Cross-party resistance in Cambridgeshire to Government welfare reforms

“But basically there’s a test; you have to reach a certain number of points. She got ten points; you have to get twelve points to qualify for the Motability Scheme. And this is quite clearly happening on a massive scale across the country, because there are a series of MPs standing up with similar heartbreaking accounts.”

17:05 Wednesday 24th February 2016
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Government plans to limit welfare for some disabled people have been given the go-ahead despite objections from some Conservative MPs, including the South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen. She spoke out against the planned tax credit cuts last night, and attacked Ministers who are looking to reduce the Employment Support Allowance for disabled people by up to £30 a week. This is what she had to say in the Commons.
HEIDI ALLEN: Anyone who has beaten cancer must surely burst with desire to return to a normal life, and are unlikely to want to be labelled as a cancer sufferer for any longer than they absolutely must be. From 2017 in the region of 270 disabled people alone in my constituency of South Cambridgeshire would stand to lose £30 or 29% of their weekly income, if we accept this Bill in its original form, and ignore the Lords. For these people I need to see more detail of the contents of the White Paper, and hear about the financial support too that will be made available before I can fully support the Government. If we don’t get this right, we will damage not jut the employment prospects and well-being of these vulnerable claimants, but also our reputation and our trust amongst the electorate. And to secure my trust, I need to believe in that White Paper and that £100 million is going to go some way towards those people. That is my warning shot to Government. Today, I will not support them. Today I may abstain, but only for today. Let’s get the detail right. Let’s be a Government of sweeping strategic change, but also let’s be one with the compassion and the dexterity to look after the little man too.
CHRIS MANN: That’s Heidi Allen talking in the Commons last night, and she joins us live from there now. Heidi hello to you. Hello Heidi
HEIDI ALLEN: Hello. Can you hear me?
CHRIS MANN: Yes I can now. Thank you.
HEIDI ALLEN: Hi Chris. Sorry.
CHRIS MANN: “A warning shot”, and talking about the reputation and the trust of Government. Tough words.
HEIDI ALLEN: Well because in my heart I wanted to vote very much against, and that to be honest when I went into the Chamber before I made my speech that was my intention And talking to a couple of colleagues, it became clear that this White Paper could potentially .. that the Government has still to publish .. could potentially give us a better solution, and that I would have possibly some influence over it, if I abstained rather than voting against. So it was a warning shot. It was kind of a last chance ‘let me be involved’ or if you don’t then I will certainly go against the Government.
CHRIS MANN: Well the political chattering classes are all excited about the EU ..
HEIDI ALLEN: Yes.
CHRIS MANN: .. and the referendum that is to come at the moment. But perhaps people in the street, ordinary folk, are more concerned about issues like this, and welfare cuts which are hurting many people it appears.
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Junior doctors – it’s time to talk

10:25 Wednesday 24th February 2016
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON Many comments from you on the NHS this morning, and whether or not harm is being done to it by the junior doctors’ strike, not forgetting that they take this oath to do no harm, whether it’s the junior doctors harming the NHS, whether it’s the Government or whether it’s you using services you don’t need to use. Grenville says, “Where is the truth in all of this? Why can’t Paul ..” says Grenville “.. not get the two sides on and ask them the real questions, to get past the scaremongery on both sides.” Well Grenville it’s funny you should say that, because we’ve tried all morning to get a Conservative to come on this show and argue that case. We have rung seven, count them, seven local Conservatives and MPs, and none of them are coming on. Are they all busy? Are they all busy Ben? Or they’re all doing other things? I don’t want to get this wrong. Perhaps on holiday?
PRODUCER BEN: Or just not replied.
PAUL STAINTON: In the toilet? They’ve not replied. So if there is a Conservative listening to the show who would like to put forward the Government’s point of view then please do in the interests of balance. because we like to be balanced on this show. However we do have Andy Monk who has called in. He works with UKIP. He wanted to talk so .. it’s a talk show. Andy, morning.
ANDY MONK: Morning. Morning Paul. How’s it going?
PAUL STAINTON: It’s alright. Where are the facts then? Let’s try and help Grenville out. We can’t get both sides on. We’ve had a doctor on, but we can’t get the Conservatives to come on. Who’s right in all of this?
ANDY MONK: Well basically the Government aren’t listening to the junior doctors. Both sides have to get back round the negotiating table. Imposing contracts just won’t work.
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John Lister on a Cambridgeshire Health Service in Crisis

The CCG, Clinical Commissioning Group, is now facing a massive deficit, and still haven’t told us what they’re going to cut to try to put it right.

07:07 Wednesday 24th February 2016
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: Accident and Emergency departments across Cambridgeshire are under severe strain at the moment, according to the county’s Clinical Commissioning Group. They’ve contacted BBC Radio Cambridgeshire asking us to re-emphasise their message, only go to A&E if it really is an emergency. The news comes ahead of a meeting in Cambridge tonight about the problems faced by the NHS in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Before we find out more about that, here’s reporter Julia Greenaway with a reminder of just what’s been happening with our health service locally.
JULIA GREENAWAY: Thanks Dotty. Well it’s been a torrid few years for the NHS in Cambridgeshire. Things started well when Peterborough’s brand new City Hospital opened in 2010, but in the past five years it’s been dogged by the multi-million debt incurred by the financing package. Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Huntingdon then became the first NHS hospital ever to be run by a private company. Then Circle pulled out of the ten year deal last April. The Hospital was placed in special measures, and patients warned that departments could close. Cambridgeshire was again chosen to try something never before done in the NHS, when the £800 million Older People and Adult Social Care Services was outsourced. This was the biggest outsourcing contract in the history of the NHS, and it collapsed within months. And finally last year inspectors said that while Addenbrookes Gospital’s quality of care was outstanding, it had to go into special measures due to failures by senior managers. The Hospital is predicted a £60 million debt this year.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Well listening to that is Dr John Lister, who studies health policy. He’s also a campaigner against the privatisation of the NHS. He’s one of the speakers at this meeting tonight, and believes there are particular reasons to be concerned about the NHS in Cambridgeshire. So John good morning.
JOHN LISTER: Good morning.
DOTTY MCLEOD: These particular reasons, what are they?
JOHN LISTER: Well I think Cambridgeshire, as your summary has well pointed out, has been used as a kind of a testing bed for all kinds of experimental policies, which we have been warning as campaigners, we as researchers have been warning, would not work. And they haven’t worked. And of course it’s led to disastrous consequences.
DOTTY MCLEOD: But one man’s experimental might be another man’s innovative John.
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Newmarket and The Jockey Club celebrate 350 years of racing in the town

17:41 Tuesday 23rd February 2016
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Newmarket and The Jockey Club today launched a year-long party to celebrate their 350th birthday by inviting every single resident of Cambridgeshire and Suffolk with the chance to go racing for free. Charles II established organised racing in the town back in 1666, and a new statue of the monarch is one of the features of the celebrations. Jockey Club East boss Amy Starkey told me more earlier.
AMY STARKEY: A really big year, 2016, for Newmarket Racecourse and indeed the town of Newmarket, 350 years of making history. So back in 1666 King Charles II returned to Newmarket for the first time since he was a boy. He moved the Royal court here. 1666 really signified the change for Newmarket, and almost the evolution of Newmarket as being the town that we know and love today, the global headquarters of racing, and an opportunity to unite the town around a celebration of 350 years of making history.
CHRIS MANN: it’s a long time of continuing pre-eminence in one sport, isn’t it? And I think one of the nicest things is that you’re starting off by inviting everybody from the area to come and race for free.
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Cameron Europe campaign begins in Berkshire

The focus is going to be on the threat to industry, to jobs, in the event of Britain leaving the European Union.

08:23 Tuesday 23rd February 2016
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: David Cameron is taking to the road today answering questions from voters, as he begins campaigning for Britain to stay in the European Union in the forthcoming referendum. He’s facing criticism though from Conservative Eurosceptics, who have accused him of launching a personal attack in the Commons on the Mayor of London Boris Johnson. Boris Johnson has decided to support those wanting to leave the EU. The spat is splashed across most of this morning’s newspapers. I’m joined now by our Political Correspondent Paul Rowley. An argument in the House of Commons between two Old Etonians Paul, it strikes me that this is slightly peculiar front page news.
PAUL ROWLEY: It’s bizarre to be honest with you. I’m very worried in a way that it’s been portrayed as a kind of psycho-drama Dotty, a bit like the tensions we saw when Tony Blair was Prime Minister and Gordon Brown wanted to be Prime Minister. Although I think this may well be overplayed by some of my colleagues in the national press, just because it’s easier frankly to tell this story as a kind of soap opera through the eyes of two of the leading characters, rather than talk about the ‘ishues’, as Tony Benn used to call it. But I tell you, this is what’s happening on Day One of the campaign. Heaven only knows what it’s going to be like by the time we all get to vote in four months time.
DOTTY MCLEOD: David Cameron then taking to the road today. Is that right?
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Staying on-topic – a local lesson

07:47 Monday 8th February 2016
BBC Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: We’ve been talking about integration this morning, how easy is it to integrate when you move to a new country, or to a new county, or to a new town, or maybe even just into a new street. Lou in Fairfield says this:

“Dotty, integration is not easy when you wake up one morning and find migrants have moved in next door when you have friends who can’t get on the housing list and are struggling.”

Lou I do think that’s a really valid point actually. I think that sometimes the tension that arises between different communities or the tension that arises between if you like people who have maybe lived in a community for a long time towards newcomers. It can come almost from completely external factors, things like the economy or things like the housing market. For example I know that in lots of Cambridgeshire towns and villages now there might be newcomers from London who are buying up property that local people just can’t afford, because the prices are being pushed so high. And I can imagine that that does make it really kind of tough to welcome these new people into these existing communities.

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Chisholm Trail showing signs of progress

07:46 Friday 5th February 2016
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: Over the next five years £100 million is going to be spent making Cambridge an easier place to get around. It’s hoped that the money coming from the City Deal will improve roads, cycle paths and public transport. There has been criticism that these schemes aren’t happening quickly enough. One of those which has been long hoped for is the £8.4 million Chisholm Trail, the cycle and walking route that would link North and South Cambridge. Our reporter Sara Varey is on the proposed route this morning. Hi Sara.
SARA VAREY: Hello there from Budster Bicycles. I’m down by the Leper Chapel, just off Newmarket Road, which a lot of people will scoot past as they’re going towards Fen Ditton probably, just on the left-hand side. An ancient chapel right next to the railway line, and every now and again there’s likely to be a train zooming past, full of commuters I’m sure. A peaceful spot, it’s part of the Chisholm Trail as you said. This trail is going to go across Ditton Meadows by the Chapel, Coldhams Common, Mill Road bridge through the blocked arches. It’ll run alongside the railway line to Cambridge Station. There’ll be an underpass under Newmarket Road. There’s also some short sections which will be on the road, including York Street, Ainsworth Street and Brampton Road, which of course are all off Mill Road. And the green spaces that will be linked up by this include Gonville and Caius, Ditton Meadows, Cambridge Past and Present, the Leper Chapel Meadows, the Barnwell Lake area and Coldham’s Common and Stourbridge Common. So it crosses some of the most beautiful places in Cambridge actually. And the idea is keep travelling off the road. keep the cyclists off the road. Give them a safe and attractive way to actually travel to work or for pleasure. But as you say, there has been some controversy about this. Not everybody’s pleased with the progress of this. All these projects under the City Deal were supposed to have been completed within five years. This is likely to be the first one to be completed, and so far we don ‘t actually have a date, although the consultation period has just ended.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Yes. Sara. Thank you very much for that, on the route of the proposed Chisholm Trail. There was a survey carried out last year which showed that nearly 90% of people who responded said they would be in favour of the Chisholm Trail. Joining me now Lewis Herbert, who’s the Labour Leader of Cambridge City council. Morning Lewis.
LEWIS HERBERT: Morning Dotty.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Now Jim Chisholm, who was the man who had this idea for the cycle route linking North and South Cambridge, he says he first came up with it in 1998. It’s clearly now very popular. Why do these things take so long to come to fruition?
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