Wisbech Transport Consultation

17:18 Tuesday 17th June 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[S]UE DOUGAN: A consultation is taking place today and again on Friday at Wisbech on future transport plans for the town. It’s a chance for local people to share opinions on everything from road congestion to the return of a passenger railway. We’ll speak to Simon King who’s Chairman of the Bramley Line Group in a moment. They have long campaigned for the return of the March to Wisbech rail line. But first let’s talk to Jeremy Smith. He’s Transport and Infrastructure Strategy Manager at Cambridgeshire County Council. Jeremy, hello, good evening. There’s a lot for local people to look at and consider. Which proposals and ideas in particular would you like to hear opinions on?
JEREMY SMITH: Well obviously the railway line is one of the big things that are on our agenda at the moment. And work the County Council has done indicates that there may well be a good commercial case for the opening of the line. And one of the key things that will enable us to push that forward with Government and the rail industry is a good response, a good level of support from local people. So we really need to know whether people want this to happen.
SUE DOUGAN: Have they said that to you today then? Have they ventured an opinion one way or the other?
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The Man who Fed on Weakness

08:23 Monday 16th June 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: It’s a big night for Peterborough tonight. The City Council will appoint a Leader of the Council at its AGM tonight. The Leadership has been up in the air since those local elections in May, where the ruling Conservative group forfeited overall control after losing seats to UKIP. Speaking after the results, Conservative councillor for Eye and Thorney David Sanders called on the Tory Leader Marco Cereste to resign.
(TAPE)
DAVID SANDERS: It leaves the Conservatives very vulnerable indeed. I believe that at this stage Marco should consider his position and do the honourable thing and resign, and allow a new leader with new vision, new ideas, new focus and vision, and take the Council and Conservatives forward.
(LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Councillor Cereste reacted angrily to suggestions he should step aside. He told this show that he’d carry on as Leader, and the city would crumble to the ground if the Tories weren’t in charge. Here he is speaking to Chris Mann last week.
(TAPE)
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Cambridge LibDems Turn on Clegg

07:42 Friday 13th June 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: The Cambridge Liberal Democrats will vote this evening on whether to support Nick Clegg’s leadership of the party in the run-up to the General Election. So is the “I agree with Nick” era well and truly behind us, and who are the other contenders for thee top job if Nick was to get shoved aside? Well let’s talk to Look East political reporter Andrew Sinclair. Andrew, morning.
ANDREW SINCLAIR: Hi Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Of course Cambridge can vote any way they like. On their own they’re not going to oust Nick, are they? But it maybe an idea of how the grass roots of the party are thinking? Continue reading “Cambridge LibDems Turn on Clegg”

Nazim Khan – the Labour Party and Peterborough City Council

17:37 Wednesday 11th June 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[N]ICK FAIRBAIRN: The Labour Group on Peterborough City Council has decided not to oppose the election of Conservative Marco Cereste as Council Leader. The Conservatives lost their overall control of the Council in the recent local elections, opening the opportunity for a leadership contest. Labour have just 12 seats on the Council, compared to Tories 28, but one Labour councillor feels they’ve given up without a fight. John Knowles has left the party, and will now serve the Paston ward as an Independent councillor. Earlier Mr Knowles said he’s disappointed with the Labour Group under their current Leader Nazim Khan.
(TAPE)
JOHN KNOWLES: I’m Labour. I don’t know what Mr Khan is. Only Mr Khan knows that, together with a number of other people in the Labour Group. I’ve not left the Labour Party. I’ve had to resign from the Labour Party, because I’ve resigned from a non-functioning so-called Labour Group.
(LIVE)
NICK FAIRBAIRN: Well Nazim Khan joins us on the line. Now Mr Khan, some stinging words there from John Knowles. What’s your response to what he had to say?
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Counting Bees

09:36 Tuesday 10th June 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[A]NDIE HARPER: It’s been known for a long time that the number of bees in the UK is in decline. More than 20 UK bee species are already extinct, and about a quarter of the remaining 267 species are at risk. However, there’s currently no accurate picture of the condition of the bees, and scientists would like your help to work it out, by telling them about the bees that you see. Vanessa Rodgers is a campaigning officer for BugLife, and they’re involved with the first ever bee count. I spoke to her earlier, and she told me how it will work.
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Cambridge Airport Safety – a Pilot’s Perspective

11:00 Monday 9th June 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

NEWSREADER: The MP for South East Cambridgeshire believes that Cambridge Airport has accepted some of the allegations put by BBC Radio Cambridgeshire’s report which highlighted some safety concerns. Whistleblowers and leaked management emails have highlighted concerns about equipment failures and the state of the runway. Bit Jim Paice says the airport is a major boost for the city.
(TAPE)
JIM PAICE: Your reports repeated Etihad’s comments, which is obviously they’re now going to seek reassurances. Clearly any new airline thinking of coming into Cambridge would want to do the same. But should they expand? Yes, in my view it is a tremendous facility. We can have flights in and out of our own airport, particularly for business purposes. It must do the whole of Cambridgeshire a great deal of good. So I am certainly not suggesting that we shouldn’t have flights from Cambridge. We just need to make sure they’re safe.
(LIVE)
NEWSREADER: Cambridge Airport said that safety above all is of paramount importance.

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11:20 Monday 9th June 2014

ANDIE HARPER: I’ve had an email from John, who’s .. and this is what he says: Continue reading “Cambridge Airport Safety – a Pilot’s Perspective”

Stewart Jackson on the Newark Result

10:21 Friday 6th June 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[A]NDIE HARPER: The Conservatives secured their seat in Newark last night with a majority of more than seven thousand. The resignation of their former Conservative MP Patrick Mercer had raised expectations in UKIP that they could cause a major upset by winning their first Westminster seat. But the Conservatives flooded the seat with MPs and activists in the run up to polling day, with David Cameron visiting the Nottinghamshire market town four times, this in their bid to retain what was in theory a safe seat. So, is it a victory to celebrate, or are the parties terrified, as Paul Bullen has .. suggested? Let’s talk now to Stewart Jackson, the Conservative MP for Peterborough. Stewart, good morning to you.
STEWART JACKSON: Good morning Andie.
ANDIE HARPER: You had a very late night, but here you are bright and early. And was it something to celebrate?
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Virginia Bucknor on 2020 Vision for Wisbech

10:09 Thursday 5th June 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDIE HARPER: At the start of 2013 a Vision was announced and outlined for Wisbech, a town fed up with its own image. Cambridgeshire County Council, Fenland District Council and Steve Barclay the MP for the area got together and devised Wisbech 2020, a plan of positive changes to implement in the town by 2020. The then Leader of Fenland District Council, Alan Melton, explained the plans to Paul Stainton on the Bigger Breakfast Show back in January 2013.
(TAPE)
PAUL STAINTON: So what is this Vision? What is this future for Wisbech? The future’s bright, the future’s Wisbech. What is it?
ALAN MELTON: Well the future will be bright, and the future is Wisbech. It came about because a lot of bad publicity around Wisbech. Everybody says, in a sentence that includes the word Wisbech, deprivation, dilapidation, dilapidated buildings, poor infrastructure. This is something that we wish to address, and over the coming years as part of the 2020 Vision we’re going to be very proactive in addressing these problems.
PAUL STAINTON: What is the Vision then?
ALAN MELTON: The Vision is better education, better skills, better infrastructure, better buildings, better quality of life.
PAUL STAINTON: So it’s a wish-list basically.
ALAN MELTON: In the present economic circumstances you could say it’s a wish-list. It’s something that we can work to. We have some short-term aims, and we have some long-term aims.
PAUL STAINTON: It’s 2020 Alan. OK?
ALAN MELTON: Yes.
PAUL STAINTON: Close your eyes.
ALAN MELTON: Yes.
PAUL STAINTON: Everybody in Wisbech close your eyes. It’s 2020.
ALAN MELTON: (LAUGHS)
PAUL STAIN TON: What does Wisbech look like?
ALAN MELTON: Wisbech looks better because the buildings and quality are better. By then the old dilapidated buildings would have been removed. The infrastructure would be improved. The only thing that I don’t think we should get by 2020, and I’m a realist, is the A47 dualling.
PAUL STAINTON: Alan it’s a dream for Wisbech. Let’s hope one day that dream comes true.
ALAN MELTON: You’ve got to follow your dreams Paul. You’ve got to follow your dreams.
(LIVE)
ANDIE HARPER: FDC Council Leader at the time Alan Melton talking to Paul Stainton. Well just under eighteen months on we’ve been contacted by a councillor who wants to know the progress of at least the short-term targets that Alan mentioned. Independent councillor Virginia Bucknor says a meeting had been planned to deliver key updates, but now it’s been postponed, seemingly indefinitely. When I spoke to her she was very cross.
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