BBC transcripts
08:14 Thursday 12th July 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
PAUL STAINTON: Let’s speak to Terry Rich, who’s Director of Adult Social Care at Peterborough City Council. Remind us just why the Council is consulting on whether these care homes should close. Continue reading “Council Interim Director and Care Home Closure Expert”
“Blue Marble have been instrumental in driving the transformation programme forward and in supporting our journey to excellence. They have helped us to turn our strategic vision into operational reality providing programme management support with enthusiasm, clarity and an approach totally suited to our needs. I have no hesitation in recommending them to other public sector organisations.”
John Richards, Director of Children’s Services Peterborough City Council
Blue Marble
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“Peterborough city councillors met last night to discuss a thirty three point action plan designed to rescue their ailing Children’s Services department. Last week a report from OFSTED said the Department was performing poorly. It follows another critical report in September which led to the resignation of the Department’s Director John Richards.”
Peterborough Children’s Services – A Long Way to Go.
08:23 Tuesday 15th November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
Continue reading “On the Value of Testimonials and Case Studies”
08:08 Tuesday 8th May 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
PAUL STAINTON: A charity that helps families and kids in poverty says Peterborough City Council isn’t equipped to support people who struggle to make ends meet. According to 4Children, the Council doesn’t have a strategy in place for helping youngsters and parents cope. It comes after research reveals that three local authorities, Central Bedfordshire, Suffolk and Peterborough, have failed to take even the first steps towards combatting the problem. Well Mark Bennett from 4Children was on the show earlier. He says he’s alarmed by the lack of preparation by Peterborough City Council. (TAPE)
MARK BENNETT: It sounds to me like there is a council in Peterborough which is not taking its duties to children and particularly children in poverty and struggling families very seriously. If you can’t measure anything, you can’t show in a year’s time whether you’ve made any progress or not, because you’ve not actually set yourself any targets. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well we asked Peterborough City Council for their strategy on child poverty, and we’ve yet to receive it. But they have let us speak to the Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Cllr. Sheila Scott. Morning Sheila.
SHEILA SCOTT: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: Have you managed to find the strategy document anywhere?
SHEILA SCOTT: Well it’s a really interesting question, because .. Continue reading “Children in Poverty – Department in Disarray”
20:00 Tuesday 13th March 2012
File on Four Radio Four
ANNOUNCER: With tax avoidance increasingly in the news, Fran Abrahams investigates the extent of the problem. ..
FRAN ABRAHAMS: HMRC is certainly facing criticism. MPs have been asking why it’s doing deals with big business over unpaid tax bills. There was anger over the revelation that the Chief Executive of the Student Loan Company wasn’t on its payroll. And we’ve discovered it isn’t just central government that’s under pressure on the issue. Hammersmith and Fulham Council has been thanking its residents for helping it cut costs. It’s even been able to reduce council tax bills. But there ‘s been concern it might also have been cutting back on another kind of bill, the tax bill. The issue arose over the employment of a man named Nick Johnson, who’s recently been working at Hammersmith in a senior role. Theresa Pearce, who’s now a Labour MP, knew him when he was Chief Executive of Bexley Council in South London. Continue reading “Taxman Targets Interims and Consultants on Local Authorities”
07:07 Friday 25th November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
PAUL STAINTON: Peterborough City Council’s Children’s Services has a new Director, looking after the department. It was confirmed yesterday a super-consultant is to be brought in to try and improve it, which was criticised by Ofsted in September. Now one city councillor is questioning how truly successful consultants have been when tackling the same job in the past. Let’s speak to Cllr Mike Fletcher. Morning Mike.
MIKE FLETCHER: Good morning Paul. ..
PAUL STAINTON: Now how many consultants have had a go at Children’s Services in say the last three or four years? How many different companies have had a go at sorting it out. Continue reading “Peterborough Children’s Services in Crisis: Consultants Named”
08:08 Tuesday 22nd November 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
PAUL STAINTON: No council employee is worth £1000 a day. That’s according to the Deputy Leader of the Independent councillors on Peterborough City Council. John Fox’s comments came after plans were unveiled to pay the new Interim Director of Peterborough’s Children’s Services over £1000 a day. He’s been billed as the new “super consultant”, and will be in charge of sorting out the Council’s failing Children’s Services, which was labelled so bad by an Ofsted report that the Director of the Department John Richards was forced to resign. Continue reading “Peterborough Children’s Services in Crisis Appoints £1000 a Day Interim”
07:28 Friday 8th July 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
PAUL STAINTON: Millions of pounds to consultants. NHS Peterborough spent more than £1.3 million on consultants in the last year, the second highest out of all the PCTs in England, even though they had to make a £2 million reduction in running costs by April 2012. The figures have been revealed through an FOI, Freedom of Information request, submitted by medical magazine Pulse. Richard Hoey is the Editor. Morning Richard.
RICHARD HOEY: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: That’s a heck of a lot of cash. Tell us more. Continue reading “NHS Peterborough – MP Condemns Consultancy Spending”
08:35 Monday 6th June 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
PAUL STAINTON: Cllr Marion Todd, earlier on in the show, said certain wards in Peterborough are only offering residents the equivalent health care of a third world country. We spoke to her earlier this morning. She said if the threatened Parnwell Medical Centre itself gets closed, then residents will have to visit Dogsthorpe or Paston to get help from a GP. She said it was unacceptable for some people. Peter Whiteman came on, Interim Director of Primary Care at NHS Peterborough and said that everything was going to be hunky-dory. We were going to get this new lovely health centre for the people of Paston and Dogsthorpe, and it was all going to be fine. Let’s speak to Cllr. John Peach, who’s with us this morning. John Good morning.
JOHN PEACH: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: One of them’s right. Or are they both right? They seem to be polar opposites at the moment. Peter Whiteman’s one side, Marion Todd’s at the other side. They’re way apart. Who’s right John? Continue reading “Health Consultation – PCT Probity Questioned”