It would be remiss of me not to start my column mentioning the attacks in Manchester last week. I was shocked and saddened to learn of the horrific events that took place at the synagogue in Manchester. As a mark of respect, we lowered the flags outside the Town Hall.
Everyone should feel free to practice their faith without the risk of violence from others and we must continue to take a stand against all forms of hate and prejudice. It was to my utter dismay to then see a mosque in Sussex become the subject of an arson attack.
We continue to work closely with our colleagues at the police, and community leaders, to support our Jewish community at this difficult time. And to offer support to Muslim communities facing hate. To this end, I am planning a peace vigil bringing together all faith leaders and public sector leaders to promote the message of peace.
I spend a lot of time talking to residents, and so I know how much people want and need a new swimming pool in the city.
So, I’m delighted that at next week’s Cabinet meeting, members will be asked to approve in principle a new eight lane 25 metre pool and fitness centre, subject to funding being secured.
As one of the fastest growing cities in the country, I am fully aware that Peterborough needs a new swimming pool as soon as possible.
Over the summer we carried out a feasibility study and held regular meetings with key stakeholders including both city MPs, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA), ARU Peterborough, City of Peterborough Swimming Club, Friends of the Lido and Living Sport.
If approved by cabinet, officers will start work on a detailed business plan for submission to government, the CPCA and other external funders to attract capital funding for the development.
We know that there is support from our Labour Government for our plans and we will be bidding for a contribution from the £240 million funding pot for local projects which was announced in the summer. We are hopeful this will pay for a substantial part of the pool.
It’s fantastic news that these exciting plans are moving forward, demonstrating this administration’s commitment to collaborative working and a focus on key projects.
When I became council leader last month, I was quickly made aware of issues affecting taxi drivers being caused by a backlog of license renewals.
Drivers have had their licenses extended whilst we work through it, but I know some drivers are annoyed at the wait and loss of income as a result. I completely understand their frustrations. I want to assure drivers that we are actively working to resolve this situation and want to thank officers and Councillor Christian Hogg, the Cabinet Member for Housing and Regulatory Services, and communities' cabinet Member, Zameer Ali for working together on this.
To help alleviate matters, a series of drop-in sessions have been taking place at Sand Martin House this week. Led by our licensing team, the sessions have given drivers the opportunity to speak to officers and ask questions about their licence applications.
Bringing last week to a close was the highlight of my time since becoming Leader. And that was to visit the Rugby Union and Football Club in our city with our MP, Andrew Pakes, to meet two legends in the England women’s Rugby Team, Emily Scarratt and Sadia Kabeya.
To have them here, in our city to support the young girls who attend the RUFC and hold the Gold Medal is probably one of the proudest moments of my life. The MP and I want our city to celebrate the great work that the RUFC is doing to encourage young girls to progress in the sport and recognise that we are in the national league for Rugby. This is indeed a hidden jewel in our crown and want more people to know about it.