As the new term begins at PCC who has been smoking behind the bikes sheds and who needs to pull their socks up

As the new term begins at Peterborough City Council, who has been smoking behind the bike sheds and who needs to pull their socks up? A look at our local ward councillors attendance records, data all in the public domain, taken from the PCC website, remember you are paying for ouir reprresentatives, as elected to Peterborough City Council representing you and the Ward/Neighbourhood you live in......

..

Fran Benton 57%
Fran is up for election next year and has recently improved her attendance record slightly, are the two things connected? However as it also means Fran is not present 43% of the time it leaves room  for improvement.

Matthew Lee 50%
Matthew according to the PCC website only represents you for half the time, but the following should also be taken into account:  



Cllr Lee comments: The figures are taken for the four month period from May 2011 to the current date and are statistically correct in that I have attended two out of the four meetings I was due at during this period. I would however note that I was unable to attend one of these meetings because I was representing the Council at the Local Government Association Conference.  If you take my attendance at Council meetings from the beginning of October 2010 to the current date, you will see that it is 82%. I should therefore be grateful if you could amend your article to reflect these figures please as I feel the information currently on the website gives a misleading impression about how I view my Council responsibilities.  Regards Councillor Matthew Lee, Deputy Leader and Councillor for Fletton and Woodston

Lucia Serluca 100%
Well done Lucia, also holding down the time consuming position of Deputy Mayor.

Marco Cereste 100%
May want to have a discreet word with some of his team and show them how its really done?

Chris Harper 43%
Has the shine come off so quickly Chris? What is it with Park Farm councillors? Stanground and Park Farm residents are really very sorry to see that the newly elected 'Rookie' Stanground East Cllr. Chris Harper has gifted another £1,000 of your CLF money to the Dogsthorpe Hydrotherapy Pool, thus ignoring or depriving  local applications for the CLF funds. Where is the Dogsthorpe formal CLF application for funds Cllr. Harper, or has this just been nodded through?

This is how Cllr. Harper explains it away, in his own words:  

"St Georges Hydrotherapy Pool will receive £1000.00. Having took (SIC) the time to visit and meet both users and staff at the pool I’m convinced this is a fantastic treatment service for any resident in our ward and in Peterborough as a whole and needs the support of all councillors."

 We have previously reported at length on the dubious 'medical treatment merits' claimed for this facility but the fact remains the Dogsthorpe Hydrotherapy Pool was specifically excluded from the Vivacity take over of leisure / sports facilities and the new NHS City Hospital  didn't feel the need to include the spa bath in the new build, so it remains a constant and increasing financial drain on public money from all areas of the City, as it is clearly unable to fund itself from the handful of users of this distant Dogsthorpe facility.


Local residents are also sorry that with the latest distribution of the CLF money, that it has not been spent on Park Farm which has now been subject to several break-in's. Didn't Cllr. Harper promise to support Neighbourhood Watch on his election leaflet?  - Oh how easily these promises are forgotten, broken or simply buried. 

Yet more money is to be expended on a 20 MPH scheme outside Heritage Park School. and environs.  Again - why? Surely the culprits for bad driving are the users of the school? So why as we discuss elsewhere is the whole of central Park Farm already blighted with traffic calming measures being further subjected to a blanket permanent 20 mph limit?  

Councillor Harper is you will recall a Heritage Park School Govenor which may or may not  explain why so much of your money is being spent there.  £5,000 for 'art' panels at the Heritage Park School and £2,000 on sending two toy teddy bears to China - We kid you not! So that is a cool £7,000 out of the Community Leaders Fund budget spent on a school which is already substantially and comfortably funded. 

Brian Rush 100%
Busy chap, pity about the permanently parked up Stanground Community Centre Buses Brian!  FOI requests show that substantial funding over the years has been lavished on these buses...

Irene Walsh 100%
War memorial design drama now seemingly resolved and tasked with organising next years Stanground Fete, another councillor who is up for election next year.




####

(C) Stanground & Park Farm News 2011 (C) Park Farm Neighbourhood Watch 2011, Peterborough,UK E&OE Tel: 01733 345581 ALL ENQUIRIES LOCAL NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE: 0345 4564564 OR Dial 999. If you have any information about crime contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to Court. >> Broadcast Quality ISDN 01733 555319 ISDN Codecs G722 & ATX >> Media Enquiries: JULIAN BRAY 01733 345581 http://tinyurl.com/STANGROUNDPFNW