Cambridge property – average earners priced out

07:08 Wednesday 29th April 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: A typical working family hoping to take their first steps onto the property ladder would find no homes that they could afford in Cambridge. That is the bleak assessment from a report by the housing charity Shelter. They compared the asking prices for houses on a popular property website with what they calculated would be the average combined salaries of a couple in their 20s, so just over £30,000. And nationally they found families on that money could afford 17% of homes. In Cambridge 0%. Well Kevin Price is Labour’s Executive councillor for Housing on Cambridge City Council. Morning Kevin.
KEVIN PRICE: Good morning Dotty.
DOTTY MCLEOD: And also with me on the line is Catherine Smart, who is the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Cambridge City Council. Morning Catherine.
CATHERINE SMART: Good morning.
DOTTY MCLEOD: So Kevin, do you accept this research? Is the situation really as bad as Shelter are saying?
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Martyn Postle on the Pfizer Bid

09:23 Monday 19th May 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[A]NDIE HARPER: This morning Astrazeneca has rejected the fourth and final takeover bid from its American rival Pfizer. The new bid valued the company at £69 billion, but the Chairman of the British pharmaceutical company said it undervalued the firm. However since they turned their offer down, the share value has now plunged by 14%, driving its market value down (to) £52.1 billion. That’s in a very short time indeed. So, is that the end of the battle of the drug companies? Martyn Postle is a director of Cambridge Healthcare and Biotech. Martin, good morning to you.
MARTYN POSTLE: Good morning Andie.
ANDIE HARPER: So, markets react so quickly, don’t they? Most people think people standing on the outside would have been quite pleased to hear them say that they’ve rejected the final offer by Pfizer, but now what happens?
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Fairer Funding For Cambridgeshire – The Leader Goes To London

17:07 Tuesday 14th January 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: The Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council is to make a personal appeal to the Prime Minister over the raw deal he feels the county gets in education. Martin Curtis is meeting David Cameron at Downing Street tomorrow. He’ll tell him that a generation of children’s education is being blighted, because Cambridgeshire is the most underfunded in the country, and it’s getting worse. Today the Council Cabinet agreed the latest budget, as part of the £149 million in savings over the next five years. And afterwards Cllr Curtis told me exclusively of his meeting with the Prime Minister, and the reasons behind it.
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Bourn Airfield Development Debate

07:22 Friday 6th September 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Campaigners opposing plans to build over 3,000 homes on Bourn Airfield say they’ll protest tonight outside a Council exhibition in the village. The proposals are part of South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Local Plan, which is currently being consulted on. Des O’Brien is the Chairman of the group Stop Bourn Airfield Development, and is joined by Cllr Tumi Hawkins, the LibDem councillor who represents the area of Caldecote. Morning. Morning to both of you. So what’s the problem then Des with this development?
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AstraZeneca Cambridge Site Selected

08:20 Tuesday 18th June 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Some great news for the South of the county this morning. Cambridge’s Biomedical Campus is to be the new global headquarters and research and development hub for the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. About 1600 staff will be relocated to the city from Cheshire. About 300 will be coming up from London. It will also mean that staff at Medlmmune, the firm’s biologics research and protein engineering arm will move from their base south of the city to the campus near Addenbrookes. We can now speak to Dr Robert Winter. He’s the Director of the Eastern Academic Health Science Network. Morning Robert.
ROBERT WINTER: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: A big deal for Cambridge this, isn’t it? Continue reading “AstraZeneca Cambridge Site Selected”

Cambridge House Prices

17:52 Wednesday 1st May 2013
Drive
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[C]HRIS MANN: There’s a warning this evening that the meteoric rise of Cambridge house prices is unsustainable. and will cause ruin when they come crashing down. David Furlow founder of cambridgehouseprices.co.uk said there’s a Cambridge delusion, in which people have been conditioned to assume house prices will only go up. I put this theory to leading local estate agent Chris Carey of Bidwells. (TAPE)
CHRIS CAREY: Well to be honest, this is no surprise that we have concerns raised, because Cambridge as ever tends to buck the trend, the UK housing trend. I’ve been in Cambridge all my life, and I’ve been in property over thirty years, and over the last few decades this has arisen quite regularly. I certainly remember the late ’80s boom, which quite frankly was certainly unsustainable. And of course most of us who were around at that time remember the long recession from ’89 through to the mid-90s. So this isn’t a recent phenomenon.
CHRIS MANN: So, is there a chance that these prices will come crashing down, the bubble will burst and everyone will be ruined? Continue reading “Cambridge House Prices”

A14 Upgrade – Contributions Invited

08:20 Wednesday 27th March 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Fifty years ago the Beeching Report was released, massive cuts to lines, massive cuts to jobs. It begs the question, are we suffering for it now, as our roads struggle with the weight of traffic. And could expensive projects like the Guided Bus and the proposed A14 upgrade have been avoided if Beeching had never happened? And even if the need is there, can our train companies provide a financially viable service? Nick Clarke is the Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council. Morning Nick.
NICK CLARKE: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Do you wish Beeching had never been born? Continue reading “A14 Upgrade – Contributions Invited”

The Northstowe Poker Game And The Missing Millions

17:23 Monday 18th March 2013
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[C]HRIS MANN: South Cambridgeshire District Council is set to agree the budget for the first phase of the new Northstowe town with the developers, but at many millions less than was first suggested. Developers Gallagher Estates’ latest offer for infrastructure such as transport and schools now stands at £30 million. That’s less than half the original amount. It will be voted on at a Council meeting tomorrow. So where have the missing millions gone? And what will it mean for the new town? Tim Wotherspoon is Cabinet member for Northstowe, and a councillor for Cottenham. Tim joins us now. Hello Tim.
TIM WOTHERSPOON: Good evening. Yes.
CHRIS MANN: So, how did we get from sixty five million to thirty? Continue reading “The Northstowe Poker Game And The Missing Millions”