Reflections

Cllr Peter Hiller, Glinton and Castor Ward

‘Councils like ours have demonstrated strong leadership throughout the pandemic, yet the UK remains one of the most centralised countries in the democratic world’

In September last year the Ministry for Housing Communities and local Government (MHCLG) changed its name to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUCH). In as much as it might affect the residents Saqib and I were elected to represent in our Glinton and Castor ward, I’ve always taken a keen interest in central government’s manoeuvring, and their recently launched ‘Levelling Up the United Kingdom’ White Paper has been no exception. Levelling up has meant “everything and nothing” for some people because they “haven’t been able to get a fix on it” – not my words, but those of Michael Gove MP, on his 36th day as Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities. Mr Gove was speaking at a recent Local Government Association’s Councillors’ Forum, and he was refreshingly clear about what he sees as the four elements of levelling up: strengthening local leadership; improving living standards (particularly where they are lower); improving the quality of public services (particularly where they are poor); and making sure people have a “proper pride” in the place they call home. The public services improvement and ‘loving where you live’ elements have particular resonance for us for the nine villages within our rural ward.

I looked forward to seeing these ambitions enacted – and a clear strategy for delivering them – set out in the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper (originally due before Christmas but now released in February) because we are also quite clear about what it will take to deliver levelling up – and that is a place-based strategy with real devolution of powers to local government. The default should be devolution; in our case devolution to our ward’s active place-led Parish Councils and our Peterborough City Council; wherein Saqib and I endeavour to maintain and improve the quality of our rural environment, independent of political dogma. Within the Executive Summary of the new White Paper it states: “..Levelling up is a long-term endeavour. It is a programme of change that requires a fundamental shift in how central and local government, the private sector and civil society operate..” Councils like ours have demonstrated strong leadership throughout the pandemic, yet the UK remains one of the most centralised countries in the democratic world. As we look towards a recovery that works for all, now is the right time to bring forward an ambitious new devolution settlement that gives councils the powers and funding they need to address regional inequality, tackle concentrations of deprivation and make our towns and communities attractive places to live, work and visit. None more so than our rural ward’s villages north of the urban Peterborough constituency. Encouragingly, Mr Gove also told the LGA he was keen to “get behind local government, empower local government, and consider how we can drive devolution further”. I’m aware the LGA has set out some ideas about how this might be facilitated, and we look forward to working with them and government to make this ambition a reality.

During the last council meeting (Dec 2021), I proposed the following motion. “Peterborough City Council should look to set up a process in the medium term, offering green bonds to local residents and businesses, giving them an opportunity to invest into greener Peterborough, while earning back on their investments.

Councillor Saqib Farooq, Glinton and Castor ward

People and businesses can buy from as little as 5 pounds into the new security and collect interest on their investment. The money will be put toward new green community infrastructure, including electric vehicle charging points, tree planting, solar panels on public buildings etc. PCC will also aim to develop a zero-carbon recycling and waste collection. This will help us achieve our commitment of reaching our goal of net-zero carbon by 2030.” What this means for our local residents is that we have a chance to shape the greener future for Peterborough, while earning money back on our investments. PCC will also liaise with those who invest and prioritise projects that we consider crucial and the most beneficial to the environment. This will also ensure that we protect our rural ward of Glinton & Castor, as well as putting choice back into our hands. With many beautiful country walks and areas of outstanding natural beauty around our villages, it is essential that we are the ones who take responsibility to protect them once the opportunity presents. This is a scheme that has been trialled and implemented in many other local authorities across the country, and backed by the Green Finance Institute (GFI). The interest paid by PCC (1.5%) is also considerably higher than that of government green bonds and high street banks, making it far more attractive for residents to invest into the greener future of Peterborough. I was delighted to see this motion gain cross party support and be unanimously agreed. Seconded by my good friend, and your Glinton & Castor ward councillor Peter Hiller, it is a motion with our beautiful ward at the forefront of our minds. We hope that once implemented, this motion will help us and our ward residents to protect our rural villages, and give you a say in changing and shaping the new greener Peterborough.