Latest news with #PoliticsEast
BBC News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
£1 bus pass, staying says Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor
The new mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough says he plans to keep the Tiger bus pass - used on over one million journeys - allows children and young people under the age of 25 to travel for £1 per Bristow, who won the area's mayoral election for the Conservatives, made the promise in an interview with the BBC's Politics East programme. He also said he would proceed with the bus franchising agreement signed by the previous mayor, Labour's Nik Johnson. But he said he would not increase the council tax precept, which currently subsidises some bus services and fares. The Tiger pass was one of the previous mayor's 'proudest achievements'.Over 40,000 people have applied for says he also plans to "make bus franchising work" after the paperwork was signed in February. Franchising will see bus services in the area brought under the control of the combined authority. They will control routes and fares, with bus operators invited to run the buses are not his only plans for transport in Cambridgeshire. He also says duelling roads like the A10 and the A47 is among his top priorities. He also wants to explore options for light rail. "Cambridge is already congested," he said. "I think it is a solution that will get Cambridge and Peterborough moving."Bristow has previously said he thinks a light rail service between Cambourne and Cambridge could be up and running before East-West rail. BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 12 January at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reform UK equality plans 'worrying', Lib Dem says
Reform UK's suggestion it will cut local government spending in places it controls has been criticised by a council's Liberal Democrat leader. Speaking on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Reform UK's chairman Zia Yusuf said his party would "cut waste" across all 10 councils where the party forms a majority and would target spending on diversity and inclusion initiatives. But Cambridgeshire County Council leader Lucy Nethsingha told the BBC's Politics East there was "no fat to trim" in local authorities. She said the council valued its diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) staff and she found Reform UK's "attack" on such positions "really worrying". Cambridgeshire County Council is under the control of the Liberal Democrats after the party won 31 of the 61 seats in the local elections on Thursday. Reform UK, which previously had no councillors represented on the authority, gained 10 seats. Yusuf claimed places like Lincolnshire County Council, which Reform won control of from the Conservatives, spent "considerable money on DEI initiatives". He said Reform UK would "send teams in, task forces" and that "we're now going to have access to the contracts and we're going to make these changes". Nethsingha said: "It will be very interesting to see what happens now that they're running those councils. "They've come in saying they're going to cut a lot of waste but having been leading Cambridgeshire County Council for the last four years, I know there is not a lot of waste. "There is no fat to trim on local government." She said retaining hard-working staff was key to running a council well. "Their (Reform's) attack on DEI staff, I find really worrying," Nethsingha said. "I know that our DEI staff spend a lot of time trying to keep good members of staff in work when they get disabilities, when they struggle with injuries – that's one of the things that those staff do – they keep our permanent staff in their jobs, doing well, and it's going to be fascinating to see what happens in these reform councils." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Reform considers legal challenges against asylum hotels Liberal Democrats take control of county council Cambridgeshire County Council
BBC News
05-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Reform UK equality plans 'worrying', Lib Dem council leader says
Reform UK's suggestion it will cut local government spending in places it controls has been criticised by a council's Liberal Democrat on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Reform UK's chairman Zia Yusuf said his party would "cut waste" across all 10 councils where the party forms a majority and would target spending on diversity and inclusion Cambridgeshire County Council leader Lucy Nethsingha told the BBC's Politics East there was "no fat to trim" in local said the council valued its diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) staff and she found Reform UK's "attack" on such positions "really worrying". Cambridgeshire County Council is under the control of the Liberal Democrats after the party won 31 of the 61 seats in the local elections on UK, which previously had no councillors represented on the authority, gained 10 seats. Yusuf claimed places like Lincolnshire County Council, which Reform won control of from the Conservatives, spent "considerable money on DEI initiatives".He said Reform UK would "send teams in, task forces" and that "we're now going to have access to the contracts and we're going to make these changes".Nethsingha said: "It will be very interesting to see what happens now that they're running those councils."They've come in saying they're going to cut a lot of waste but having been leading Cambridgeshire County Council for the last four years, I know there is not a lot of waste."There is no fat to trim on local government."She said retaining hard-working staff was key to running a council well."Their (Reform's) attack on DEI staff, I find really worrying," Nethsingha said."I know that our DEI staff spend a lot of time trying to keep good members of staff in work when they get disabilities, when they struggle with injuries – that's one of the things that those staff do – they keep our permanent staff in their jobs, doing well, and it's going to be fascinating to see what happens in these reform councils." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
04-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Badenoch should resign, says Conservative ex-Northants council leader
A council leader who has stepped down said he will be calling for Kemi Badenoch to quit as head of the Tory party after "terrible" local election North Northamptonshire Council leader Jason Smithers was angered after the Conservatives lost 37 seats there and 35 in neighbouring West Northamptonshire as Reform UK took control of both unitary authorities."I can't see how a leader of a party can stay on with such terrible results across the country," said has apologised to defeated Conservative councillors, promising to make the party "a credible alternative to Labour". In the East of England, the Conservatives also lost control of Hertfordshire County Council and the unitary Buckinghamshire Council, but they did win the mayoral contest in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, which was won by Labour last time round. Smithers, who chose not to seek re-election after stepping down to focus more on his family, spoke to the BBC Politics East programme at the Kettering count."I am on a call next week with the leader of the Conservative Party and I will be putting it to her that she should be resigning," he said."She has not helped in these elections; she has not once come forward and helped at all."I am in absolute fear the Conservative Party will implode unless we get a good Conservative who can rally the troops and bring us back to some type of party that is going to challenge."Smithers had led North Northamptonshire Council since its formation in has been seen as the beating heart of the Conservative Party for held most of the county's Westminster seats until last year and dominated the local councils. So the local party has been reeling following these results. During the local election campaign, Badenoch visited Northamptonshire. The leader of the opposition was filmed at a timber merchants in West Northamptonshire, criticising the increase in National Insurance for small Friday, following this week's election results - which saw the party lose 674 seats nationally - she visited Peterborough to congratulate Paul Bristow, the newly elected Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined made it clear there she intended to remain as leader."We have a big job to do to rebuild trust with the public," said Badenoch, who is MP for North West Essex."That is the job the Conservative Party has given me and I intend to get us back to a place where we are seen as the credible alternative to Labour."Politics East is on BBC One on Sundays at 10:00 BST, and on the BBC iPlayer. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
13-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor reflects on mayoralty
A health scare, an apology, council tax rises and major changes to public transport. The last four years have been a professional and personal challenge for the departing Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Nik Johnson. He won the mayoralty for the Labour Party in 2021. However, the 55-year-old has decided not to seek re-election this year due to concerns about his has been speaking to the BBC's Politics East programme about his time in office. Vision Zero As I meet Johnson, he has a little black book that he flicks through to tell me about some of the things he's achieved in his four years as charities, small businesses, safer cycling partnerships and the setting up of Innovate Cambridge are amongst the things he muses also passionate about his involvement in Vision Zero, a campaign to end road wears a badge in memory of Mike Gough, a cyclist who died after a collision with a van last year. Johnson, who is also a consultant paediatrician, described road deaths as "a public health challenge". We take a walk to the nearby Guided Busway, where he tells me that signing the bus franchising agreement, which will see these services brought under the control of the combined authority and the taxpayer, is his "biggest achievement". He also introduced the Tiger pass which allows children and young people under the age of 25 to travel for £1 per combined authority also stepped in to run many rural routes which commercial operators stopped running as they weren't profitable. To pay for it he introduced a mayoral precept on council tax, which is £36 per year for a band D property, a tax rise that wasn't popular with everyone. "We've got a real sense of purpose with more people using buses around the whole of the area," he explained."That's meant people look at public transport in a different way" Rocky patch It hasn't been an easy time for Johnson as he took on the role of mayor."I'm on record as apologising for things that have happened along the way," he tells me, as I ask about any regrets he was accused but later cleared of bullying, in relation to things that happened as he took control at the government even issued a Best Value Notice - where ministers intervene - as they had concerns about the culture at the cleared of bullying, Johnson was found to have breached civility and disrepute rules and he apologised for this publicly."I regret having been the cause of upset and apologise unreservedly to those for whom I gave reason to complain," he said at the time. Reflecting on that period he admitted "it was difficult" and he regrets "not getting the improvement team in quick enough".However, he maintains that he inherited an organisation that was "on life support" and had "huge discrepancy in good governance" and "financial irregularity". Health scare In November 2022, Johnson took a three-month break from the job as he underwent heart surgery. It was discovered he had an underlying condition but he said "the stress of the job undoubtedly made me more unwell".However, he said he was "determined to come back" and finish the job. He did initially tell BBC Radio Cambridgeshire in November that he intended to stand for re-election, but he ultimately decided a second term would be "one step too far".As the electorate of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough prepare to vote for his successor, I ask him if he has any personal quotes a mantra he talked about when elected: "Compassion, co-operation and community, the three C's.""Anybody coming in, no matter what their political party, if they continue along that narrative of compassion, they will find the co-operation and we all, as a community, will benefit." BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 12 January at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
