Mohammed Jamil – The New Listener

MP attacks decision to shelve landlord licensing scheme

10:38 Friday 18th September 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Now more on housing, and in particular in Peterborough. The Conservative MP for the city has launched a scathing attack on the city’s Conservative-led council, after it performed a dramatic U-turn this week. The Council had announced plans to introduce a licence that would see landlords charged a fee in areas like Gladstone, Millfield, New England and Eastfield. The idea of the licence was to crack down on anti-social behaviour and unscrupulous landlords. Many thought that was a good idea. Critics though said it’s a bit racist, saying the Council was targeting an area which predominantly is home to Asian landlords. Well at a meeting earlier this week, the Council decided to delay the introduction of the scheme, which has annoyed our next guest. Stewart Jackson MP for Peterborough is with me now. Stewart, good morning.
STEWART JACKSON: Good morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: So there were criticisms that it was targeting perhaps Asian landlords in those areas. And the Council are saying look, we’ve had a look at this. The scheme is two years old. We’re going to have a consultation and perhaps bring out something bigger and better later down the line.
STEWART JACKSON: Well this is about fairness, and the fact is that it’s quite despicable, particular for Labour councillors, to play the race card. The fact is that unscrupulous landlords happen to be to some extent Asian or Pakistani heritage. It’s not aimed at Pakistani heritage people who are also landlords. And there is a distinction there. The fact is it’s a fairness issue. Why should landlords who have a vested financial interest have their own committee, their own working group, be able to turn up to influence and harangue councillors, have their own pet councillors frankly who put their view across, when vulnerable families, decent people in rented accommodation, people who’ve lived in central Peterborough for years, they don’t have a say directly to the decision makers? And I think this decision by Peterborough City Council, it’s either two things. It’s either borderline civic corruption, in other words undue coercion and pressure.
PAUL STAINTON: Because there’s a lot of councillors who own houses in the city.
Continue reading “MP attacks decision to shelve landlord licensing scheme”

Council elects old school Tory Leader

07:19 Thursday 21st May 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: John Holdich is the Leader, the new Leader, of Peterborough City Council. The long-serving Conservative councillor for Glinton and Wittering has been appointed unopposed. He’ll replace Marco Cereste who lost his Stanground seat in the recent local elections. Our political reporter Hannah Olsson was at Peterborough Town Hall for last night’s meeting.
(TAPE)
HANNAH OLSSON: The General Election may have surprised pollsters and parties alike, but this evening in Peterborough Town Hall everything went as predicted. Conservative John Peach is the new Mayor, and Conservative John Holdich is the new Leader of Peterborough City Council. We were expecting a nomination from the Labour Group, but it didn’t come, so John Holdich was elected unopposed. The councillors nominating him described him as Peterborough through and through, a team player qualified and respected pair of hands. He said it was time for a clean slate, and he would do his best to represent the people of Peterborough. The only drama of the evening came as the new Leader began announcing the Cabinet members. Two members of the Labour Party Ed Murphy and Jo Johnson walked out of the Council chamber. Ed Murphy at one point was asking for nomination to run a cross-party Cabinet. I asked both Ed and Jo why they left the chamber.
JO JOHNSON: The Labour Group and followers of the Labour Group whip, because we were going to put a position up, and we didn’t do it.
HANNAH OLSSON: That came as a surprise to you?
JO JOHNSON: Yes it did. We weren’t told. We had a pre-meeting before and we weren’t told that there was no opposition.
HANNAH OLSSON: The Leader of the Labour Party Mohammed Jamil told me that simply, things had changed.
MOHAMMED JAMIL: The support I’d been promised, or I thought I had the support, prior to this meeting certain group members came to me and said look I’m sorry we’re not supporting you. Now I felt I could go ahead with this, or I could try and work with John Holdich to secure a better deal.
HANNAH OLSSON: So it may be a new era for Peterborough City Council, but it seems the drama continues.
(LIVE)
DOTTY MCLEOD: Hannah Olsson there reporting from the annual Council meeting in Peterborough last night. John Holdich the new Leader of Peterborough City Council joins me now. Morning John.
JOHN HOLDICH: Good morning Dotty.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Well congratulations. What is first on your list of to do tasks?
Continue reading “Council elects old school Tory Leader”

Nigel Farage Passing Through Peterborough

08:18 Wednesday 10th April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

Listen To Audio

[P]AUL STAINTON: Last time we spoke to our next guest, he bemoaned the lack of English speaking migrants in Peterborough. He also said he thought people get on less well in the city than they did ten years ago. Well today, he’ll visit different parts of Peterborough, as part of his tour of England as we head towards local elections of course on May 2nd. Of course, referring to Nigel Farage, Leader of Ukip. We’ll speak to him in a moment, but first our reporter Johnny D in what’s often described as the Polish quarter of Peterborough. Good morning Johnny. Where are you? Continue reading “Nigel Farage Passing Through Peterborough”

Alcohol Warzones in Peterborough – Council Blamed

08:18 Tuesday 12th July 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Residents up in arms in Cromwell Road and that area, they’re using legal powers to try and reduce the opening hours of a restaurant around that area. South Central East Residents Association’s put in an application to Peterborough City Council calling for a premises licence review of Marisqueira Restaurant in Cromwell Road. It’s the first time that a group of residents has requested a review of a premises licence in Peterborough. So a first for Peterborough. Here. residents tell us what it’s like to live in that area.
(VOXPOP)
PUBLIC ONE: Some of the problems being the antisocial behaviour, the fighting, the rowdiness. About two weeks ago, it was around nine o’clock, a massive fight took place outside here.
PUBLIC TWO: We like to be .. we are a peaceful society here. We like to do things peacefully. Nobody wants to take things into their own hands. But now I think it’s time for this to stop.
PUBLIC THREE: It shouldn’t have come to this really. We believe it’s a problem that the City Council has created, by not actually investigating the licence before they issued it. So if they’d looked into the location of the premises, and them applying to open until three in the morning, they would have clearly seen that it’s not viable. (LIVE) Continue reading “Alcohol Warzones in Peterborough – Council Blamed”

Council Million Pound Mortgage Scheme Called In

07:35 Thursday 23rd June 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Peterborough City Council’s decision to join the Local Authority Mortgage Scheme, investing a million pounds, has been called in for discussion by two of the city’s councillors. The scheme means they could help with up to 20% of the deposit, and help people get a 75% mortgage on top of that. All seemed very peachy. Labour councillor Mohammed Jamil though, not happy. Morning.
MOHAMMED JAMIL: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: What’s wrong? Continue reading “Council Million Pound Mortgage Scheme Called In”

More Thought Needed on the Old Hospital Site

Councillors have joined the local MP in questioning the current outline plans for the old Peterborough District Hospital site on Thorpe Road as unimaginative, unsustainable, and not in the best interests of local ratepayers. Continue reading “More Thought Needed on the Old Hospital Site”

Peterborough News 7th October 2010

A summary of the Peterborough Breakfast Show from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire broadcast from 06:00 to 09:00 on Thursday 7th October 2010.

Topics:
Councillors have joined the local MP in questioning the current outline plans for the old Peterborough District Hospital site on Thorpe Road as unimaginative, unsustainable, and not in the best interests of local ratepayers.
As runners finalise their preparations for the Great Eastern Run on Sunday, news emerges that the Chief Executive of Peterborough City Council Gillian Beasley has suffered a twinge, and could pull out of the charity event.
Entries are invited for the 2011 Peterborough Poet Laureate contest, on the theme of chemistry.
Continue reading “Peterborough News 7th October 2010”

Peterborough News 21st May 2010

A summary of the Peterborough Breakfast Show from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire broadcast from 07:00 to 09:00 on Friday 21st May 2010. News travel weather and interviews.

Topics:
A local councillor wants the District Auditor to examine the value gained from investment in housing associations.
A local pensioner has lost £130,000 from investments made through the Norwich and Peterborough.
Local Conservative MP Shailesh Vara is now a Government Whip.
Four are held in Peterborough icw sham marriage allegations.
The Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival is still inviting competitors to form teams for charity.
Vivacity Peterborough regret the Peterborough Lido will not be open in time to benefit from current hot weather.
A Peterborough Labour councillor comments on the Labour leadership contest.

Interviewees:
Charles Swift Independent Councillor Peterborough City Council.
Ed Murphy Labour Councillor Peterborough City Council.
Robert Hidderley Norwich and Peterborough Investor.
Matthew Bullock Chief Executive Norwich and Peterborough BS.
Lee Jackson Freddy Mercury Lookalike.
Mohammed Jamil Councillor for Lido Location.
Kevin Tighe Chief Executive Vivacity Peterborough.
Ben Falk Film Critic.

Team:
Presenter: Paul Stainton
Producer: Heather Noble
Sport: Nick Fairburn
News: Suzi Roberts
Travel: Justin Peterson
Weather: John Gray
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