Ever since I became ‘involved’ many years ago, I have on many occasions muted the idea of a ‘closer’ relationship with our immediate neighbours ‘Peterborough’ – when-ever the subject was brought up – it was though I had raised something extremely toxic….Now I well appreciate it may not be everyone’s utopia to have a more ‘friendly’ relationship with Peterborough City Council – My argument was and still is, we in Whittlesey/Villages have been ‘The Poor Relation’ in comparison to the other market towns, Chatteris has a similar argument as does March, but as a previous town councillor I found it difficult to engage with most of the other Fenland councillors who could influence a debate.
Some like the ‘Luvey relationship’ they have.
That’s partly history now , I have met several PCC councillors in the past and they all wondered ‘why’ Whittlesey was not engaging with them.
There are some major disadvantages – no one want to be ‘swallowed’ up the PCC Unitary Authority, I have spoken with people in Eye and Yaxley (Partly in Hunts) to hear how they believe they have been rough shod.
So I am now getting some positive vibes that one, two, or maybe more of our ‘current’ councillors may be ‘warming’ to the idea of ‘engaging’ with Peterborough in a more positive way.
One Councillor recently used a phrase –
“with FDC’s apparent apathy towards Whittlesey”
“the consensus of opinion that came across was that Whittlesey fits into the slot of being a commuter town with increasingly strong links with Peterborough where a large proportion of our population go to work and potentially could bring their wealth back into the Whittlesey economy.”
Hello, Hello, why has it taken ‘years and years’ for some of our Councillors to wake up to the reality.
I naturally am a supporter of any engagement with PCC – with certain reservations of
I quote Ex PM Cameron (Lessons must be learnt – from Eye and Yaxley).
Whittlesey like it or not, is becoming closer and closer economically, socially and demographically.
