Civic Pride: A salute to the 'ordinary people' of Peterborough

Although the groups that I talk to mainly consist of elderly folk, let that not detract from the fact that the individuals themselves are keen, enthusiastic, and, above all, eager to be part of an active and thriving Peterborough.

These people want the best for the city – they have the best interests of the city at heart. They are not wealthy or famous. But what they are is solid, dependable, reliable and, dare I say it, ordinary.

So, this month, I want to celebrate the ‘ordinary’ people of Peterborough. You won’t generally read or hear much about these ordinary people. The very fact that individuals are mentioned in places such as the Peterborough Telegraph means that, for whatever reasons, they stand out from the crowd and therefore cease to be ‘ordinary’. Nevertheless the vast majority of the population isn’t well-known, hasn’t committed a crime or received an award. But that doesn’t mean that many of those people aren’t indeed special within their own families and communities.

So what do these ‘ordinary people want Peterborough to be like? The old cliché is that people just want their streets to be clean and their bins emptied. This is undoubtedly true but we can all demonstrate behaviours that not only benefit ourselves but also show concern for others. We can all individually play our part in ensuring that Peterborough is a clean, attractive and civilised place to live.

Much of what we can do is ridiculously simple – make sure all litter goes in the bin, keep our house frontages clean and tidy, drive down roads within speed limits, speak to each other is polite ways – much of what I am mentioning here is glaringly obvious.

Of course there are limits to what individual ordinary people can achieve. That is why we elect local councillors to not only represent our views but also to take on issues on our behalf. This casework element of being a local councillor is undertaken in the background and often goes unheralded. I for one appreciate these quiet efforts. I also appreciate it when the Council, individually and collectively, listen to the views of constituents. Naturally many of us want the Council to act in a variety of different ways and it is almost impossible for councillors to accommodate all our views. The dark cloud of budget constraints hangs over every decision.

I recognise how difficult this can be. Many years ago, when I worked for Peterborough City Council’s Children’s Services, I often had plans that were scuppered when it suddenly became legally necessary to place a child out of the city at a cost of up to £200,000 per year. I’m sure this is still true today, in fact the budgetary constraints are probably even worse than a few years ago.

However, now that we’re in early 2024, let us hope that Peterborough City Council, both as an entity and as individual councillors, is able to listen to ordinary people and to make decisions that, even though we might not agree with them, give us confidence that the city is moving forward in a climate of positive cooperation.

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ARU Peterborough has won a number of awards during the past year, all of which demonstrate that our long-awaited university is certainly having a positive impact on the city and its people.

Most recently Anglia Ruskin University, with campuses at Cambridge, Chelmsford and Peterborough, has been named the Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023.

Congratulations must go to all concerned.

The Civic Society is proud to be associated with the university. At 7.30 pm on Monday 11th March we have our annual keynote lecture at the University featuring Dr Anna Keay OBE, Director of the Landmark Trust, talking about ‘Living Landmarks: Buildings and History past and present’. Priority is being given to Society members so why not join!

After 12th February places will be available to the general public so have a look at the Peterborough Civic Society website homepage for booking information after that date.