Tag: Marco Cereste

What Exactly Does This Mean?

08:27 Friday 28th September 2012
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

The Conservative Leader of Peterborough City Council made this statement during an interview concerning the city’s Blue Sky plans to aggregate its electricity buying operations with other local authorities.

MARCO CERESTE: There’s going to be some really difficult times coming in the near future, so anything that we as a council can do to reduce local people’s costs are something we absolutely have to look at.

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Peterborough Care Home Closures – Everything You Need To Know

07:08 Friday 31st August 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Without doubt, the biggest and most emotional story we’ve covered over the entire life of the Peterborough Breakfast Show was the City Council’s plan to close two of the city’s care homes. The proposal is currently open to consultation, which ends in November. This week saw workers from both Greenwood and Welland House meet the Leader of the Council, Marco Cereste, to talk about their concerns. Well, Mr Cereste was keen to reiterate that it’s an open consultation, and the Council will listen to people’s concerns. (TAPE)
MARCO CERESTE: Well, there’s a consultation. That’s what consultations are about. The staff may come forward with another solution that we haven’t thought about. And we will certainly listen to them, and we will take seriously whatever it is they come forward with. (LIVE) Continue reading “Peterborough Care Home Closures – Everything You Need To Know”

Green Backyard – Working Within The System

07:18 Monday 20th August 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY GALL: After months of campaigning, it looks as though a new home could have been found for the Green Backyard. The community project has been told it will have to move away from its home near Apex House, and be given a new location. And after meetings with Peterborough City Council, the owners say one suggestion may be to move the green space onto the top of a multi-storey car park. Sophie Antonelli is from the Green Backyard, and is on the line. So what did you think of Marco’s suggestion of it being put on a multi-storey car park? Continue reading “Green Backyard – Working Within The System”

Care Home Closure – Wayne Fitzgerald

Audio Part One
Audio Part Two

08:12 Wednesday 11th July 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: When you went round and had a look at these rooms, what did you find?
WAYNE FITZGERALD: Well you know very well that I haven’t visited either home as yet. It’s planned that we will visit, both the Director and I, before any decision is made.
PAUL STAINTON: So you’ve not been round the homes, yet you’re making these massive decisions that affect the most vulnerable in society. Continue reading “Care Home Closure – Wayne Fitzgerald”

A Tradition of Public Service

08:20 Thursday 28th June 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOREEN MURRAY FORMER COUNCILLOR: I was a councillor for almost twelve months before I was told I should claim expenses. And I said I’m not in here to claim expenses, I’m in here to make things better for people around me. Because my son was born partially sighted, and I saw the way things weren’t being done for them. So many things within the community needed doing. And I was approached three times by the Conservatives to run for them. And then I looked around, and my son said to me Mum, you’re always saying you want to help people out. This is your opportunity. So that’s why I became a councillor. I never, ever drew expenses. The only expenses I drew was for my telephone bill, because it never stopped. And I am absolutely disgusted. Because where everything went downhill with the Council is when councillors started to get a wage. They joined the Council not to make things better. They joined it because it’s a gravy train. And Charlie (Swift) saying that it was a traditional thing to get sandwiches. That’s rubbish. I never ever. The only time you got a cup of tea was when the Mayor would invite us into the Parlour. And that was it. I get very upset about it all. You’ve got some good people within, but you’ve also got an adminstration that really needs kicking out. And everything starts at the top. It starts with the Head of the Council. And things need changing, and I think councillors should start giving up the wage that they’re getting, and give it to charity. Because it’s needed more for charitable causes. Charlie (Swift) is a good guy. I like Charlie. He’s worked hard for his community, and that’s why he’s still a councillor. I think it’s immoral. I get very upset when I know how much money that they’re getting, the councillors, and they’re getting advisors who are earning salaries, to advise them. Why should they need people to advise them? Go out in the community. Knock on doors. Find out is there anything you want. That’s what Jack Rigby and I used to do. Every Saturday morning we did a walkabout in Orton Longueville. Everybody knew us. We asked, is there any problems? What’s needed? You don’t need advisers. The public are your advisers. Listen to them.

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Councillors Bicker Over Committee Places

07:08 Tuesday 19th June 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: A meeting has been held to discuss how the health services which will be inherited by Peterborough City Council next year will be dealt with in the future. The Council will run some of the services currently being operated by NHS Peterborough, when the Trust is abolished next year. Well Nick Sandford is Leader of the LibDems. He was at yesterday’s meeting. We need to start by simplifying this and clarifying it. What services will the City Council be running when it comes over to them next year?
NICK SANDFORD: Good morning Paul. What’s happening is there’s going to be a split really. The Primary Care Trust is being abolished from April 2013. The commissioning services that the Primary Care Trust used to fulfil will go to these new GP consortia, whereas the actual public health responsibilities, that’s the development of a public health strategy, control of drugs, that sort of thing, that will go over to Peterborough City Council. And that aspect of it is something I very much support.
PAUL STAINTON: What are you unhappy about then? Continue reading “Councillors Bicker Over Committee Places”

Growth Cities Network

If, like many of us you don’t read the Financial Times behind its paywall, you will have missed an item entitled UK Cities Seek Powers to Boost Growth.

This tells us that group of smaller towns and cities seek additional powers and money from central government to “help the economic performance of the entire country.”

 

Continue reading “Growth Cities Network”

John Clare Garden

08:17 Wednesday 11th April 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY GALL: Peterborough could soon get its very own designer garden, but it would seem that not everyone wants it in the city. The City Council says it’s been offered the chance to buy a garden from the Chelsea Flower Show. It’s creator is Adam Frost from Stamford, and there are claims that it’s on sale for just under £50,000. But some councillors have questioned how the garden would be paid for. It’s been suggested that Section 106 money could be one way, but that’s not on, according to the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Councillor Nick Sandford. He questioned the Council’s policy on Section 106 money earlier. (TAPE)
NICK SANDFORD: I’m very confused on the Council’s policy on Section 106 funding, because when I go to the planning department, and I say there’s a project in the Council ward that I represent, there’s an urgent need to have some highway improvement, I get told that you can only spend Section 106 funding on things that have been properly researched, that have gone into the Infrastructure Development Plan. But it seems that when the Leader of the Council has a pet project that he wants to put forward, he can immediately just say, we can use Section 106 money. (LIVE)
ANDY GALL: Joining us now is the Leader of Peterborough City Council, Marco Cereste. Good morning Marco. Continue reading “John Clare Garden”