Political View: Finding light after an emotional weekend
My column wasn’t published last week… much to the joy of some of my political colleagues in the chamber, writes Councillor John Howard, Conservative Group Press Officer
Whilst we were happy to have the column published this week instead, it’s chilling to say how much things can change in a week. In view of the horrendous incident at the weekend, it no longer seems appropriate.
The terror of hearing about the attack on the train from Doncaster was truly horrific. It took on another level of shock to hear the attacker boarded at Peterborough and was from Peterborough. All thoughts are with the victims, and the emergency teams, who no matter what training they went through, nothing could truly prepare them for the horror they would have walked into at the Huntingdon station.
The heroics of the train driver to remain calm enough to stop the train in Huntingdon, who we now know as Andrew Johnson, thank you. The LNER member of staff who put himself in great danger to protect passengers-another example of someone going way beyond anything learned in training. Sadly, even whilst the facts of the situation were being made clearer, there was still groups seeking to turn this tragic event into a political campaign or spread a false narrative online. Peterborough is better, and I see it every day. It is understandable people are angry and scared, of course, but let’s ensure we don’t fall into the narratives being said in the world of unfiltered social media. More news will come in the days ahead as we understand more about this attack, but for now it’s important to ensure all thoughts are with those who were victims, and as importantly to ensure Peterborough keeps its head up and keeps together.
Recently I have been very fortunate to have some much-needed reminders of why we stand to be elected and serve the city. Giving out medals at the Great Eastern Run (due to injury) gave me another perspective of the race, and the joy and emotions of the race finishers is something special that I will never forget.
Peterborough is always at its best during the Great Eastern Run. It was a fantastic day, and entries are already open for next year’s race, taking place on Sunday 11th October 2026… let’s make it the biggest ever!
On a running theme, I attended the Beat the Curfew event at the running track. A night to promote running safely in the darker nights and was well supported by all the running clubs. Credit to the Greater Peterborough Athletics Network for organising a great event. I was also glad to attend a Peterborough Civic Society talk from Pep Cipriano of Peterborough Positive to hear of the good work they do in the city, which tied in nicely with our motion to finally bring forward a vision for the Guildhall and Cathedral Square, which was agreed at the last full council. The announcement of the Peterborough Tourist Board is fantastic news. I hope that politics will support it rather than become it, as the board has some great people who we should all support to make it the success it deserves to be. The new website is much needed, and what will be pivotal now is getting the various city stakeholders across the city feeding into and supporting it with information.
The weekends news gives some perspective for the things that matter. Hold those you love a bit closer and reach out to friends you haven’t spoken to for a while. Do something good for a neighbour, or a stranger. In a world that becomes ever darker, let’s all try and play our part and shine some light.