New Foxton streetlights give cause for concern

07:22 Friday 28th November 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: Have you switched to low-energy light bulbs in your house yet? There’s this new generation of bulbs that promise to slash your bills and to last longer than the standard filament bulbs, and even the earlier low-energy type bulbs we were all asked to switch to in recent years to save money and the environment. Now streetlights are being upgraded too to the fancy energy-saving ones. But despite savings being made through this, not everyone in one Cambridgeshire village is welcoming them. Waseem Mirza has the story.
WASEEM MIRZA: I’m in the village of Foxton, and off of the main road, not far from the village shop, there is a brand new streetlight column put up. But what do people here make of it? Let’s find out. Hello. What’s your name?
LOCAL: Kimberley.
WASEEM MIRZA: This is a fairly recent development here, isn’t it? What do you make of it, and what’s experience of these lights so far.
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Heritage Lighting Uprooted from Cambridge Conservation Area

08:22 Tuesday 18th March 2014
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: There’s anger in Cambridge as work to replace street lights sees some so-called heritage columns being removed in the city centre. The County Council are replacing all 55,000 street lights in the county to make them more energy efficient. Well I’m joined in the studio by Cllr Ed Cearns. Ed, morning.
ED CEARNS: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Now you’re the LibDem County councillor for Market ward. You’re not particularly happy with all of this, are you?
ED CEARNS: No, I’m not at all, because we spent the last eight months in discussions with the County Council and with Balfour Beatty the contractors to look at what can be done to save some of the heritage street lighting. And then yesterday, unbeknown to us, they just decided to take some of it away, despite assurances that none would be taken away until discussions had been concluded about funding arrangements, to try and keep and restore some of the street lights.
PAUL STAINTON: Now these are very old street lamps, aren’t they? What’s so special about them? Why should they not be replaced?
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Peterborough: the Transfers Continue

08:32 Friday 7th October 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridge

PAUL STAINTON: Council tax collection is just one of a number of back-room services at the City Council set to be transferred to a private firm, in a deal which could save the city £25 million. 450 workers at Peterborough City Council will be transferred as part of the move, and the City Council assures there’s unlikely to be job losses, and say they have already made £2 million worth of administrative savings in 2009/10. Let’s Speak to David Seaton. He’s Cabinet Member for Resources at Peterborough City Council. Morning David.
DAVID SEATON: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: So you’ve already made £2 million worth of savings. How have they come about? Continue reading “Peterborough: the Transfers Continue”