Category: Peterborough

Minor party candidates welcome the big debate

09:21 Thursday 2nd April 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

JEREMY SALLIS: This morning we’re asking has the day of two party politics vanished for ever? Is this the election where it really is all to play for, even for every party taking part? Well tonight we’ll see all seven main party leaders from across the UK take part in a live two hour televised debate. It will also be the only time that David Cameron and Ed Miliband go face to face before we go, before you go, to the polls in May. Well joining them on the stage will be party leaders from the Scottish National Party, from UKIP, from Plaid Cymru, from the Green Party and also the Liberal Democrats. Well BBC Assistant Political Editor Norman Smith went as far as predicting tonight’s contest will be a ‘visible symbolic demonstration of the death of two party politics’. .. If you’re thinking will it make any difference to the vote, last time in 2010 similar television debates saw the polls surge in support for the Liberal Democrats, led by Nick Clegg of course. So could tonight’s event have a similar effect on one if not more of the seven candidates taking part? Joining me this morning to discuss this is Darren Bisby-Boyd, who’s the Green Party candidate for Peterborough. A very good morning to you Darren.
DARREN BISBY-BOYD: Good morning.
JEREMY SALLIS: WE also have Mary Herdman, who is the UKIP candidate for Peterborough. Morning to you Mary.
MARY HERDMAN: Good morning.
JEREMY SALLIS: And Sebastian Kindersley, who is the Liberal Democrat candidate for South Cambridgeshire. Morning to you Sebastian.
SEBASTIAN KINDERSLEY: Good morning. How are you?
JEREMY SALLIS: Very good thank you. I think tonight’s debate will be strictly orchestrated, with everyone having their chance to say. I don’t mind as long as you behave yourselves all the microphones being open, so you can pitch in and have your say. But as long as you behave yourselves. First of all, Darren, is this the end of two party politics? There’s a veritable smörgåsbord now for people to choose from.
Continue reading “Minor party candidates welcome the big debate”

Peterborough students left in limbo after college opening is cancelled

07:08 Tuesday 24th March 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: Twelve million pounds has been invested. Students have applied for the courses. But now with six months to go, the opening of Peterborough’s University Technical College is being delayed by twelve months. The UTC Trust Board says it’s to” give more certainty to prospective students”, but with only forty applications in the first place, questions are being raised about how well it’s been publicised, and how effective consultation has been. Let’s talk now to Dr Alan McMurdo, who is the Principal Designate of the Greater Peterborough University Technical College. Explain first of all Dr McMurdo just what a university technical college is. It’s not a description that everyone will be familiar with.
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Peter Breach – North Westgate in a nutshell

09:26 Thursday 19th March 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PETER BREACH:

“Well Peterborough’s a special place. It’s a major city, and North Westgate has been as you’ve indicated in serious need of regeneration for quite a long time. Now’s the time to get on with it.

“The concept is a new regional leisure centre caught in the heart of Peterborough city, driven by a multiplex cinema, eight screens or more, a large piazza around the church, restaurants, shops, bars, a food hall, and a large number of apartments. And indeed some offices and possibly even a health hub.

“The aim is to make it somewhere that not only Peterborians but others living within a twenty or thirty mile radius will see as an attractive place to visit and spend time, popping into a coffee shop or a restaurant as they stroll through the piazza.

“A lot of effort has gone into this. There’s support from all parts of the city. Marco Cereste the Leader, Stewart Jackson the MP, and all the councillors we’ve met have been extremely supportive, and indeed everyone we’ve met. So I have every hope this is going to be delivered now.

“At this stage we are starting discussions with major funders for this sort of scheme. It may even be overseas funding. We’ll have to see. But it’s too early to strike a deal until the outline consent is secured, which we hope will be before the end of this year.”

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Easy sale for lucky locals as North Westgate plans are resurrected

11:37 Thursday 19th March 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: We’ve also been talking this morning about this what could be a fantastic proposal for North Westgate in Peterborough. It’s been on the cards developing that area of the city centre for years and years and years and years. And some of the proposals, well there’s going to be a new cinema in the complex, £100 million leisure-led development, which would be bounded by Queensgate on one side Bourges Boulevard on the other Lincoln Road and Westgate. Expected once planning goes in in the summer work will start on it early next year, and it should be completed by 2017/2018. You also get a new public square. There will be some housing there. There’ll be a hotel and loads of eateries as well. But it also involves knocking down around ten or fifteen houses on Cromwell Road. Well Johnny D. has been to visit Cromwell Road this morning to see what it’s like and to see what one resident thinks of having to lose her house.
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Steve Sweeney – the future of Hinchingbrooke Hospital

08:10 Wednesday 4th March 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: The Director of Nursing and Midwifery at Hinchingbrooke Hospital says their priority is their patients, and they want to become a top rated Hospital. Deidre Fowler spoke at a meeting of Huntingdonshire District Council’s Overview and Scrutiny panel last night. Councillors and members of the public gathered to hear about the future of the Hospital . The private company who run it you’ll remember, Circle, are pulling out of their contract. Sarah Varey our reporter went to the meeting.
(TAPE)
SARAH VAREY: A committee meeting like any other in the Civic Suite at Pathfinder House, except the twenty or so seats in the public gallery were almost full of people hoping to find out just what the future holds for the Hospital .
PUBLIC ONE: I’ve got a copy of the Care Quality Commission report (342k pdf). I’m just interested to see what the Chief Executive is proposing for the future. But from where I sit, he shouldn’t be there to propose anything for the future, because they’ve already failed. I’m very interested in the future. I’m actually passionate about it.
SARAH VAREY: As a patient?
PUBLIC ONE: Both as a patient and as a member of the public. I’ve been one probably of their most frequent fliers over the last six years, both as an in-patient and an out-patient. And I think the wonderful staff there are being constantly let down by poor inefficient management.
SARAH VAREY: There was a growing air of anticipation as Item 4 on the agenda was reached, a presentation by Circle CEO Hisham Abdel-Rahman. It came in the form of a multi-coloured Powerpoint presentation, using pie-charts and graphs to represent the causes behind the Care Quality Commission’s highly critical report. A selection of pre-sub,itted questions from members of the public were then put to Dr Abdel-Rahman and three members of the executive board and the Trust board alongside him.. They covered mostly old ground. When did Circle realise the financial situation was deteriorating? What were the contributing factors? Questions from the Scrutiny Panel followed, with a heartfelt plea from one who’s a nurse at the Hospital , asking why no-one told the staff that all was far from well. There followed more coloured graphics headed ‘A realistic view of an improvement journey.’ and delivered by the Director of Nursing Midwifery and Quality, Deidre Fowler. She emphasised the number one priority, to put the patients first, and affirmed their ambition to become a top-rated Hospital , adding ‘we’re downtrodden but not beaten’. Amanda Buckenham from the We Love Hinhingbrooke Hospital group sais she’s looking on the bright side.
AMANDA BUCKENHAM: I take away from it the positive elements, the things that are going well, the fact that they’re not complacent. They do recognise that the improvements need to be made, whilst obviously not accepting as quite a lot of us don’t the overall judgment of the Hospital as being inadequate.
(LIVE)
DOTTY MCLEOD: Sarah varey reporting there from that meeting last night at Huntingdonshire District Council. Steve Sweeney was there. Steve is the GMB’s regional Organiser. Steve, this was an opportunity really for people in Huntingdon to talk to the Hospital bosses, to get some answers. Was it effective?
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Graham Casey on a cultural strategy for Peterborough

07:19 Monday 23rd February 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: Peterborough’s new cultural strategy for the next five years goes before the City Council Cabinet for approval later. The proposals aim to increase the number of people taking part in cultural events, attracting people with talent, and making better use of the city’s green spaces. The hope is that the Council can achieve this despite investing less in Vivacity, the Trust that runs cultural services in Peterborough. Councillor Graham Casey has been driving the development of Peterborough’s cultural strategy 2015 to 2020. Now Graham, I think one of my favourite sentences in the strategy document is that this strategy “is not about spending more money.” Because you’re actually having to try and do more with less, aren’t you?
GRAHAM CASEY: We are. Yes. Good morning Dotty. Yes it’s difficult times really, and I’ve always been aware that culture has been one of the soft targets for cuts. But actually people involved in culture are incredibly creative people, and we’ve just got to use that creativity to keep doing what we do best, and that is actually providing cultural services to the city.
DOTTY MCLEOD: So what are your goals for the next five years? Continue reading “Graham Casey on a cultural strategy for Peterborough”

Tough at the top – Wayne Fitzgerald on executive pay at Peterborough City Council

17:22 Wednesday 18th February 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: It’s been a big day for the restructuring of local government backroom staff in our county, with the two biggest authorities merging resources in what is a landmark deal. Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council have announced the formal merging of some senior jobs in the past couple of hours. Peterborough are claiming it will save them half a million pounds. Let’s bring in one of the men behind this, councillor Wayne Fitzgerald. Hello Wayne.
WAYNE FITZGERALD: Hi. Good evening Chris.
CHRIS MANN: A member of the Employment Committee on Peterborough City Council, and also Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care. Just in round terms, tell us why you’ve had to do this and how tough it’s been. Continue reading “Tough at the top – Wayne Fitzgerald on executive pay at Peterborough City Council”

Council upbeat despite colossal deficit and millions written off on failed solar projects

08:19 Monday 16th February 2105
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: So let’s go back to Peterborough and the subject of solar farms, which we haven’t spoken about for a while regarding Peterborough. The City Council has announced it’s going to investigate a potential solar farm project at America Farm. Last October it scrapped plans to build two out of the three parks it had been backing for farmland outside the city, Newborough Farm and Morris Fen in Thorney. Those plans have now been cancelled, but the project for America Farm always remained a possibility. Now back in October we worked out that the total cost invested in the three projects was just short of £3.1 million. Let’s talk again to Gavin Elsey. Why is America Farm different from the other two sites Gavin. Let’s start with that.
GAVIN ELSEY: Firstly there are a number of differences Dotty. Firstly it’s a solar farm, not a wind and solar farm. Secondly the size of the project. And thirdly it’s the quality of the land. It’s not Grade 1 land, it’s Grade 3 land, so it makes it entirely different on those grounds.
DOTTY MCLEOD: And do you have an estimate of how much money a solar farm, just one solar farm at America Farm could bring in without these other two parks?
GAVIN ELSEY: I haven’t got the figures off the top of my head but I know that it would bring in several million pounds a year over the life of the contract.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Because you have already spent, we just mentioned the figure, £3 million on these solar parks. How much more are you going to be spending on this? Continue reading “Council upbeat despite colossal deficit and millions written off on failed solar projects”