Peterborough News 3rd November 2010

A summary of the Peterborough Breakfast Show from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire broadcast from 06:00 to 09:00 on Wednesday 3rd November 2010.

Topics:
Peterborough City Council are considering selling off the family silver to maintain their spending levels. There seems to be an issue on whether land sales would be a bad idea in a depressed market. What has not been made clear is how planning permission issues would affect the outcome. Selling plots of land to developers who then apply for planning permission to build houses would obviously benefit the developers most. But it would clearly make more sense for Council to grant outline permission before selling, and the legality of this has not been made clear.

Peterborough Council’s highest earners are hunkering down in their bunkers over suggestions that they might like to take a small voluntary paycut in these times of austerity. Council are still claiming that the scrapping of the Deputy Chief Executive post is an example of their willingness to tighten their belts. In fact, the post was vacated in March, long before austerity became the watchword. The real reason for scrapping the post is that it was created in the first place specifically for a consultant, who became the focus of unwelcome attention when it became clear that Council were spending many millions on consultancy without any clear and evident benefit to the taxpayers.

Some but not all of the general population consulted are prepared to get excited about a new tenant for the Woolworths building.

Life model wanted at Peterborough Regional College. Under EU regulations, the elderly are welcome to apply.
The Peterborough Christmas lights will be switched on by a couple of lookalikes masquerading as characters from the children’s TV programme Lazytown.
The One Show came to Peterborough to check out wildlife friendly allotments.
Peterborough United FC travelled to Walsall and came back clutching three precious points.

Weather: Mainly dry this morning with some bright spells, but increasing cloud will bring rain later. 16C 61F.

Interviewees:
Sheila Scott Cabinet Member Peterborough City Council.
Matthew Sinclair Taxpayers Alliance.
Laura Brady Froglife.
John Peach Peterborough City Cllr.
Jeff Stebbings Garden Answers Magazine.

Team:
Presenter: Paul Stainton
Producer: Ben Stevenson
Sport: Peter Swann
News: Suzie Roberts
Travel: Justin Peterson
Weather: Phil Garner
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