre get all the money and all the headlines. For instance, we have on-pavement parking plus bikes. We walk in fear. What will they do and no flannel.” Now he mentions specific issues there, but it does encapsulate really I think the point you were making. It is undoubtedly a tale of two cities.
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Dr Peter Bailey on Andrew Lansley’s Legacy

17:23 Wednesday 16th July 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[C]HRIS MANN: Now, more on Andrew Lansley. His high-flying Westminster career came crashing back down to earth yesterday when he was kicked out of the Cabinet by David Cameron. And late last night he announced he would give up his South Cambridgeshire seat. But a former adviser to Mr Lansley when he was Health Secretary says he is now getting what he deserves for messing up the NHS. Peter Bailey is a former vice chair of the Cambridge Association to Commission Health, and I spoke to him earlier.
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South Cambs and Hunts – District Councils Sharing Services

17:19 Friday 11th July 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[C]HRIS MANN: A cost-saving strategic partnership between South Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire District Councils has been approved. We talked about it on the programme a couple of weeks ago. It is hoped that by sharing building control, legal and IT services they can save half a million pounds. On Monday Cambridge City Council will consider a report on sharing their legal and IT services. It’s hoped this will save even more for the councils. Well joining me in the studio now is Simon Edwards, who is the Deputy Leader of South Cambs District Council. Hello Simon.
SIMON EDWARDS: Good evening Chris.
CHRIS MANN: So just tell us what was approved last night exactly.
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Technology No Substitute for a Council Workforce

07:42 Friday 11th July 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: The latest app. taking the county by storm is the My Peterborough app. It was launched earlier this week. The idea behind it is the public can use the app. to report problems like potholes, rubbish or missed bin collections. Well Johnny D. was one of the first people to use it. He reported that someone had dumped rubbish on Norwood Lane in the city. So how fast is the app.? Has the rubbish been cleared away within 48 hours? Well Johnny D. has been back to Norwood Lane this morning.
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The Design and Delivery of Robust Hospital Environments in a Changing Climate

17:21 Wednesday 9th July 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[C]HRIS MANN: Ninety per cent of hospital wards are prone to overheating, with staff unable to open windows wide due to health and safety fears. That’s a finding of a study led by Cambridge University Professor of Architecture Alan Short. It also showed things could get much hotter with climate change. The research looked at ways to cool hospital wards without costing air condition systems. We’ll be talking to Professor Short in just a second, but first of all these visitors to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge today gave their views on temperatures in the wards.
(TAPE)(VOXPOP)
CHRIS MANN: Patients and relatives there at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge talking to Jozef Hall today. Well the man behind the report, the Professor of Architecture Alan Short is with me now. Hello. Hello Alan.
ALAN SHORT: Hello. Yes, hello Chris.
CHRIS MANN: What did you make of what people had to say?
ALAN SHORT: Oh. They were incredibly interesting. You’ve advanced our research a bit there. But I suspect that they were in the eleven storey ward tower, and we spent three years looking at that building. And certainly .. I’m looking at all the temperature traces in front of me .. it does get up to twenty eight degrees centigrade just about without much difficulty.
CHRIS MANN: Just explain why they can’t open windows wide.
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Community Land Trusts in Cambridgeshire

17:48 Tuesday 8th July 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[C]HRIS MANN: Let’s talk about the community land trust, for the first homes in Cambridgeshire to be built by one have been given outline planning permission. The Stretham and Wilburton Community Land Trust will mix thirty five privately owned houses with fifteen homes for rental to people from the villages. It will also include a doctor’s surgery and some business units. What is a community land trust, or CLT as we shall refer to it from now on? Debbie Wildridge joins me now. Hello Debbie.
DEBBIE WILDRIDGE: Hello Chris.
CHRIS MANN: And you’re the Community Land Trust Manager from CLT East, is that right?
DEBBIE WILDRIDGE: Yes that’s right. We are actually an umbrella organisation that helps anyone who wants to set up a community land trust to do so, anywhere in the East of England.
CHRIS MANN: So what is it exactly? Who owns it, who runs it and who’s it for? Continue reading “Community Land Trusts in Cambridgeshire”

Cambridgeshire – a Modest Growth Deal with Conditions Attached

07:19 Monday 7th July 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Over £21 million of Government money is to be pumped into the Cambridgeshire economy next year, with more payments to follow. It’s part of the Government’s £12 billion pot of Growth Deals, handed out to local Enterprise Partnerships to encourage business and innovation over the next six years. The money has been given a cautious welcome by the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership, but they’ve expressed disappointment there wasn’t more cash for our county. The Minister for Cities Greg Clark is here now. Morning Greg.
GREG CLARK: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: Why wasn’t there more cash for Cambridgeshire?
GREG CLARK: (LAUGHS) Well Cambridgeshire has been doing pretty well recently. We signed the City Deal with the Cambridge area just a few weeks ago. That was investing half a billion pounds into the roads infrastructure of the area. We’ve got another £71 million coming in to Cambridgeshire, with some fantastic projects. So the Enterprise Zone over at Alconbury, a new expansion of the Welding Institute there, so bringing more high-skilled jobs into the area.
PAUL STAINTON: When you look at the level of immigration though into the county, when you look at the level of immigration into Wisbech and Peterborough and places like that, we haven’t got the cash we deserve, have we?
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