Peterborough The Self-Harm Capital Of The Prison Estate

07:07 Friday 26th April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Peterborough Prison had the highest amount of self-harm incidents in the whole of the UK in 2012. More than 1200 incidents were recorded last year. That’s more than 400 more than the next worst prison, Foston Hall In Derby. 24 self-harm incidents were recorded every week at the prison last year. Now Andrew Nielson Director of Campaigns at the Howard League For Penal Reform, which is a charity working for less crime, safer communities, and fewer people in prison, he’s with us this morning. Andrew, morning.
ANDREW NIELSON: Morning.
PAUL STAINTON: First of all I suppose, your reaction to these figures.
ANDREW NIELSON: Shocking obviously that Peterborough tops the table. There is some positive news in that the national figure of self-harm incidents in prisons has gone slightly down. But why Peterborough is top? I think they ke point, and I think it actually relates to another story you’ve got today about the Dawn Project, working with women, is that Peterborough holds both men and women. And while self-harm in custody is a problem found across the board, there’s absolutely no doubt that it’s the biggest problem with women in prison. Continue reading “Peterborough The Self-Harm Capital Of The Prison Estate”

Daniel Zeichner On David Cameron’s Costly Garden

07:54 Friday 26th April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Let’s take a trip into David Cameron’s garden. The current Conservative Party has a fierce reputation for creating a culture of cuts of course, but not apparently when it comes to the garden at Number 10 Downing Street. It emerged yesterday that about £50,000 a year is being spent on maintaining the PM’s Downing Street garden. Alan Soady is the BBC’s Political Reporter. He’s been taking a closer look at the receipt from B&Q. (TAPE)
ALAN SOADY: The half an acre plot behind Number 10 is a perk of the job for Prime Ministers, but looking after it cost taxpayers more than £47,000 last year, and £49,000 the year before. But the Government has defended it, saying even more was spent when Gordon Brown lived there. It’s not the first time David Cameron has faced questions over the cost of pruning his plants. In 2009 he repaid £680 he’d claimed in Parliamentary expenses, partly for the clearing of wisteria from his chimney. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well Cambridge’s Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate is Daniel Zeichner. Morning.
DANIEL ZEICHNER: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: So what’s your instant reaction to the fact that we’re spending £50,000 on David Cameron’s pruning and roses and plants and things? Continue reading “Daniel Zeichner On David Cameron’s Costly Garden”

Posh Championship Survival Down To The Wire

18:36 Thursday 25th April 2013
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[C]HRIS MANN: Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson says he won’t be keeping an eye on the other Championship results on Saturday. Posh kick off in their crucial game against Sheffield Wednesday at five twenty, but Fergie says he’ll resist the temptation of checking the progress of their relegation rivals. The Posh boss says he’s using previous experience to help him cope with the pressure. (TAPE)
DARREN FERGUSON: We’ve always had really important games at this end of the season, even last season. And there’s never been a year when we haven’t. In fact as a manager I’ve never had it. Even at Preston I was trying to keep them up, and things like that. I’ve never had a mid-table game that doesn’t matter. So I’m used to it, and I have to use all my experience. The players, a lot of them are used to it as well. And when it’s really come to the crunch, on the past that is, when we’ve been going for promotion, when we’ve been trying to stay in the league, we’ve always managed to succeed. And we have to try and do it again. Continue reading “Posh Championship Survival Down To The Wire”

Cambridgeshire Chamber Boss Slams Negative Media “Pestonitis”

10:23 Thursday 25th April 2013
Andie Harper Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[A]NDIE HARPER: The UK has avoided a triple dip recession. The economy grew by 0.3% in the first three months of the year. Let’s talk to the Chief Executive of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, John Bridge. John good morning to you.
JOHN BRIDGE: Yes, good morning Andie.
ANDIE HARPER: So first things first John, have you broken out the champagne? Are you celebrating? Continue reading “Cambridgeshire Chamber Boss Slams Negative Media “Pestonitis””

Scarce Funds Squandered On Vain Posturing

08:20 Wednesday 24th April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Creating the UK’s Environment Capital. (MUSIC: THIS IS A SIGN OF THE TIMES) That’s the claim made by Peterborough City Council. A series of new signs that are popping up around the city’s boundaries. The Council are spending three thousand pounds replacing the Welcome signs and posts. The current ones have apparently reached the end of their natural. But are they wasting a stack of cash, and is the slogan just a little bit premature? Well Councillor Darren Fower is the LibDem councillor for South Werrington and North Gunthorpe. Morning.
DARREN FOWER: Morning sir.
PAUL STAINTON: Would you like a nice three thousand pound sign on your front lawn?
DARREN FOWER: Oh yes. What a great idea this one is. The latest one out of the Council machine. Continue reading “Scarce Funds Squandered On Vain Posturing”

County Revivalists Welcome Pickles As Champion

7:48 Tuesday 23rd April 2013
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[C]HRIS MANN: Does it matter what you call where you live? On this day, St George’s Day, the Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is helping to resurrect the historic names of counties like Cumberland and Huntingdonshire, which were abolished in the ’70s. He’s encouraging councils to put up signs with traditional names on them. But he isn’t going so far as saying the counties themselves should return. Well Rupert Barnes is Vice Chairman of The Association of British Counties, and he joined me earlier. (TAPE)
RUPERT BARNES: If there’s confusion, as there is at the moment, we have no identity. If we allow our identity to be defined by bureaucrats, then we’re throwing ourselves into their hands. I was brought up in Surrey, and there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that it’s Surrey. I knew the woods I played in, and the mud that caked my bicycle wheels. If someone had suddenly decided that actually, for administrative purposes, it would be better if the bins were emptied by some made up authority, that wouldn’t change the places. I would still be in Surrey. And likewise, whenever I’ve travelled through Huntingdonshire, it has that ancientness, that Huntingdonshire identity. It shouldn’t be defined by the bureaucrats. We can’t be dependent on them. Continue reading “County Revivalists Welcome Pickles As Champion”

Government Data Spy Plans Flawed Say Experts

07:22 Tuesday 23rd April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Is Big Brother watching us? Government plans to monitor people’s internet usage have been branded naive and technically dangerous by a group of academics, including three from Cambridge. The ten computer experts say Prime Minister Cameron should abandon the Draft Communications Data Bill. Whitehall wants to make internet service providers and mobile operators log much more data about what we are doing online, or on our phones, so that information could be kept for up to a year. Steven Murdoch is a researcher at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory. Morning.
STEVEN MURDOCH: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: What’s the problem with this? Continue reading “Government Data Spy Plans Flawed Say Experts”

BBC Immigration Survey Seeks To Calm Fears

17:18 Monday 22nd April 2013
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[C]HRIS MANN: How many Bulgarians and Romanians will come to the Uk once travel restrictions are lifted next year? Some newspapers have talked of fears of a major influx, but a BBC survey suggests that might not be right. We’ll get some more reaction from local Conservative MP Stewart Jackson, and also talk to the Head of Ukip, the Deputy Head of Ukip Paul Nuttall in just a moment of two, but first of all our Political Reporter Robin Crystal has more.
ROBIN CRYSTAL: Well I think we need to put this in context first of all Chris. At the moment, there are travel restrictions on Romanians and Bulgarians coming to this country, so they are lifted at the end of this year. So the BBC went to Bulgaria and Romania and carried out a proper constituted survey of a thousand people in each country. They asked the simple question, are you thinking of moving elsewhere in the EU when the restriction’s lifted, to which a third in both countries said yes we are. Then they asked well are you thinking of coming to the UK. For Romania the figure dropped quite a lot to 8.2%, Bulgaria it was 13.6%. Then they started to ask what I think is the more interesting question, is well, what have you done about it. Have you approached a job agency, have you got accommodation, and there the figure dropped quite dramatically for Romania down to 0.3%, and Bulgaria to 2.5%. Of those relatively small numbers, the majority of Romanians who were interested had degrees and were affluent, were looking for reasonably higher paid jobs. A number of the Bulgarians tended to be younger, and more likely to be unemployed than the average.
CHRIS MANN: I’m sure the Bulgarians and Romanians are aware there’s been a bit of a tabloid storm here, so how trustworthy are these findings? Continue reading “BBC Immigration Survey Seeks To Calm Fears”