From Covid to Christmas – contracts flow to Peterborough councillor’s companies

Tory councillor Wayne Fitzgerald’s private media enterprises have quietly soaked up tens of thousands of pounds from Peterborough City Council. A CambsNews investigation reveals how the former city council leader’s company, CAP – Radio Production and Media Buying Services Ltd – pocketed at least £70,000 (inclusive of VAT) in taxpayer money between 2020 and 2025 — with no competitive tendering and no clear paper trail.

📻 THE MONEY TRAIL

👉 2020

• £7,451 + £1,490 VAT – Paid for adverts across Heart Peterborough, Heart Cambridge, Star Radio, Cambridge 105, Salaam Radio… and, of course, PCRFM. No breakdown of costs provided.
• £1,566 + VAT – Described only as “week 1 and week 2 of campaign,” airtime on Heart, Star, and PCRFM.
• £450 + £90 VAT – A vague “Salaam Radio Extension.”
• £5,611 + £1,122 VAT – Covid ads booked on Heart, Star, Salaam, Cambridge 105, and PCRFM.

👉 2021

Advertisements

• £36,298 + £7,259 VAT – Mega-payout for “commercial production” across 11 stations including Gold, DAX, Smooth, Salaam, Star Radio, Cambridge 105, Kiss FM… and PCRFM.
• £9,000 + £1,800 VAT – A festive “Sleigh Covid” campaign across Salaam, Star, Cambridge 105… and again PCRFM.

👉 2023

• £2,200 – Voter ID campaign on Heart FM.

👉 2025

• £500 (no VAT charged) – Smoking cessation ad, aired on Salaam and PCRFM.

💰 TOTAL: Over £70,000 paid to CAP – a chunk routed to Fitzgerald’s own station, PCRFM.

Peterborough City Council wanted adverts on local radio stations, and these were funnelled through CAP – Radio Production and Media Buying Services Limited between January 2020 and July 2025.

The company operates from Cllr Fitzgerald’s home address in Gretton Close, Peterborough, and although his wife Lynn is identified on Companies House as the sole director, Cllr Fitzgerald is shown to be only the person with “with significant control” owning 75 per cent or more of the shares.

CambsNews uncovered the payments to CAP Radio Production and Media Buying Services Ltd through Freedom of Information requests to the city council.

What the answers have shown is the lack of any procurement to find alternative supplies for the services, and the emergency of Covid used to justify some of the payments in 2020 and 2021.

The council has admitted that “each of these contracts were direct award facilitated. “The head of communications who would have led on the Covid campaigns no longer works for the council so we cannot confirm how agreement was reached.

The two more recent campaigns were approved by the head of communications.

“In relation to the two more recent campaigns, comparative costs were not obtained from other media buying agencies or direct from the radio stations,” said a council statement.

CambsNews had asked for details of which campaign names and objectives had been attached to the placement of orders with CAP and we also asked for copies of associated invoices and payment dates and approval documentation and authorising officers.

🎄 AND CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY FOR PCRFM

On top of the CAP deals, Fitzgerald’s radio station PCRFM was handed £35,000 in direct payments from the council between 2022 and 2024, mainly to host Peterborough’s Christmas Lights switch-on events.

• 2022: £9,000
• 2023: £12,000
• 2024: £10,000

Add it all up, and between CAP and PCRFM, the Fitzgerald media machine has been showered with well over £100,000 of public money.

Freedom of Information requests have revealed that Peterborough Community Radio (PCRFM) – a private company owned by Cllr Fitzgerald – has also benefited in terms of accommodation thanks to a generous council deal.

The station has enjoyed rent- and rates -free offices at the council-owned Herlington Centre in Orton Malborne – a perk that council leader Dennis Jones blames on the “munificence splendour” of his predecessors.

But that’s not all. Between 2022 and 2024, PCRFM pocketed a whopping £35,000 from the city council.

• £31,000 was for “live event programme and hosting of the Peterborough Christmas Lights Switch On.”
• Payments started at £9,000 in 2022, jumped to £12,000 in 2023, before slipping slightly to £10,000 last year.

Peterborough City Council has confirmed that “no contract has yet been signed for this year’s Christmas lights switch-on event. We cannot comment on the budget for Christmas celebrations as we are still at the stage of attracting sponsorship”.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, paperwork tells its own story. The council insists that all invoices must include purchase orders, full descriptions of goods and services, and detailed VAT breakdowns. Yet, when asked for transparency, officials admitted they had to black out personal details like names, gender, and contact info “in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.”

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⚠️ COUNCIL SHRUGS, QUESTIONS REMAIN

Pressed by CambsNews, officials admitted contracts were “direct awards” with no rival quotes, no procurement checks, and no transparency.
One official even admitted: “We cannot confirm how agreement was reached” on early Covid ad deals — the very ones worth tens of thousands.

Adrian Chapman, executive director for place and economy, said: “Very rarely does the council pay for external advertising such as on the radio as this is costly. We instead opt for cost-free ways to share messages including on social media and through the media.

“During Covid there was an unprecedented need to share urgent messages quickly and as widely as possible to limit the spread of the virus. This included messages around not socialising with others, protecting those who were shielding and encouraging take-up of rapid testing and the vaccine.

“This advertising and promotion was paid for using additional Government grants awarded to us to support with protecting the public and raising awareness of the need to follow national guidance to limit the spread of the virus.”

Mr Chapman added: “Radio advertising was one way we shared messages with the public, particularly at times when rates in the city were amongst the highest in the country.

“This was booked via CAP Media, which we understood could gain cheaper advertising rates than the council was able to because of its experience and contacts in the industry. These radio adverts were also used across the whole of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, as at that point there was one public health team covering the whole county.”

He said: “The council has also used CAP Media to book radio advertising on two other occasions, to promote support for people to quit smoking in January of this year and details of the new voter registration rules in 2023.

“Both of these campaigns were funded using additional government grants and did not come from the council’s core budget.”

However, our investigation reveals questions over parallel spending at Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council in the use of CAP Media for public health ads.

Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC) and Peterborough City Council (PCC), operated as a combined public health authority at the time, commissioned CAP Media to deliver a series of radio advertisements promoting public health messaging across the region. The arrangement was reportedly based on CAP Media’s ability to secure lower advertising rates through its industry experience and contacts.

The adverts were broadcast across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, reflecting the structure of the unified public health team that covered both councils during the campaign period.

However, financial records show that the councils also spent over £34,000 directly with Star Radio during the same timeframe—raising questions about the rationale for outsourcing media buying to CAP Media while simultaneously purchasing airtime independently.

Procurement contradictions

• • CAP Media was engaged to secure competitive advertising rates.
  • At the same time, CCC/PCC spent £34,000+ directly with Star Radio.
  • The campaign was coordinated under a single public health team covering both councils.

If CAP Media was selected for its ability to negotiate better rates, the decision to bypass it for direct spending with Star Radio appears inconsistent. No public documentation has been released comparing CAP’s negotiated rates with those paid directly to Star Radio.

Lack of rate comparison

To date, neither council has published a breakdown of:

• • CAP Media’s negotiated rates per slot or campaign.
  • The cost-per-impression or reach metrics for CAP-managed versus directly purchased ads.
  • Any commission or service fees paid to CAP Media.

Without this data, it remains unclear whether CAP’s involvement delivered the promised savings or simply added a layer of complexity to the councils’ media strategy.

Governance and oversight

The councils’ decision to operate both outsourced and direct procurement channels during a unified public health campaign raises broader concerns about governance, consistency, and auditability. Public health campaigns often benefit from streamlined messaging and centralized coordination—but the financial records suggest fragmented execution.

CambsNews is asking for:

• • Full disclosure of all media buying arrangements during the campaign period.
  • Comparative cost analysis between CAP Media and direct council purchases.
  • Clarification of procurement protocols and oversight responsibilities under the combined public health structure.

The case underscores the need for clear audit trails, consistent procurement logic, and public-facing documentation—especially when taxpayer funds are used to deliver critical health messaging.