Category: Business

German Claims Of NSA Spying A Cause For Concern Ahead Of EU Summit

08:23 Thursday 24th October 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[D]OTTY MCLEOD: The German Government says it suspects US intelligence agencies may have been spying on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone calls. It’s absolutely extraordinary. Mrs Merkel spoke to President Obama and asked for an immediate and comprehensive explanation. The language of Chancellor Merkel’s spokesman was strong, saying there needed to be “immediate clarification”, and talking of “a breach of trust”. A White House spokesman Jay Carney told supporters that Mr Obama had assured Mrs Merkel that the US wasn’t listening to her phone calls.
Continue reading “German Claims Of NSA Spying A Cause For Concern Ahead Of EU Summit”

Off The Beaten Track – Indie Shops In Peterborough

07:07 Friday 26th July 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[R]ONNIE BARBOUR: We’re celebrating the independent shops of Cambridgeshire this morning. This is after a new map which shows where all the the independent shops are in Peterborough city centre being launched today. It’s the idea of the city’s local indie retailers. They hope it will boost trade. And Peterborough isn’t the only city celebrating its wide range of shops. Huntingdon and Cambridge have both started business improvement districts, which have web sites advertising. We’re joined now by Rachel Parkin who owns gift shop Reba in Cathedral Square. She’s part of the local independent group. Good morning to you Rachel.
RACHEL PARKIN: Good morning Ronnie. How are you?
RONNIE BARBOUR: Yeah. Good. I love to hear this, because it’s quite a big step to start up a local business, especially a shop these days. How’s it going for you? Continue reading “Off The Beaten Track – Indie Shops In Peterborough”

Help To Buy Scheme Part Two

07:25 Tuesday 23rd July 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Several big mortgage lenders are being summoned to No. 11 Downing Street today, the Chancellor’s house of course, to hear how the second part of the Help-to-Buy scheme will work. Part One you may remember was launched just four months ago, and only affects new homes. Well Part Two starts in January of next year and is going to help people with existing homes Adam, so anybody, is that right? Continue reading “Help To Buy Scheme Part Two”

New Rules For Whistleblowers

07:26 Tuesday 25th June 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: If you’re thinking of exposing wrongdoing in your workplace, then you’ll get more protection under changes to the law being brought in today. The new rules mean whisteblowing must be in the public interest, and employees will have more rights protecting them from harrassment at work that may occur as a result. Sean Farrington is from our business unit. Morning Sean.
SEAN FARRINGTON: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Now we’ve had quite a few incidences of whistleblowing lately. I think the latest one involves a public toilet in Billericay. But it’s a big thing to put your head above the parapet, isn’t it? Continue reading “New Rules For Whistleblowers”

And They All Lived Together In A Little Crooked House

07:28 Friday 17th May 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Interest rates are at historic lows at the moment of course, have been for quite a while. But figures out today show the cost of rent has increased in England and Wales in every region for the first time in eighteen months. The average rent is £736 a month. Adam Kirtley’s here from our Business Unit. Morning Adam.
ADAM KIRTLEY: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: That’s painful, isn’t it? If you’re having to rent that’s a heck of a lot of cash.
ADAM KIRTLEY: It is. And if you live in London its’ even worse at £1110 a month. That’s a 7.6% rise over the year. Now rents have always been quite expensive in some parts of the country, cheaper in others. But until today, for the last 18 months, there has always been somewhere where you see rents go down, especially in some of the harder up areas. But now it would appear the pressure is so great on housing that everywhere in England and Wales rents are going up. And they’re pretty much all going up by more than inflation, which of course in these straightened times is not good.
PAUL STAINTON: No. Why are they going up? What’s going on? Is it just greedy landlords? Continue reading “And They All Lived Together In A Little Crooked House”

Big Men In Big Hats

07:27 Wednesday 15th May 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Have we been ripped off for years by rigged oil prices? I can hear the reply now Adam Kirtley, coming right across Cambridgeshire.
ADAM KIRTLEY: Yes!
PAUL STAINTON: We may have though. The European Commission are now investigating, aren’t they?
ADAM KIRTLEY: Yes they are. And there’s been a long rumour hasn’t there that there’s something fisjy about oil prices. Why are they so high. It’s not actually supply and demand. It’s the wholesale market. It’s the oil companies themselves, ensuring that it’s high by fixing the price. And finally the European Commission has thought right, we’d better go in and investigate it. So yesterday it literally raided the offices of BP, of Shell, StatOil which is the Norwegian company, and also a company called Platts, which isn’t an oil company, but Platts is actually a price comparison site, if you like, in the wholesale market. So it goes and spots, looks at, spot checks if you like the prices the various oil companies and people are quoting. Then it passes those on to oil traders, who then get a vague idea of what the prices should be.
PAUL STAINTON: Right. So the accusation would be perhaps that the oil companies all decide on a price. They go to those oil companies and they see what the price is and then they pass that on. Continue reading “Big Men In Big Hats”

Peterborough DNA – Future Cities Demonstrator – Questions Arising

Note: this post is a mixture of  items written originally and items edited later when new information emerged.

Via a private arm of the City Council, Peterborough recently bid for £20 million funding from the Technology Strategy Board to develop a Future Cities project. As a runner up to Glasgow Peterborough was given £3 million to develop their ideas.

Their original bid document is here:

Feasibility Study Peterborough City Council.
Continue reading “Peterborough DNA – Future Cities Demonstrator – Questions Arising”

Sven Töpel Brookgate On The CB1 Gateway And Station Project

07:39 Thursday 2nd May 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Well a few moments ago we were live at Cambridge Railway Station, celebrating the news that four million pounds is to be spent improving the facilities there. The money will be spent on the ticket hall, and was donated by developer Brookgate, as part of a condition for developing the CB1 redevelopment. But because the building is listed, all changes have to be approved by Cambridge City Council. The news has been welcomed by Linda McCord, who’s the Passenger Manager at Passenger Focus. She says it’s long overdue. (TAPE)
LINDA McCORD: I travel very regularly, and congestion, particularly at peak in the morning and the evening, it’s really just not pleasant for passengers. It’s very small, and really it needs to be completely revamped and extended. And that’s what we’re hearing is going to happen. So it’s very good news for passengers. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: But Geraint Hughes, Partnership Manager at Greater Anglia, said plans will be hampered because the building was listed. (TAPE)
GERAINT HUGHES: We are constrained by this wonderful building that we have to deal with here. I think in certain circumstances we’d like a lot of areas to be bigger. But we have to deal with the space that we’ve got. We are very concerned about creating a gateway for the city here that the city really deserves, and what it wants. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well let’s speak to the Chief Executive of the developers of the CB1 development, Brookgate. Sven Töpel’s here. Morning Sven.
SVEN TÖPEL: Hello. Good morning to you.
PAUL STAINTON: Are you pleased this money’s going to improve something so integral to Cambridge like the railway station? Continue reading “Sven Töpel Brookgate On The CB1 Gateway And Station Project”