FOCUS 54
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Transcript of FOCUS 54
![Page 1: FOCUS 54](https://reader031.fdocuments.in/reader031/viewer/2022020504/568c4f391a28ab4916ab15d3/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
MEETING TO
DISCUSS
HEALTH BUDGET As this issue of FOCUS went to
print the city council was set to
hold a special meeting of the
Scrutiny Commission for Health
Issues to consider the increasing
financial problems of the
Peterborough Primary Care
Trust (PCT). In December 2009 the PCT said
it would have a record £7 million
overspend by the end of the
financial year but in early February
it admitted that the figure was in
fact £9.6 million.
The problems have already led to
the trust’s chief executive resigning
and increasing calls for the chair of
the PCT’s board to also resign.
The meeting was only arranged
after calls from local councillor
Darren Fower, the Lib Dem
representative on the Health
Committee, for some level of
accountability over the fiasco.
The meeting will have taken
place by the time you receive this
issue of FOCUS. We will report on
the results in a future issue.
TEAM CONTACT DETAILS: Councillor: Darren Fower FOCUS Editor: Richard Olive Tel: 570238 or 573813 Mobile: 07932 021 349 Email: SWNG_FOCUS @peterboroughlibdems.org.uk
Ward website: www.campaigns. libdems.org.uk/SWNG Post: Cllr Darren Fower, Town Hall, Bridge Street, Peterborough PE1 1HG
Darren Fower – seeking your vote!
FOCUS www.peterboroughlibdems.org.uk
“Working All Year Round”
SOUTH WERRINGTON and NORTH GUNTHORPE RESIDENTS’ NEWSLETTER
Edition: 54
LIB DEMS
BACK DARREN Local Liberal Democrats have agreed that Werrington and Gunthorpe
councillor Darren Fower should defend his seat at the council elections to
be held on 6 May. In fact, the decision was a formality as Darren’s record of service to the local
community and his campaigning work on behalf of local residents meant that he
was ‘reselected’ unopposed.
Speaking after the meeting which backed his re-election Darren said: “It is only
right that local party members should have an opportunity to consider my record,
to ask me questions and to decide whether I should carry the Liberal Democrat
banner into another round of elections.
“I am delighted to receive the
unanimous backing of local
members and look forward to
working with them in the
forthcoming election campaign.
“Receiving this backing is just
the start, of course. Whether or
not I continue as city councillor
for this area will be decided by
the votes of all the residents.”
Local Liberal Democrats hope
that Darren’s commitment to
serving the community –
including regular publication of
these FOCUS newsletters, now
on issue number 54 – will
encourage people to turn out and
vote for him at the elections on
Thursday 6 May.
As this issue of FOCUS went to press there was still no confirmation that the
general election will also be held on 6 May – but it is widely expected that this will
be the date. By the time you receive FOCUS you will probably know more about
this than the FOCUS Team did when we wrote it!
Whenever the general election takes place, the Liberal Democrat candidate for
Peterborough will be another local councillor.
Nick Sandford, who represents the nearby Walton ward on the city council, is
seeking to become the city’s first Liberal Democrat MP.
He said: “I am delighted to support Darren’s campaign for re-election in
Werrington and Gunthorpe. It is difficult to imagine a more hard-working
councilor than Darren who really gets ‘stuck in’ in support of local residents.”
![Page 2: FOCUS 54](https://reader031.fdocuments.in/reader031/viewer/2022020504/568c4f391a28ab4916ab15d3/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Printed by P’boro Liberal Democrat Printing Society c/o 37 Swift Close, Deeping St James PE6 8QQ. Published & promoted for & on behalf of Liberal Democrats at 92 Swale Avenue, Peterborough PE4 7GT
WARD ‘SURGERY’ DATES
Speak to Cllr Darren Fower at one of his
regular ‘surgeries’.
Brookside Methodist Church, Gunthorpe Road
Time: 6pm – 7pm Date: 3rd
Friday each month
Werrington Village Centre, Church St
Time: 6pm – 7pm Date: 1st Friday each month
LIB DEM CANDIDATE
QUERIES COUNCIL TRUST Peterborough’s libraries, sports and cultural services are to be
handed over to a ‘trust’ – an un-elected, unaccountable body
– and this could come at a heavy price for local people, says
Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Nick Sandford. Nick asked some searching questions of council officers and the
proposed chair of the new trust at a city council committee
meeting. The questioning established that:
1. The new trust will also be a company limited by guarantee.
Once appointed, most of the trustees can only be removed by a
meeting of the members of the company. And the members of the
company are …you guessed it…. the trustees. Nick called this a
“self perpetuating oligarchy” and what it means in practice is a
severe lack of democracy and accountability.
2. Councillors will lose any control over charges levied by sports
centres and other facilities. Officers said charges will be
determined by “market forces” and the aim will be to provide high
quality services. Gyms and other facilities in the private sector do
provide high quality services …but at a much greater cost to users!
3. The main performance measure of the Key Theatre will be the
number of tickets sold, leading to concern that there will be
dumbing down of content to put on the most popular shows, at the
expense of a number of minority and cultural interests. Good for
fans of the Chippendales maybe, but what about people who like
opera, ballet and other less popular shows?
Nick said after the meeting: “The Tories have been discussing
hiving off these services to a trust for nearly ten years but the fact
they choose to do it in the middle of a recession indicates that it is
more about making quick savings than about improving service.
“Even if there are savings, it could well be at the expense of
higher charges to users and a severe reduction in democracy and
accountability. How many people in Peterborough actually want
their libraries to be run by a private un-elected body and how many
were consulted about this or other aspects of the proposals?”
FENCE COMPROMISE After weeks of hard work and negotiation, the
controversial issue of the fence around Norwood
School (Gunthorpe Road) has now concluded in
what local Liberal Democrat councillor Darren
Fower says is “an acceptable compromise”. At a meeting at the Town Hall involving parents,
residents, teachers, council officers and Cllr Fower,
it was agreed:
1. To replace the damaged and existing fence with
a ‘non prison-like’ fence about 5 feet high.
2. To erect signs stating that the field is available
for use by the public outside school hours.
3. To elect key holders from residents in Elter
Walk who will lock the gates each evening.
4. To replace the existing gates .
5. To have signs to explain that dogs are not to be
walked on the fenced-off area.
6. To put several new waste and dog dirt bins
around the edge of the field.
7. To establish a committee to manage the field.
After the meeting Darren said: “I think this is an
outcome that most people will be happy with.
“I’d like to thank all those residents who signed
our petitions and to those who ended up becoming
more involved.”
PLANS TO BE DISCUSSED Controversial plans to create allotments on behind the Paston and
Gunthorpe Community Centre have been put ‘on hold’ (at least for
the moment) after local Liberal Democrat councillor Daren Fower
presented a petition from local people opposing the proposals. As we have reported in previous issues of FOCUS, the council needs to
create new allotments to replace allotments being lost at Itter Park where it
plans to sell land for development.
Now residents are invited to have their say on an alternative proposal to
create an allotment site on part of Werrington Recreation Ground. There is
to be a consultation event at the Education Centre on Church Street,
Werrington, on Tuesday 13 April 2010 from 4.15 pm to 7 pm. You can
turn up at any time between these hours.
• Please accept our apologies if you do not receive FOCUS before this
meeting takes place – our monthly schedule sometimes makes it
difficult to give you news of forthcoming events. You can keep up to
date by visiting our website (www.campaigns.libdems.org.uk/SWNG).
where you can sign up for our electronic FOCUS – something which
we can publish much more swiftly than this paper version.