If there's one thing that all city councillors agree on it's that fly-tipping blights our communities and causes widespread anger.
Our proactive administration has decided to wage war on fly-tippers by launching a new campaign focussed on naming and shaming offenders. We will shortly be setting up a new dedicated section on our website to lead this initiative, so watch this space.
We're taking action because I'm so frustrated that fly-tipping continues to be a problem across Peterborough, despite the tireless efforts of our officers to clean it up and raise awareness. Id like to thank Cllr Mark Ormston who brought the issue to Full Council in the way of a motion that was passed unanimously.
We've made big strides in recent years – installing further CCTV cameras at hotspot locations and increasing fines for Fixed Penalty Notices to the maximum amount. Officers also regularly visit local schools to teach children about the importance of proper waste disposal.
But it’s now time to up the ante and put the pressure back on fly-tippers who may have thought they can get away with it. If you're caught fly-tipping, or using an unlicensed waste carrier to get rid of waste you could be left facing a heavy fine. Now you could have double whammy of unwanted publicity.
I was honoured to meet Baroness Casey recently after she announced a national public consultation on adult social care, something I fully support.
As a GP myself, I will be writing to her and our new Prime Minister Andy Burnham and inviting him to Peterborough to have a look at the issues we face. I want to work with him and Baroness Casey to show him our city's adult social care system and how we are meeting challenges around demand and supply.
I would encourage everyone to take part in The Big Conversation on Care. It will only take a few minutes of your time, but your feedback will help inform decisions on how this vital service is delivered in future. Visit https://caseycommission.co.uk/bigconversation/
Regular readers will know how excited I am about our ambitious plans for a Youth Zone which are gathering pace.
We are committing up to £410,000 from our reserves to develop designs and actively working with the OnSide group on a planning application, as well bidding to the government's Youth Matters Fund for funding up to 100 per cent of the project's capital costs. A potential site has also been identified on the Embankment.
I've seen some negative comments about these plans, mainly from adults questioning the need for a Youth Zone, its long-term suitability and proposed location. Firstly, we are fully aware of concerns about developing on the Embankment and will be working with groups such as Save the Embankment going forwards.
Secondly, let me be clear, children and young people are the future of this city and I want to give them every opportunity to succeed. There are 15 Youth Zones currently operating in the UK, not one has closed down and the Youth Zone I visited in Barnsley recently is having a big positive effect on their community.
I really enjoyed watching England's World Cup matches this summer and love seeing sport bring people together.
So when I heard of shocking abuse and violence that took place during a recent football match featuring FC Peterborough's Under-17s team, I was devastated.
They are a huge football club and such incidents, whilst thankfully rare, are awful. I condemn racism entirely and will be writing to the Football Federation and our safeguarding teams outlining that nobody should ever experience this horrendous behaviour.
Finally, I want to say a big congratulations to the team at Peterborough Positive Business Improvement District (BID).
They do a fantastic job supporting businesses and promoting our city centre, so I'm absolutely delighted that they have secured a further five-year term following a ballot among local firms. Keep up the great work!