The crowd gathered to hear from five of the seven candidates about what would be relevant to businesses if elected as mayor of the new Combined Authority on 4th May. Cambridge Network and Cambridge BID’s audience submitted questions beforehand which were put to the candidates, ably chaired by Robert Marshall, The Marshall Group and John Gourd, Johnson Matthey.
In their introduction, each of the candidates outlined why they were perfect for the role (click the links to see them speaking):
- Jeremy Caddick (for Julie Howell, Green)
- Rod Cantrill (Liberal Democrats)
- Peter Dawe (Independent)
- James Palmer (Conservative)
- Kevin Price (Labour)
James, Kevin and Rod extolled the benefits of their experience in local politics to date while Jeremy majored on the need for a commitment to a Green ideal. Peter Dawe, while also having local authority credentials, went on to claim that local government had lost the trust of the electorate and of national government, illustrated by the City Deal, LEP and Cambridge BID being outside of local government rather than within it.
Questions were asked of each candidate and in the answers that followed, housing was raised as a priority; Kevin Price saying that the mayor will be judged on affordable housing. Schemes such as the Local Living Rent scheme could be introduced, where renters pay not the market rate but a rate based on their income. However, communities need to be sustainable with dense, service-rich towns; “people want to roll out of bed and into Starbucks” claimed Peter Dawe, to puzzled looks in the audience. Community Land Trusts have been successfully introduced in some areas but schemes such as these may not work across the diverse region.
Transport was high on the agenda, with congestion and poor air quality being issues, particularly in and around Cambridge. Other forms of transport such as rail, light rail and cycling provision need to be considered as well as the obvious questions about buses. The key request was to develop an overall strategic and integrated transport plan.
The new Mayor will need a good relationship with Central Government and James Palmer cited his work with Westminster on business rates retention whilst Kevin Price highlighted his success in fighting for £70m for affordable housing. Rod Cantrill prioritised funds to cushion the region from the effects of Brexit whilst Jeremy said that a Green mayor would be a powerful signal to Westminster. Ultimately, said Peter Dawe, the Mayor isn’t a lobbyist, it’s you!
Sabine Jaccaud of Astrazeneca concluded that: “As a Cambridge-based organisation, AstraZeneca’s support for the Mayoral hustings hosted by Cambridge Network recognises the importance of the role in the future success of the region as a whole.
“As a key contributor to the UK’s future with global impact, the region could benefit significantly from the potential of the combined authority and devolution deal. The hustings highlighted the need for a strategic approach to the region’s growth agenda, underpinned by attention to key areas including education, housing, healthcare and infrastructure."
Watch the whole event on youtube here (Thanks to Anthony Carpen aka The Dragon Fairy @Puffles2010 for filming).
Cambridge Network would like to thank AstraZeneca and Cambridge BID for supporting and sponsoring this hustings event.
Cambridge Network CEO Claire Ruskin also passed on thanks “to the candidates who are standing to help make the region an even better place to live and work – we wish you all a good campaign and look forward to working with you in any and all of your roles going forward."
Don’t forget to vote on Thursday 4th May. While you may not feel the need for an elected Mayor, the choice is very important.
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