Metro mayor claims trips to Washington and Boston helped ‘fly the flag’ for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire

A trip to Washington which cost local taxpayers around £7,500 is said to have helped establish links between Peterborough and Cambridgeshire and the US.
Mayor James PalmerMayor James Palmer
Mayor James Palmer

The trip between January 24 and 26 2018 from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority cost £14,200, although £6,730 of that was covered from outside contributions by Cambridge Ahead and the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP.

Five delegates attended the trip, including metro mayor James Palmer, which was to establish closer ties between UK and US mayors.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This then led to a trip in June to Boston in America costing £8,400 where there was a signing of a declaration to work towards forming a Partnership Accord with Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Mayor Palmer stated that his job was to “fly the flag” for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough nationally and internationally.

He added: “Our region has a huge amount to gain from better economic links with the USA. The Washington visit has led to many opportunities to strengthen those bonds.

“I met with many mayors during the Washington visit, all with strategic links back to this area and which led to me being invited back to Boston in June after meeting the city’s Mayor Marty Walsh. That Boston visit led to the signing of a declaration to work towards forming a Partnership Accord with Cambridge, Massachusetts, which commits both our areas to fostering closer economic, educational and cultural ties.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It is well known that Cambridge has one of the world’s best universities, is a hub of business innovation and is number one in Europe for life sciences.

“The Boston area, including Cambridge MA, is the global leader for life sciences and is home to Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), so we both have much to gain from closer economic, research and development and educational links.

“Cambridgeshire and Peterborough as a whole has much to gain by better links with the US. The value of trade between Peterborough and the US, for example, amounts to £1.4 billion.”