Tag: Phil Rodgers

Council library plans on hold after new facts emerge

08:19 Monday 8th June 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: Less than a week after a controversial decision was made to convert the third floor of Cambridge Central Library into an enterprise centre, the plans appear to have been put on hold. This comes after reports that the man who was leading the negotiations with the County Council appears to have been banned from being a company director in the UK. Businessman and architect Roger Perrin from Kora is the man behind the scheme. There’s no suggestion that he has done anything illegal or wrong, but there are questions being asked about the County Council’s actions on this. Lucy Nethsingha is the Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the County Council. Morning Lucy.
LUCY NETHSINGHA: Good morning Dotty.
DOTTY MCLEOD: So what’s your reaction to what’s happened over the weekend, or what’s been revealed over the weekend?
LUCY NETHSINGHA: Well it has been an amazing fast-moving story in the last week. I’m delighted that the decision to let out the top floor of the library has been reversed. It was a bad decision, pushed through by the Conservative group on Tuesday, and if that’s now not going to happen, that’s fantastic news.
DOTTY MCLEOD: Now this is a blogger, Phil Rodgers, who actually did a bit of digging, and unearthed that Roger Perrin was in fact banned from being a company director in the UK, which seems to have been what’s prompted this slight hiccup in the County Council’s plans. What do you think it shows about the way the County Council has done their research?
Continue reading “Council library plans on hold after new facts emerge”

New Leader For Cambs County Council 2013

07:07 Wednesday 22 May 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: What a difference a day makes, doesn’t it? Yesterday morning Cambridgeshire County Council was leaderless and in no overall control. Now the Council has a Leader, and the system of governance has been turned upside down. The frontrunner for the Leader’s job, Tory Martin Curtis, was elected Leader with 32 votes, 16 more than rival candidate John Hipkin. But both the LibDems and Labour groups abstained from the vote. They did however vote on a new decision making framework. From May 2014 decisions will be made by all-party committees, rather than a Cabinet. Well Cllr Hipkin (Independent) said the public shouldn’t worry that the committee system will slow down decision making. (TAPE)
JOHN HIPKIN: If this is the way the County’s going to work over the next four years, then I think the people of Cambridgeshire can be reassured. We’ve made a number of sensible decisions. We’ve shown real cooperation between the groups. I think we’ve got on to friendly terms. There’s a good atmosphere in Shire Hall. I’m not sure how long it will last, but believe me it’s strong today.
SAMANTHA DALTON: And why did Labour and the LibDems abstain from voting for you as the Leader? Instead they chose to effectively allow the Tory Leader to come in and be voted for.
JOHN HIPKIN: Well I guess as you know in interviews of this sort one always says this, you’ll have to ask them why they did as they did. But my guess is neither of them was comfortable about forming an alliance. Particularly I think Labour members had a problem about making an administration with UKIP. And I think, if I may say so, I think some of them are more comfortable in opposition than they are for taking responsibility for government. Something which may interest your listeners, which is that UKIP voluntarily upon my request gave us two very important places on two very important committees, simply because they understood that we had a closer relationship with the communities in question that did they. Now say what you like about UKIP, but that’s what they have done. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: Well here to discuss it are Maurice Leeke, new Leader of the LibDems, and Phil Rodgers, a Cambridge based political blogger. Good morning gentlemen.
BOTH: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: First of all, Maurice, it all appears to be working wonderfully well so far. Everybody getting on, everybody sharing things, it’s like a beautiful vision in rainbow colours. Continue reading “New Leader For Cambs County Council 2013”

Upheaval At Cambs County Council

07:41 Tuesday 21st May 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: A crunch meeting is being held at Shire Hall in Cambridge today to decide who if anyone will be the big cheese, the big honcho, the head man, the head woman at Cambridgeshire County Council, although there are not too many women councillors it has to be said. Since the local elections at the start of the month, no party has had a majority of seats, so will the Tory group decide to run the Council as a minority, or will the Council be run by a series of all-party committees? .. Antony Carpen is a Cambridgeshire based political commentator .. Were you surprised Antony when Nick Clarke lost his seat and the Council went into no overall control? Were you surprised in Cambridgeshire? Continue reading “Upheaval At Cambs County Council”