This website started out in January 2010 with the intention of looking at how the BBC covered issues in Peterborough and the surrounding areas.
It quickly became caught up in the furore surrounding Peterborough City Council’s spending on consultants, an issue which has dragged on ever since, and is still dragging on, due to the resistance encountered on the part of Council to disclose the full facts.
In that matter, the name of Marco Cereste dominated proceedings. Currently the Leader of Peterborough City Council, Marco has often spoken in favour of the use of consultants, and defended the many millions of pounds spent and still being spent on them.
Further issues arose, including a massive overspend within Peterborough NHS, the controversial Council purchase of Peterborough United Football Club’s London Road ground, a planned waste incinerator in Fengate, the perceived failure of the regeneration company Opportunity Peterborough to deliver on its promises, and Council’s intention to press ahead with a major expansion of the Peterborough population, with attendant housebuilding on a scale never seen before.
All of these events have been documented on this site. And in each of these issues, the name of Marco Cereste has been in the foreground.
Councillor Cereste was formerly Chairman of Peterborough NHS, before resigning, following revelations of the overspend.
Councillor Cereste led the Council purchase of the PUFC ground at a price which raised eyebrows at the time.
Councillor Cereste is Chairman of PREL, the company which plans to build an incinerator in Fengate which will result in many hundreds of lorry movements into and out of Peterborough every day, and the possibility of a serious emissions and health issue for the neighbouring villages.
Councillor Cereste is a Director of Opportunity Peterborough, now apparently within the purlieus of Peterborough City Council, but still a private company.
Councillor Cereste is now Chairman of Larkpoint, a company heavily involved in housebuilding in and around Peterborough.
Councillor Cereste’s company PREL has now announced its intention to sponsor the shirts of Peterborough United FC.
Councillor Cereste has been re-elected as Councillor for Stanground East, and Leader of Peterborough City Council.
Councillor Cereste’s Register of Interests at Peterborough City Council
At the inception of this website, it was intended that it would cover a wide range of topics affecting other towns and villages in this region. That was the case, and there are interviews throughout the site that touch on Cambridgeshire and Fenland issues.
Recently it has become almost impossible to ignore the elephant in the room where Peterborough is concerned, which is the effective takeover of the city by one individual.
Because of the way in which the content is sourced, it could equally be said that the BBC Peterborough Show has also been taken over by one individual. While there are many other interesting subjects being covered in the Show, it is not possible to record every interview. Consequently the main interviews have been recorded. These are the ones that mostly feature at 07:10am, and 08:10am. And in so very many cases, these interviews feature or relate to Councillor Cereste, his business interests, or his Council responsibilities. And this site is not a public relations instrument for anyone.
So the purpose of this page is to ask readers what they want the site to do about the situation. As things stand, apart from the ever-present wrangles about immigration, there is only one issue of interest and importance in Peterborough at the moment, and that is the takeover of the City and Council by Councillor Cereste and his business interests. That fact is not being discussed.
Should the site ignore the situation, and attempt to present a more rounded view of the region, looking away from what is happening in Peterborough?
Should the site decamp from Peterborough altogether, and begin to cover national or international stories?
Anyone with an opinion on this issue is invited to offer their views. They can make them known by commenting on this article, quite anonymously provided they can solve a simple Capcha. Or they can write using the Contact link above.
There is no intention to collate information about people who contact the site, and it will not happen. No information is provided to any third parties. This is an unprecedented situation, and new ideas are needed. There is no vendetta. It’s simply an observable fact. One might argue it’s not an issue at all. Say what you think. Something good may come of it.
The Editor
There is much that goes on in Peterborough which when questioned there is a certain reticence to provide proper answers. Indeed this often manifests itself in a manner which could be construed by many as bullying/arrogance/…….
Straight, coherent, substantive and supported replies tend to be the currency of those with nothing to hide.
It would be good to have a focus where questions could be asked in a positive, coherent and supported way. The answers received can then be judged on their merit by those to whom the ‘management’ of Peterborough are answerable. That assumes of course that the ‘management’ consider themselves answerable to those who elect them and/or pay their salary. Should they feel they are not accountable to the citizens of Peterborough then that in itself will tell us all we need to know and should be shouted from the rooftops.
Thanks Kevin. Good points. Sometimes I think we need a better forum than the ET. The stories just scroll down and vanish off the radar. It needs a proper forum app. to do that. Maybe they just have to be “called out” so loudly that they can’t ignore the racket. Possibly one reason is that there are not enough people willing to spend time discussing it, and so there’s not enough momentum to kick off a good debate. Keep pushing Kevin.
Would we consider the ET to be a part of the solution or a part of the problem?
Or is it just that a provincial paper can not be expected to have either an investigative editor or reporters?
The ordinary person doesn’t seem to take much notice of these important matters unless his / her home or livelihood is threatened. They usually vote red, blue or yellow depending on the beauty of the big beast, regardless of the local chimp behind the rosette. Thus they do not join up the dots to make the big picture. I think there is a need for someone to do that, and I can’t think of a better place than this editorially independent forum.
Appreciate that Simon. As they say, the story grew in the telling.