The future of our city’s Lido has attracted much debate recently and pleas for it to remain open were a main feature of the responses we received in our budget consultation.
Therefore, I can’t deny that it was a good moment this week to be able to tell residents that the Lido will open as usual this summer.
We have listened to what residents have told us and have changed the budget proposal which originally looked to ‘mothball’ the Lido whilst other sources of funding were investigated to mitigate the £400,000 a year running costs.
Instead, officers will be tasked with attracting grants and income to cover the running costs, as well as introducing a range of measures which will reduce the cost of operating the venue, including installing a pool covers to reduce energy costs and reviewing fees and charges.
I know I can speak for other members of the council’s Financial Sustainability Working Group, which developed all the draft budget proposals, when I say that we never wanted to see the Lido close. It is a wonderful art-deco open-air swimming pool which we are very lucky to have in our city.
However, the size of our budget gap means we had to consider all options, no matter how unpalatable some of them might be. We cannot continue to provide everything we used to if we are to set a balanced budget – something we are legally required to do.
I would now urge everyone to use the Lido as this will support us in reducing the operating costs. I’ll even be getting my Speedos out, once the weather gets warmer. If you want to pay to ensure that they don’t make an appearance, so much the better as I suspect that will raise much more money.
Several positive aspects of Peterborough were highlighted in the annual ‘Centre for Cities’ report, which was published this week.
It's always fascinating to see how we compare to other cities and the report confirms we were the fourth fastest growing city by population from 2013 to 2023 and the seventh highest city for business start-ups, which is impressive.
The report lists several challenges too, for example we are behind the East of England average for average weekly earnings and 36.9% of our working age population have high level qualifications, putting us in mid table so to speak. However, I’m confident that our continued growth and long-term effects of our university, ARU Peterborough, will see us climb these tables.
On a related note, myself and our two city MPs Sam Carling and Andrew Pakes, along with council Chief Executive Matt Gladstone, met with the Housing Minister, Matthew Pennycook MP last week, to pitch Peterborough as a pro-growth city ready to proactively contribute to the government's housing growth targets.
The Minister was struck by the positive position Peterborough is already taking towards delivering good growth and is keen to work with us collaboratively to make sure we have the tools we need to unlock sites and to bring development forward in specific locations.
We also continue to work closely with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority and all of the constituent councils across the region to develop our new Local Growth Plan. The plan, which is due to be finalised in the summer, will set out our response to the new National Industrial Strategy, and the investments we need to remove barriers and constraints. This is about creating wealth through delivery of good jobs, good communities, and good infrastructure, with these plans eventually becoming a statutory requirement.
Quitting smoking can be a difficult challenge, but the good news is that help is at hand with a new campaign launched by the council in partnership with Healthy You.
‘Healthy You’ provides a free 12-week programme tailored to your needs, including one-to-one weekly support, access to tools such as nicotine patches, vapes and medication, as well as flexible appointments, in person or over the phone, at a range of locations across Peterborough. As part of the campaign, a special pop-up clinic is being held at the Queensgate Shopping Centre on Thursday 30 January from 2 – 6pm where you can get free local expert support.
You can also speak to your GP or to self-refer Call 0333 005 0093 or visit https://healthyyou.org.uk/services/stop-smoking/
Finally, we’re inviting everyone to remember the suffering and sacrifice of millions of people killed in genocides including the Holocaust, at a commemoration service to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
The event will take place at St John the Baptist Church in the city centre on Monday at 12noon. The Mayor of Peterborough, Councillor Marco Cereste will lead a civic procession from the Town Hall at around 11.40am to Cathedral Square, which will then move to St John's Church for the service at 12noon.
Following the Service, a wreath laying ceremony will take place outside at the memorial stone in St John's Square to conclude the commemorations. Holocaust Memorial Day is a significant and poignant event in our calendar, providing the opportunity to reflect on the atrocities of the past and share their stories with future generation, so please come along if you can.