Category: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson MP on Thomas Cook

07:22 Monday 28th November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Peterborough-based travel company Thomas Cook could axe 1000 jobs in a radical restructuring. It’s after the banks threw it a £200 million lifeline. It sells more than 22 million holidays in the UK every year, but bookings have dropped, partly due to the unrest in popular destinations like Tunisia and Egypt. Let’s speak to MP for Peterborough Stewart Jackson, who’s with us this morning. Morning Stewart.
STEWART JACKSON: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: First of all I suppose we’ve got to say thank the Lord we can still not just book it, we can Thomas Cook it. That’s the good thing. Continue reading “Stewart Jackson MP on Thomas Cook”

Peterborough Children’s Services in Crisis: Consultants Named

07:07 Friday 25th November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Peterborough City Council’s Children’s Services has a new Director, looking after the department. It was confirmed yesterday a super-consultant is to be brought in to try and improve it, which  was criticised by Ofsted in September. Now one city councillor is questioning how truly successful consultants have been when tackling the same job in the past. Let’s speak to Cllr Mike Fletcher. Morning Mike.
MIKE FLETCHER: Good morning Paul. ..
PAUL STAINTON: Now how many consultants have had a go at Children’s Services in say the last three or four years? How many different companies have had a go at sorting it out. Continue reading “Peterborough Children’s Services in Crisis: Consultants Named”

Peterborough Children’s Services in Crisis Appoints £1000 a Day Interim

08:08 Tuesday 22nd November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: No council employee is worth £1000 a day. That’s according to the Deputy Leader of the Independent councillors on Peterborough City Council. John Fox’s comments came after plans were unveiled to pay the new Interim Director of Peterborough’s Children’s Services over £1000 a day. He’s been billed as the new “super consultant”, and will be in charge of sorting out the Council’s failing Children’s Services, which was labelled so bad by an Ofsted report that the Director of the Department John Richards was forced to resign. Continue reading “Peterborough Children’s Services in Crisis Appoints £1000 a Day Interim”

Peterborough Children’s Services – A Long Way to Go

Peterborough city councillors met last night to discuss a thirty three point action plan designed to rescue their ailing Children’s Services department. Last week a report from OFSTED said the Department was performing poorly. It follows another critical report in September which led to the resignation of the Department’s Director John Richards. .. We can now talk to Adrian Loades. He’s the new Director of Children’s Services at the city council.

08:23 Tuesday 15th November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Peterborough city councillors met last night to discuss a thirty three point action plan designed to rescue their ailing Children’s Services department. Last week a report from OFSTED said the Department was performing poorly. It follows another critical report in September which led to the resignation of the Department’s Director John Richards. .. We can now talk to Adrian Loades. He’s the new Director of Children’s Services at the city council. Morning.
ADRIAN LOADES: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Wouldn’t want your job.
ADRIAN LOADES: Thank you. Well clearly it’s a busy time, and you’ll be aware that I am currently on secondment from Cambridgeshire, working in Peterborough. So I’m coming to the end of that assignment in the next fortnight.
PAUL STAINTON: What a mess you’ve got to sort out Adrian, eh? Continue reading “Peterborough Children’s Services – A Long Way to Go”

Jackson Blames Labour for Border Agency Blunder

Qe’re looking at a background in the last ten years of one-legged Romanian roofers, and prisoners failing to be deported and everything else. That Department is a mess. I deal, every single day, with the UK’s Borders Agency, and it’s pretty dysfunctional, as you can imagine.

07:16 Tuesday 8th November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire:

PAUL STAINTON: Stewart, before I let you go, I’ve got to ask you about Theresa May, and this story yesterday. How many people did we let in? Do we know? Will we ever know?
STEWART JACKSON: Well I think the inquiry is ongoing Paul. Obviously it’s very disappointing. Having said that, I think she did acquit herself quite well in the House of Commons.
PAUL STAINTON: Strong on immigration though. This happened on your Government’s watch.
STEWART JACKSON: Yes, and I accept that that’s the case, and she must take reponsibility for it. Having said that, we did inherit an appalling position from the previous Government in terms of immigration, essentially an open-door policy.
PAUL STAINTON: They didn’t let people walk in without getting their passports checked though, did they?
STEWART JACKSON: No, and I accept that. But then again, you know we’re looking at a background in the last ten years of one-legged Romanian roofers, and prisoners failing to be deported and everything else. That Department is a mess. I deal, every single day, with the UK’s Borders Agency, and it’s pretty dysfunctional, as you can imagine.
PAUL STAINTON: Are we getting it sorted then, very quickly?
STEWART JACKSON: Well if it’s anything to do with me we will, because if we don’t deal with immigration as a Government, then we won’t deserve to get re-elected.
PAUL STAINTON: Thank you for that Stewart. Boom boom.

==========

Transition Town Peterborough

08:20 Thursday 3rd November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: A new project to make the city more environmentally friendly is being launched today. It’s called Transition Peterborough, and it’s part of a worldwide effort to reduce the amount of energy we use, and the amount of carbon dioxide we produce. Setting it up is Sophie Antonelli, who joins me in the studio. Morning.
SOPHIE ANTONELLI: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: And on the line is Alan Rayden who runs the Transition Group set up about eighteen months ago in nearby Oundle. Morning Alan.
ALAN RAYDEN: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Now Sophie, it all sounds very worthy this, doesn’t it? When you say these things, people go ooh well Transition Peterborough, what does that mean? What’s the idea?
SOPHIE ANTONELLI: Really simply, and I’m not even going to talk about carbon dioxide, it’s a way for communities to become stronger and happier.
PAUL STAINTON: How? Continue reading “Transition Town Peterborough”

Andrew Colvin Corporation of London

Andrew Colvin is Comptroller and City Solicitor at the Corporation of London. He was schooled by the Corporation itself, back in the 1960s.
Andrew plans to leave in March, to take a well-earned retirement. But recent events on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral are the last thing he needs to round off his career.
The Corporation is advertising for his replacement.

Canon Bruce Ruddock on Giles Fraser and Occupy London

Bruce Ruddock Canon of Peterborough Cathedral talks to the BBC about the Occupation at St Pauls Cathedral.

07:52 Friday 28th October 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: The Church very much in the news at the moment.
BRUCE RUDDOCK: Indeed.
PAUL STAINTON: St Pauls Cathedral is on the TV every night, which is sort of a good thing, but not a good thing, because people are camped out in front of it. Imagine that at the Peterborough Cathedral, on the grass there, full of tents. That would be interesting. But I understand you knew Dr Giles Fraser, who resigned as Canon Chancellor of St Pauls on Thursday. And everybody seems to .. nobody seems to have a bad word to say about the guy. It’s an awful situation, isn’t it? Continue reading “Canon Bruce Ruddock on Giles Fraser and Occupy London”