Westminster Life: Turning potential into progress
One of the things people often tell me about Peterborough is how long it takes to get anything done, writes city MP Andrew Pakes.
Peterborough works best when we pull together as a city. This week, that spirit was on display as I joined local leaders to back a new Development Corporation to drive the next chapter of growth in our city centre, and at the Peterborough Growth Summit, where businesses, politicians and community leaders had a simple message: together, we can deliver the best for Peterborough.
Alongside Council Leader Dr Shabina Qayyum and Mayor Paul Bristow, I have written to Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook MP calling for a new Mayoral Development Corporation for Peterborough city centre. Peterborough has used a Development Corporation before, helping to drive the city’s post‑war expansion. A new model would build on that legacy, bringing new investment into Peterborough and speeding up delivery.
Peterborough is ready to be a national example of fast, well‑planned growth, but decisions must be taken here, not handed down from Whitehall. When we work together, we get results, whether it’s funding for a new pool and sports quarter, kicking off the redevelopment of our train station, or a university campus that is bringing new students, skills and investment into the city. And this is about so much more. As Toby Wood said on BBC Cambridgeshire this week, it’s about building communities, not just buildings.
We are beginning to turn a corner in Peterborough. The Station Quarter project is set to transform the gateway into our city, making Peterborough a more welcoming, modern and better‑connected place to live and work. The progress on a new pool will help tackle health inequalities and support families, swim clubs and schools who lost out when the old Regional Pool closed. The new tourist board, building on attractions like the museum, cathedral and events programme, is starting to tell a more confident story about our city to visitors.
Peterborough Museum, for example, continues to offer new exhibitions, with ‘Diesel Streets’, a new show by Nathan Nyce opening this weekend.
That confidence was on show at the Peterborough Growth Summit at ARU Peterborough last Friday, hosted by the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce. I sat on a panel with the Mayor, fellow MPs and local leaders, answering questions from businesses about what all this talk of growth actually means for jobs, high streets and everyday life in our city. What struck me was not the fancy slides, but the honesty in the room. People are tired of hearing that Peterborough ‘has potential’. They want to see actual results. The message was simple: less spin, more spades in the ground.
My job as your MP is to make sure this new sense of unity delivers for every part of our city. That means fighting for the powers and funding we need in Westminster, and working with local partners to turn good ideas into real improvements people can see and feel. Peterborough has a proud history of rolling up its sleeves and getting things done. If we keep working together, I’m determined that our best days are still ahead of us.