Early November is a poignant time of year as we look back and remember those who lost their lives in conflict as part of Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day.
The council, in conjunction with the Peterborough Branch of the Royal British Legion, will commemorate both events at the War Memorial outside the Town Hall in Bridge Street and everyone is welcome to come and pay their respects.
The Remembrance Sunday service takes place at the War Memorial starting at 10.30am on Sunday and the Armistice two-minute silence service starts at 10.40am on Monday. You can watch the events on a large screen in Cathedral Square, while the wreath laying service and silence will also be streamed on the council’s YouTube channel.
I will be attending on Sunday, proudly wearing my Labrats tie, which is an organisation that campaigns for recognition for nuclear test veterans. Having recently installed memorials to nuclear veterans in Peterborough, becoming the first area in the country to do so, I want to continue to support the Labrats and their excellent work.
Our Deputy Leader, Cllr Mohammed Jamil and Cllr Shabina Qayyum, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health will also be attending the service on Sunday and laying a wreath at the memorial.
We must never forget those who have served their country, doing remarkable and often dangerous jobs. Remembrance Day gives us all the chance to pay our respects to all those who have been killed or injured in the service of their country in conflicts both recent and in the past.
It’s also worth pointing out that these events are not just about Britain, but the entire Commonwealth and people killed in service globally. So, I hope we have a good turn out and I look forward to seeing people there.
I would also encourage people to support this year's Poppy Appeal. The purchasing and wearing of a poppy are a lovely way to remember those who lost their lives, and it also supports the serving and former servicemen and women of today.
We are currently reviewing feedback from the Shaping our City consultation, which will help us set the council’s Corporate Priorities for the next three years.
Once again, my thanks to everyone who took part. A roundup of feedback will go to Cabinet in December along with a plan for how we will set a balanced budget in 2025/26.
One way we will look to do this is by reviewing the council’s land and buildings, known as our assets. This review began long before I took charge of the council, but it is something we have to continue with to support the council to achieve financial sustainability and reduce levels of debt.
Just to be clear this is not a ‘fire sale’, rather a review of our very large portfolio of land and buildings to see whether they are providing best value for taxpayers. Those that are we will retain and invest in, and those that are not we will dispose of.
A report is going before Cabinet next week which provides a full update including details of assets where sales have been completed, agreed or are in negotiation, and those that are still being considered.
The important thing to stress is that not all assets on the list will necessarily be sold. In fact, many on this list are for consideration only. Where tenants are affected, we are working with them to help them to find alternative premises where possible.
Our highways teams do a fantastic job of keeping Peterborough’s roads and transport systems in excellent order and I’m delighted that their efforts have been recognised nationally.
The council has been ranked as the third best performing highways authority in the country in this year's National Highways and Transport (NHT) survey, which asked residents across the country for their views on highway and transport services.
Nationally, the council was ranked as the third best highway authority out of the 96 included - improving our ranking by 20 places from last year and scoring an ‘above average’ satisfaction rating.
To be placed in the top three rankings nationally is a testament to our dedicated teams who work hard to ensure our roads and transport systems are of the highest standard that we can provide.
The NHT survey results come from the voice of local residents, and it helps us understand and work towards delivering efficient services that people value. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the questionnaires and our highways teams for their great work.
With Christmas just around the corner, we’re inviting residents to get into the festive spirit and help children in need over winter as part of a special scheme.
The council has teamed up with the charity Barnardo's to put a Christmas Giving Tree up in Bewiched coffee shop at Fletton Quays. People can pop into Bewiched and use the tree to help donate gifts to children in the Peterborough area.
To lend a hand to 2024’s Giving Tree, simply take a name tag from the tree, scan the QR code and buy a present from the wish list. Bring the unwrapped present back to Bewiched, and it will be collected by the Barnardo’s team, who distribute the gifts to local families in time for Christmas. The present wish list will also be promoted on our social media channels, so you can get gift inspiration from here and then take presents to Bewiched.
I’m proud that we are supporting an initiative that makes the most of the festive season and allows us all to give back to Peterborough’s community. So please take part if you can. By buying a gift you could transform a child’s Christmas here in Peterborough.