The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
There’s new optimism for our city
It’s my first column in a few weeks and I would like to start by congratulating Peterborough’s new Conservative MP Paul Bristow and returning MP Shailesh Vara.
The result of the General Election brings forth a new optimism for 2020 for our city and our country.
Our new MP has made it clear that he will be doing all he can to help us bang the drum for Peterborough in parliament to make sure we are top of the list when it comes to additional funding or new initiatives that could improve our city.
Together, we will be able to get the message across at the highest level of our need for more funding to be able to continue providing the essential services that our residents rely upon.
It’s easy to underestimate the impact that the services we provide have on people’s lives, but this week I watched a video which made this crystal clear.
Produced by Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service it thanks staff from across all public services in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire - including our gritting crews and social workers - who are working over the festive period while the rest of us are eating our Christmas dinner or having a drink to welcome in the new year.
If you’ve not watched it yet, please do, it’s on our social media pages and will give you a warm feeling inside. The backing track is a moving rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, sung by fire service emergency call handler Claire Durrant, who herself will be working on Christmas Day.
Another festive video doing the rounds on social media this week features our school children who helped us to produce a fantastic rendition of Jingle Bells to get more people recycling.
A big thank you to all the children from the ten schools who took part in the video - it certainly made me smile!
But, of course there is also a serious message and that’s how we can all limit the amount of waste we produce this Christmas and recycle as much as possible.
Did you know the council could save a massive £48,000 if every household recycled an additional one per cent of their waste?
For more Christmas recycling advice follow #PeterboroughRecycles on social media or visit www.peterborough. gov.uk/whichbin.
Tomorrow (Friday) the funeral of Wyndham Thomas, who chaired the Peterborough Development Corporation, will take place.
In the past two months we have lost two men who should be remembered for their hard work and energy to create the Peterborough we have today. Lord Mawhinney, who represented our city as MP for almost 30 years, died at the beginning of last month.
With their passing we have lost a wealth of experience and knowledge of our city’s past.
Lord Mawhinney always did the very best for all of his constituents and was a formidable MP with an unbelievable work ethic. And we have Wyndham to thank for the many aspects of our city that we are proud of today, including Nene Park and our parkway system. Both will be missed, but never forgotten.
Please remember that some council services will be closed or changing over the festive period. Council offices will be closed from noon on 24 December until 2 January 2020, however support for key services will be maintained throughout.
The counci’s call centre will only be open on 27, 30 and 31 December between 9am and 5pm. Emergency support for adult social care will be available by calling 01733 747474 and for children’s social care by calling 01733 864170 or 01733 864180.
There will also be changes to bin collections of course too. Full details are available at www.peterborough.gov.uk
I would like to conclude by wishing everyone a peaceful and happy Christmas. And please spare a thought for those who have to spend Christmas day away from their families, to ensure our communities are protected, safe and looked after.