17:20 Thursday 4th July 2013
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
[C]HRIS MANN: Five local representatives have been meeting the Deputy Prime Minister this afternoon for the latest round of negotiations of the Greater Cambridge City Deal. If their bid is successful, it will unlock a billion pounds worth of investment in local infrastructure. Our reporter Henrietta McMickey is here to try to explain a bit more about it. A billion pounds That’s a big deal.
HENRIETTA MCMICKEY: It is a big deal. This is part of the idea from central government that gives local areas more say over planning and infrastructure. The Government acknowledges that while London is always crucial, it will be the heartbeat of the UK economy, certain powers need to be devolved to other cities in a bid to increase growth elsewhere. Cambridge was chosen to be one of the twenty cities that would go forward to the next stage in the negotiations. This is what’s been happening today. The idea is that councils plus local enterprise partnerships (and) representatives of the business community all work together. And to be successful each area must demonstrate a strong local plan that’s going to increase jobs and push industry. Here in Cambridge the Greater Cambridge group is made up of three councils, Cambridge City, Cambridge(shire) county and South Cambridgeshire, the University, and the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Local Enterprise partnership.
CHRIS MANN: Well we’re going to be talking to two of those representatives in just a moment. But what happened today?
HENRIETTA MCMICKEY: Well earlier this afternoon five representatives from that group had to go and pitch to Nick Clegg at the Cabinet Office, together with a cross-departmental ministerial group, armed with their plan. What was this bid? Well, as I mentioned, it has to increase jobs and boost growth. So they said let’s have a new and enlarged rail station at Waterbeach, improvements to the A10 down to Cambridge, more buses and bus-lanes in and out of the city, better transport links along the A428 between Bourn and Cambourne, more dedicated cycle paths, and a new park and ride. And the goal, as you said, more than one billion pounds to unlock funding to local government from the centre. So there’s a lot riding on it. And one official described the whole process as kind of Dragons Den.
CHRIS MANN: A bit of a Dragons Den eh? Well let’s find out two of those that had to go into the Dragons Den today. We’re joined live from our Westminster studio by Martin Curtis, Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council. Hello Martin.
MARTIN CURTIS: Hi Chris.
CHRIS MANN: And Jeremy Sanders, who’s the Vice Chancellor of Cambridge University Hello Jeremy.
JEREMY SANDERS: Hello Chris. Pro Vice Chancellor.
CHRIS MANN: Pro Vice Chancellor. I do apologise. So, how were the pitches gentlemen? Martin first of all. How do you feel it went? Continue reading “Cambridge Enters Negotiation On City Deal”