Peterborough’s day of climate action was success

The support we had from residents and organisations across the city was fantastic.

Facebook and Twitter were awash with pledges from people sharing their experiences of walking to work, consuming zero plastic and planting trees.

As you might know, I went vegan for the day, which wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be. In fact, it will make me consider alternatives to meat and dairy products in the future.

The timing of the action day was to coincide with full council being asked to rubber stamp an action plan which sets out how we’ll begin working towards making the council net zero carbon by 2030.

I’m pleased to say that councillors backed the plan which commits us to doing a whole host of things to cut our carbon emissions.

At the meeting councillors also signed off the 2020/21 budget, but it wasn’t without fireworks.

Unfortunately, some members took advantage of the fact two Conservative councillors had to leave the meeting for family emergencies and voted against the budget.

Every councillor in the chamber that evening knew how critical it was for us to be able to set a budget, but they were willing to jeopardise that by voting against the proposals, all of which they had previously had the chance to comment on and discuss. Indeed, the Liberal Democrats wanted us to spend even more money!

Luckily our two absent voters were able to return and the budget was passed. However, the challenge continues as we now look to find a way to balance our budget in future years.

As it stands, we have a £16m hole to fill in 2021/22 and will face similar challenges in years that follow. We cannot continue to meet this challenge year after year with one-off savings and by salami-slicing budgets. We have to find a way of providing the services that we need to, with the money that we have available.

That is what we are now working on, a complete redesign of council services. This won’t be easy, but with our funding reducing year on year and demand increasing, it is essential.

What we need, in these unprecedented and challenging times, is for all members to pull together for the good of the council and the city. This is not about which party you represent; it is about doing what’s best for our residents, the future of our council and the city.

Experience tells me that this is what our residents want, and it is what I want.

l I’m a lifelong Peterborough United fan so it gives me great pleasure to announce that the council has recommended that one of its greatest ever players receives the Freedom of the City.

A special meeting of full council will take place on March 26 decide whether to award the honour to Tommy Robson, who holds the club record for the greatest number of first team appearances and has raised thousands of pounds over the years for local charities, most notably the Amazon children’s ward at the former Peterborough District Hospital.

I saw Tommy play many times and he was a real crowd pleaser; everyone on the terraces loved him. He was a flying machine down the left wing which is why he scored so many goals and created many more.

He remains a stalwart of the club, volunteers his time to help good causes and is a thoroughly nice bloke to boot.

As many will know, Tommy was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease last summer and it has been an incredibly difficult time for him and his family. I hope this recommendation will lighten the load temporarily and show him how highly he is regarded by many across our city.

l Finally, I would like to congratulate everyone who received a Civic Award last week. There were some very worthy winners this year, including people who had gone to the aid of a pensioner being attacked and those who had dedicated their lives to helping others.

I was particularly pleased to see that Dave Ellis had been awarded a lifetime achievement award. He was given the award for his work volunteering, having supported hundreds of airmen and air cadets over the years.

Dave has done a huge amount for our city and there are many RAF cadets past and present who have a lot to thank him for.