Cambridge 20 Mph Out To Consultation With Cross Party Support

17:07 Monday 13th May 2013
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Proposals to introduce a 20mph speed limit on Cambridgeshire’s residential streets go out to consultation today. Supporters say it will improve safety on the city’s streets, but there are concerns about who will pay for any engineering work, and whether it will be enforced by police. Amanda Taylor is the new Liberal Democrat County Councillor for the Queen Ediths area, where the 20mph speed limit has already been trialled. (TAPE)
AMANDA TAYLOR: I think it’s important that roads are safe to use, and I would favour a lower speed limit. What the LibDems on the City Council are proposing is 20mph on residential streets. That wouldn’t include the big trunk roads, such as the Ring Road, but it would be residential streets, which is safer for pedestrians as well as cyclists, and probably of some benefit to motorists as well. (LIVE)
CHRIS MANN: We’ll be hearing from the RAC Foundation live in a moment, also from Tim Ward, the LibDem behind the scheme, and the Leader of the Labour Group, Lewis Herbert. But first of all what do the people of Cambridge think at the moment? Our reporter Anisa Kadri has been on the streets to find out if they think it will make a difference. Continue reading “Cambridge 20 Mph Out To Consultation With Cross Party Support”

Martin Curtis Conservative Leader Cambs County Council

17:07 Friday 10th May 2013
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[C]HRIS MANN: So the man most likely to be Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, we now know, is Cllr Martin Curtis of North Whittlesea. This afternoon he was elected to lead the Conservatives, the largest group on the Council, in place of Nick Clarke who lost his seat at last week’s elections. Martin Curtis joins me in the studio. Hello.
MARTIN CURTIS: Good afternoon Chris.
CHRIS MANN: Congratulations.
MARTIN CURTIS: Thank you very much.
CHRIS MANN: Of course you lost out to Nick Clarke before, so finally you’ve reached the top in the County.
MARTIN CURTIS: Absolutely. But I reached the top having learned a huge amount over the last two years from Nick as well.
CHRIS MANN: What’s going to change?
MARTIN CURTIS: Well I think a lot has got to change. We know that even though we’re by far and away the largest group on the County Council, we know we’re in a minority. We can only form a minority administration. And so we know that things have got to change. And it is a different style of leadership that we need, and a more collaborative one. We know that.
CHRIS MANN: Well we’ll talk some more about that in just a moment or two, but reaction to your election has come first from the most senior politician in the County, that’s the South Cambridgeshire MP and Leader of the House of Commons, Andrew Lansley. This is what he told me. Continue reading “Martin Curtis Conservative Leader Cambs County Council”

Classic BBC Hatchet Job

09:55 Friday 10th May 2013
Mid-Morning Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY HARPER: Let’s return to public art. That’s what we’re talking about this morning. The fountains on Cathedral Square in Peterborough is an installation that continues to divide opinion, as Johnny D discovered this morning. Continue reading “Classic BBC Hatchet Job”

MP Challenges IPSA Valuation On Peterborough Property

17:18 Thursday 9th May 2013
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[C]HRIS MANN: Conservative MP Stewart Jackson is being sued by the expenses watchdog after refusing to repay profits on his taxpayer funded home. He had been asked to hand back £54,000 as potential capital gains made on the home since MPs were barred from claiming for mortgage interest. But he’s refused, and has accused the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority of bullying him. Our reporter Alan Soady had the story from Westminster. Continue reading “MP Challenges IPSA Valuation On Peterborough Property”

Graham Hughes Cambridgeshire’s Director Of Strategy On The A14 Proposal

06:55 Thursday 9th May 2015
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: We’re asking what is next for Cambridgeshire’s most troubled road. You get your problems on the A10, the A142, the A47 and the like, but it’s this road that’s the killer. Investment on it has not been forthcoming of course, and plans to upgrade it have been delayed and delayed and delayed and delayed. Well Graham Hughes is with me. He’s come down to Cambridge Services enjoying his coffee this morning. He’s Director of Strategy and Development at Cambridgeshire County Council, which means he’s responsible for the development of transport policy across the county, and also the county’s growth agenda. Graham .. how long have discussions been underway about improving what is a nightmare of a road?
GRAHAM HUGHES: Well far too long to be honest. It dates back as a scheme to 1981, and as you say it’s been in and out of the roads programme a number of times. But we think we’re on to something this time. We think it will be improved fairly shortly.
PAUL STAINTON: Now successive Governments have promised things. They’ve taken them away. You would think it’s an absolute no-brainer for the Government.
GRAHAM HUGHES: I think that is definitely the case. That’s certainly our view as a county council. The issue is it is such an expensive road to improve. But our view is that the benefits from that improvement are so great it just must be done.
PAUL STAINTON: What are the problems caused by this road, not just for surrounding villages, but for business in general? Continue reading “Graham Hughes Cambridgeshire’s Director Of Strategy On The A14 Proposal”

Lee Hammered In Peterborough Leadership Challenge

07:15 Wednesday 8th May 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[R]ONNIE BARBOUR: The Leader of the City Council in Peterborough has survived a challenge for his position from his own Deputy. Marco Cereste won the vote to be Leader of the Conservative Group last night, beating Matthew Lee. Johnny D. has more for us. Morning to you Johnny. (OB)
JOHN DEVINE: Good morning Ronnie. Yes. Good morning everybody. I’m outside Peterborough Town Hall on Bridge Street Ronnie, which last night was the scene of another dramatic night in Cambridgeshire politics. Just days after the King of Cambridgeshire Nick Clarke was dethroned in the elections, there was a chance that the Peterborough Leader was going to meet a similar fate Ronnie. Every year the Conservatives in Peterborough have their annual group meeting, and the councillors within that group have the opportunity to stand for certain positions. Last week the current Deputy Matthew Lee shocked us all by announcing he’ll be taking on Marco in the Leadership vote. But in the end the Tory group stood behind their Leader and gave him a huge vote of confidence, voting in favour of him by twenty four votes to eight, which is quite a big margin.
RONNIE BARBOUR: This type of Leadership challenge, has it happened before Johnny? Continue reading “Lee Hammered In Peterborough Leadership Challenge”

Old Hands Welcome New Faces To Cambridgeshire County Council

17:20 Tuesday 7th May 2013
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CHRIS MANN: The political fallout following the County Council elections continued today. The results left no party with an overall majority. The Conservatives are the biggest party with 32 of the 69 seats. The Liberal Democrats are second on 14. UKIP third on 12. Labour have 7, and there are 4 Independents. A number of questions remain, the foremost of which is, after the loss of Nick Clarke’s seat, who is going to lead the Conservatives, and therefore most likely lead the County Council. It’s looking like it will be the Acting Leader, Mac McGuire versus Whittlesea’s Martin Curtis in that contest, which is at two o’clock on Friday. And then the question remains of whether an official alliance of parties will be formed, or is needed, to run the Council. That’s certainly been on the mind of Peter Reeve, the UKIP councillor for Ramsey, who explained earlier on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire that he would like to see a coalition of the minority parties. (TAPE)
PETER REEVE: It would be very difficult in terms of the numbers, but technically if I could get, and I am being very proactive on this, if I could get Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Independents to all agree that we should have a coalition group, there is no need to have the Conservatives in power. .. (LIVE)
CHRIS MANN: .. The idea that UKIP could form a coalition with Labour was given short shrift by Paul Sales, Leader of the Labour Group. (TAPE)
PAUL SALES: You cannot be serious. The Labour Party in coalition with UKIP and the Liberals? Peter is a very enthusiastic guy. He fails completely to understand the way the Council works. The most likely outcome is going to be that the Tories will form a minority administration. I’ve been a member of a minority administration, and that would be sufficient for most things. But any sort of a formal coalition is completely impossible. (LIVE)
CHRIS MANN: And Conservative Mac McGuire, the Interim Leader of of the County Council, was equally dismissive. (TAPE)
MAC MCGUIRE: I mean gosh, that’s the best laugh since the last time I watched You’ve Been Framed on television. Paul’s absolutely right. What an unholy alliance that would make. (LIVE)
CHRIS MANN: An unholy alliance. Well, we’ll hear more from Peter Reeve in just a moment or two, the Leader of UKIP, but Kilian Bourke is Leader of the second largest party, the Liberal Democrats, and he joins me live now. Kilian, hello.
KILIAN BOURKE: Hello.
CHRIS MANN: Would you form an alliance with UKIP? Continue reading “Old Hands Welcome New Faces To Cambridgeshire County Council”

The Peasants Revolt

07:24 Friday 3rd May 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: The big news you’re waking up to is that UKIP have really started a march across the UK. Counting hasn’t started in the county council elections in Cambridgeshire yet, but there have been a number of overnight counts elsewhere, and some big big gains for UKIP. They’ve won more than 40 seats, they finished second in the Parliamentary by-election in South Shields which was retained by Labour, that seat. The Conservatives have lost control of Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire, but have retained control elsewhere in Hampshire Dorset Essex Somerset and Hertfordshire. And UKIP’s Deputy Leader Paul Nuttall is a very happy man this morning. (TAPE)
PAUL NUTTALL: Well it shows that we’re a party on an upward trajectory, that we’re going places. And it also shows that we’re not just a Southern based party, taking votes from the Conservatives. We’re taking votes in the North as well. And I think this is the fourth by-election where we’ve finished second, so this party really is going places. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: That’s Paul Nuttall. Let’s speak to Peter Reeve. He’s the UKIP district and county councillor for Ramsey of course. Morning.
PETER REEVE: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: Well, what a night! Continue reading “The Peasants Revolt”