Latest news with #CambridgeshireandPeterboroughCombinedAuthority
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Drastic' action needed to save £1 bus fares
A mayor who pledged to retain a discounted bus scheme warned it was in danger of being lost unless "something drastic" was done. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority's (CPCA) Tiger bus pass allows people under 25 to travel for £1 and has been used on more than a million journeys. It was introduced by former Labour mayor Nik Johnson, with his Conservative successor Paul Bristow promising it would stay in a BBC interview last month. A recommendation on how to continue funding it beyond the end of the year was not agreed by the CPCA board and will be discussed again at a transport meeting on 25 June. Chris Boden, leader of the Conservative-led Fenland District Council, had argued the council should not continue its local bus fare cap beyond December, when it is currently due to end, and instead fund the Tiger pass. Maintaining the Tiger pass once the national £3 bus fare cap had also ceased in December could mean the CPCA would have to reimburse bus operators to the tune of £473,000 a month, and £6.2m a year, a report to the board stated. "If we don't take some quite drastic action, which involves a large amount of money being shifted around in the budget, then the Tiger pass will stop," he warned. He argued the Tiger pass must be continued to build up passenger numbers but would otherwise run out of funding in the autumn. The measure could run until March, he said, when a new budget and proposal would be put forward. "We have an opportunity here with £1.8m in the budget for the fare cap coming on December 31," he said. "If that money were utilised towards the continuation of the existing Tiger pass to March 31, that would be a very significant part of the funding needed for that." Speaking in support of the proposal, Bristow said: "We are in danger of losing the Tiger pass if we don't do something drastic. "What people want is continuity and security." Lucy Nethsingha, leader of the Liberal Democrat-controlled Cambridgeshire County Council, said she thought the Tiger pass was a "priority" but would rather everyone had the correct figures before making a decision. Anna Bailey, leader of East Cambridgeshire District Council - led by the Tories - supported the recommendation and said the bus fare cap was the "wrong choice" when the Tiger pass was unfunded. Cambridge City Labour councillor Anna Smith, who was deputy mayor when the Tiger pass was introduced, suggested looking beyond the transport budget to find money for the bus pass. The Tiger bus pass and bus fare cap are due to be discussed at a transport meeting on 25 June before being brought back to the board in July. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Mayor fights to keep Fenland town's bus route £1 Tiger bus pass staying, says new mayor CPCA
BBC News
18-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Renovations begin on Priory Centre in St Neots
Construction work has started to renovate a building that was losing £300,000 Priory Centre is being renovated as part of a £15m investment to revamp the centre of St Neots, Cambridgeshire's largest market community space, built on a former brewery site in the 1980s, had been running at a commercial loss, said owners St Neots Town with Huntingdonshire District Council, it has led the project, which the authorities said "will give this much-loved venue a bold new future at the heart of the town." A "comprehensive refurbishment" of the centre was proposed at a district council committee meeting in was to be delivered alongside the regeneration of the town's Market Square, funded by bodies including Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Huntingdonshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and National plans for the Priory Centre aim to enhance community use, and encourage increased private hire, with facilities including a bar and cafe bistro and new town council space was previously used by community groups and could be hired for conferences or Korolev, project delivery manager with the town council, said the renovated centre could have its name changed and would likely be open for early autumn 2026."We believe the new Priory Centre will provide everything anyone in the town might need and we do hope people will spend a lot of time there," he said. Liz Owen, founder of Access in St Neots, spent three years campaigning for a Changing Places accessible facility in the town. She celebrated the installation of the accessible unisex toilet at Riverside Park car park last year and said it was "exciting" to hear a similar facility would be built into the new Priory facility is larger than a regular toilet and has equipment, including a changing bench and hoist, designed to support disabled people who need Owen said the town council had supported her cause to make the area more accessible and believed the new centre would be "absolutely amazing". Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Scrapped £100k homes scheme 'not a criminal matter', say police
A report into a scrapped £100m scheme that was designed to provide affordable housing for residents in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was reviewed by police, it has been report to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) Overview and Scrutiny Committee was critical of the project, saying it was not run "transparently and processes were not followed correctly".Police reviewed the report into the scheme, which was run under the leadership of former Conservative Mayor James Palmer, but concluded is was "not a criminal matter".Mr Palmer declined to comment when approached by the BBC. When the combined authority was created in 2017, it was allocated £100m to contribute to affordable housing pledged to offer homes with a sale price of £100,000 for local it was criticised by government ministers in 2019 for not making enough was ultimately abolished in of the £100m was used to fund loan agreements to developers, with the CPCA expected to take a share of any the report was presented earlier this week, Labour Mayor Nik Johnson criticised the administration he inherited in said it was "chaotic, dysfunctional, and – despite their protests to the contrary – in desperate need of wholesale rehabilitation".Cambridgeshire Police said Chief Constable Nick Dean met with the current mayor to discuss the report, but no further action was taken. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
13-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Bus route change in Manea deprives villagers of 'lifeline'
An elderly man who used to travel by bus several times a week said he was no longer able to because of a route Stagecoach 56 route in Manea, Cambridgeshire was altered to improve service punctuality as nearly half of buses were not running on Brown, 92, said: "I have had a hip operation which makes it hard to walk. The old bus stop was just at the top of the road but now it's too far."The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority insisted it was "not feasible" to restore the route at this time and said the village was still covered by a bus request service. Instead of stopping at Westfield Road in the village, the service now terminates outside the Rose and Crown pub, leaving some passengers with a mile-long walk (1.6km).The authority said passenger numbers were lower in the part of the village the bus no longer Brown, who has lived in the same house for 60 years, gave up driving at the age of 80 and said he was now forced to spend more time indoors."I used to go out three times a week to visit March for shopping and take a trip to Wisbech on a Saturday," he can use an app to book a pick-up using the authority-funded Tiger on Demand bus service but Mr Brown said he did not own a smartphone or computer. Manea Parish and Fenland district councillor Charlie Marks was disappointed by the said: "No consultation has taken place with villagers, who are the ultimate losers again, especially those who rely on this service as their lifeline to and from the village."Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor Dr Nick Johnson told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire he was "keen to visit Manea and ride on a Tiger on Demand bus... to show the community how the service can work". A spokesperson for the combined authority said: "We will be reviewing the impact of the route change on punctuality and gathering further feedback from passengers to assess next steps."It added the new Tiger 7 service was due to launch within weeks, linking Manea with Chatteris, Wisbech, and Manea rail station. Stagecoach has been approached for comment. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
03-03-2025
- BBC News
Work on Thorpe Wood's new active travel scheme to start
Work on a council's sustainable travel plan which includes new cycle paths and crossings is due to start on Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority has provided a £2m grant to Peterborough City Council via Active Travel England works at Thorpe Wood will include widening footways and a cycle way, allowing people on bikes to travel safely in both directions and are expected to be complete by the also includes plans for two crossings to be installed and a new bus shelter. The local authority last year approved the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) for the next plan outlines how investments will be made to improve cycling and walking routes in the city. Other major schemes where active travel is a major component include the £48m Peterborough Station Quarter and about £400,000 of revenue grant for feasibility and early design options to help develop 16 cycling Angus Ellis, cabinet member for the environment and transport at Peterborough City Council, said "This is great news for Peterborough residents."Thorpe Wood is a key link to areas of employment and leisure and the project will be a significant improvement to those that use the route. "The new infrastructure will also link in to the new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Nene Parkway and provide a seamless transition between Longthorpe and Thorpe Wood." He added: "It is wonderful that we have been able to secure external funding to deliver the works and demonstrates our ongoing determination to ensure people can navigate the city sustainably."Dr Nik Johnson, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said: "The Combined Authority is helping to make journeys in Peterborough better, and that includes putting in infrastructure that will encourage more people to walk, cycle or wheel. "This month we announced we had secured a further £6.5m in funding from Active Travel England to support even more accessible, safe and pleasant routes for Peterborough and the whole region."The works will be delivered by Milestone Infrastructure Limited, Peterborough City Council's highways will see barriers going up in the area in the coming days in preparation for the works. Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
