Five stories you might have missed from Peterborough this week
Plans to close a hub for vulnerable adults and a community gym have raised concern amongst people living in Peterborough, while a new building has won an award for its impact on the city. Here are five stories from Peterborough you might have missed this week.
Closing hub 'will destroy' members
More than 700 people have signed a petition calling for a hub that coaches people with learning disabilities to be saved from closure.The Industrial Hub in Peterborough, which is part of City College's Day Opportunities programme, offers work experience and training.Families fear the service will shut down in June. Peterborough City Council said those affected "will be supported to source alternative opportunities should they need to".
Football table and 'wine bush' found
Bushes full of wine bottles, a table-football game and a burned-out motor scooter were among the items discovered by litter-pickers during the Great British Spring Clean.More than 300 volunteers collected 600 bags of litter during the cleaning spree in Peterborough.
Community gym users 'gutted' by closure
Customers at a Peterborough gym said they were still coming to terms with the announcement that it would close in a few weeks' time.The YMCA gym in Bretton will shut on 4 May after the owners said "rising operational costs and increased competition" had made it unviable. The charity's gym in Cambridge will also close on the same day.
University's £32m building wins urban design award
A new £32m university building has beaten competition from five other developments to win a national award for its impact on the city.The Lab, which is part of Anglia Ruskin University's site, was named as the best building in the urban life-focused Pineapples awards.
Patient hospital transfers 'improved by new tech'
A trial of new technology aimed at speeding up the transfer of patients to hospital helped improve care and enabled crews to return to service quickly, an ambulance service trust said.Mobile signals and Wi-Fi connections can be unreliable when crews need to access patient data, according to the East of England Ambulance Service Trust.Peterborough City Hospital is among those that installed boxes to allow emergency crews to reconnect automatically.
The week in politics
Residents face another five months of disruption after Cambridgeshire County Council said work to repair a cracked bridge would continue.The £32m King's Dyke bridge, which connects Peterborough and Whittlesey over the Peterborough-Ely railway line, was opened in 2022 to ease traffic caused by a level crossing.However it was partially closed last June, two years after it opened, after cracks were spotted in the westbound carriageway.The council said the lane closure would remain in place and it planned to start remedial work on the site in May, which should be completed in September.Meanwhile, the industry minister said plans to build state-of-the art gas equipment in Peterborough would create hundreds of jobs for local people.On a visit to the city, Sarah Jones said Peterborough would be "at the heart" of multimillion-pound plans to build new gas turbine compressor sets, which provide gas to power stations and businesses.National Gas plans to install new equipment at its facility north-west of Peterborough by 2030.
The week in sports
Peterborough United head to Wembley this weekend having suffered back-to-back defeats in League One.Posh lost the Nene Derby against Northampton Town on Saturday and were then beaten by Birmingham City on Tuesday.Darren Ferguson's side face Birmingham again on Sunday in the final of the EFL Trophy.Peterborough Sports got back to winning ways with a 2-0 victory over Leamington in the National League North.Michael Gyasi and Max Booth got the goals for the Turbines.Peterborough Phantoms collected two wins from two in their double header against Telford Tigers.They are now level on wins with Leeds and Hull with the final play-off group games taking place this weekend.
Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
31-05-2025
- BBC News
Peterborough councillor calls for CCTV to be fitted in all taxis
CCTV in taxis would "make every journey safer" for drivers and passengers alike, according to a Peterborough Blakemore-Creedon, who represents the Fletton and Woodston ward, is calling for CCTV cameras to be installed in taxis and private hire to the latest government figures, only 8% of authorities in the UK have a requirement for all licensed taxis to have CCTV fitted, equating to 21 out of 266."CCTV can make a real difference," said the Independent councillor, who resigned from the Labour Group at the beginning of May. "It deters bad behaviour, helps resolve disputes, and gives people more confidence to get home safely, especially late at night, Ms Blakemore-Creedon said. "Drivers deserve that security too - many work alone, often in vulnerable situations."This is a simple, sensible step that would make a big impact. I believe we owe it to each other to make every journey safer." In December Peterborough City Council voted against the CCTV plan, following strong opposition from many drivers. Jake Carter, a hackney carriage driver in Peterborough, said he had mixed feelings about the proposal."My first thoughts were that it sounds like a sensible thing to do because you're putting extra safety and security in place," he said."But after speaking to some of the other drivers and thinking a bit more myself, I think the concerns are that the cost of this CCTV equipment has to be borne by the drivers."You can't just install the cheapest system, you've got to go with the one recommended by the council." 'Consider' Mr Carter said there concerns too that the CCTV would have to remain on, even when drivers are using their taxis as their own private reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he also said there were already safety measures in place on hackney carriages, "which mitigate the risks"."If it was to be worked a bit differently where a council took the cost and allowed drivers more flexibility about when the CCTV could be switched on or off, then it might be something the drivers would consider," he said."It should be sold as benefiting the drivers as much as benefitting the public." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- BBC News
Rough sleeper feels 'lucky' to have new home in Peterborough
A housing facility that provides accommodation to homeless people with complex needs has been praised by one of its first residents. Off the Streets Accommodation, on Eastfield Road, Peterborough, can support 17 people for whom hotels and B&Bs may not be site opened in April and has been providing eight people with temporary of the residents called Paul, who has previously suffered with addiction, said the project had helped him quit drinking and "become a better person". "In temporary accommodation, such as guest houses, I didn't really have the stability to conquer personal problems," he said."Being vulnerable and having mental health problems I don't think I'd have done it on my own, so I feel lucky to be looked after here."I feel lucky in my current situation – so far so good." 'The best intervention' The scheme is a collaboration between Peterborough City Council and My Housing Options Community Interest is being funded for 12 months by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of the rough sleeping initiative properties are designed to ensure those living in them are given intensive support to help them gain a pathway into permanent Wright, from My Housing Options, said: "The outreach team could find someone at 07:00 BST and the room could be provided by 09:00."Some people are here for weeks, some people with complex needs might be here for longer. But we can get them the best intervention to see where they can go." Alison Jones, a cabinet member for housing and communities at Peterborough City Council, described the programme as "unique", adding that those who use it received "the wraparound support they need"."Sometimes that's life skills that we take for granted such as cooking or budget skills, or perhaps it's visits from health specialists," she said."I can only see it as a positive for people in the city who might need that extra care - and we have to treat them as individuals."We believe that bringing them into this safe space will help them breathe and develop. Although this is not 'their home' we want them to feel like it is one." Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- BBC News
Peterborough City Council proposes changing school travel policy
A month-long consultation started on proposals to change financial support for pupils eligible for transport City Council wanted stakeholders, including parents, carers and schools, to have their say on proposals about increasing allowances it provided for some families doing the school run. This included a cycling allowance raise of £70 per term and a mileage payment increase of 30p in some consultation ends on 20 June and, if the changes are adopted, would take effect from the new school year in Cole, the council's cabinet member for children's services, said people's views would be "vitally important" in helping them make a final decision. "Your feedback will also ensure these policies support young people needing transport assistance and help inform us about how we could work differently," she said. 'Environmental benefits' The council provides travel assistance for children in Peterborough in some situations, but eligibility can depend on the child's age, distance from school and family eligible families, the council has proposed increasing mileage payments from 40p to 45p, with an enhanced rate of 70p for pupils with special educational needs and authority said it hoped this would encourage parents and carers to make their own arrangements to transport children to school, "that meets the child's individual needs".A cycle allowance for secondary-age children of £30 per term would be increased to £100. This was introduced as a temporary policy after 2020 to promote "health and environmental benefits".The council has also suggested changing its eligibility for students who do not get into their nearest or designated receive travel support, it said students must remain on a waiting list for the closest or designated school and would need to reapply at the start of each academic year. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
