Peterborough City Council:feature 2 14/08/2013 10:41 Page 38
LOCAL AUTHORITIES: PETERBOROUGH CITY COUNCIL amount of which will be used to encourage environmental innovation. We will use some of that money to help companies take projects to the market, creating new environmental businesses for Peterborough and helping it to grow.” The council has around 20 photovoltaic projects in schools and council buildings and a deal with Honeywell Building Solutions to survey council property to reduce energy use, emissions and cost. Longer term, it promotes environmental awareness from nursery right through to secondary schools, with numerous projects always running. “We put the environment at the core of everything we do and want to be able to make this city self sufficient in renewable energy within ten years,” comments Marco. That’s all tied in with £190 million investment in education that has seen every secondary school in the city rebuilt, extended or refurbished since 2007, with an extensive programme also planned for primary schools. There are in excess of 3,000 students taking degree courses in Peterborough including a centre specialising in health issues operated by Anglia Ruskin University. Peterborough also has proposals for a business school and plans are progressing to open a new teacher training college in the city centre. CHANGES ROLE In Marco’s view, the council’s role has changed since the onset of the recession, from one of simply encouraging, enabling and providing infrastructure to a more active involvement. That has included the
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“WE WANT TO CREATE A PETERBOROUGH THAT NOT ONLY WE ARE PROUD OF, BUT WHERE OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN WANT TO LIVE AND RAISE THEIR FAMILIES TOO. WE WANT PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE THEIR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL, WHETHER THAT’S ACADEMIC OR TECHNICAL” MARCO CERESTE COUNCIL LEADER council’s Local Authority Mortgage Scheme which supports first-time buyers to purchase a home with a deposit of just 5 per cent. The city council then provides a cash-backed indemnity of up to 20 per cent as additional security to meet the size of deposit that mortgage companies now require. The council then earns interest on this amount. The scheme has so far enabled 50 families buy their own homes and Marco believes it has been well worth the council’s £1 million investment. He says: “Every time a new family get onto the housing ladder, we receive council tax. “Every time a new home is built and sold and a family moves in we receive council tax. Developers can then build more houses and for every new home built we get a housing bonus from the government -that’s worth at least £2,500 per house, per year to us.”
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It’s only one of the things the council is doing, with the city centre regeneration entering its second and third phases and benefits already coming through. “The city will continue to grow and offer people really high quality heritage and culture facilities and events,” confirms Marco. “We want to create a Peterborough that not only we are proud of, but that our children and grandchildren want to live and raise their families too. We want to have really good homes and quality schools. We want people to achieve their maximum potential, whether that’s academic or technical. If you come back in two years time, you won’t believe the changes in the city and in five years time you won’t recognise it.” www.opportunitypeterborough.co.uk Tel: 01733 317417
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