Cllr Chris Boden Archives - Peterborough & Cambridgeshire News

Mayor Dr Nik Johnson leaving Fenland Hall on Thursday after Combined Authority board meeting. “Good day out and about in Fenland,” he said. “Thank you to all the constituent authority board members and CPCA officers for a very productive and collaborative meeting. Cross party working delivering for all our communities”

News2 weeks ago

Mayor Dr Nik Johnson prepares for Combined Authority coming out of ‘special measures’

Best Value Notice could be lifted within days

Trading in Wisbech High Street since 1952, Evisons has this week unveiled its new look. PHOTO: Wisbech Tweet

Fenland District Council2 months ago

Council looks to snub March, Chatteris and Whittlesey to give £1m plus ‘windfall’ to Wisbech

East Cambs Council spread similar windfall across district

Fenland Council leader Chris Boden: ‘I think the last time I looked last time I checked 72 proposal suggestions had been given to me and I ended up having to - in conjunction with officers - reject 70 of them because I didn't feel confident enough that they were secure enough for us to use public money on’

News4 months ago

Gloves are off over who decides how £20m awarded to Wisbech is spent

Cllr Chris Boden will require Wisbech appointment to be ratified by Combined Authority

From left: Cllr Chris Boden, Cllr Anna Bailey and Mayor Dr Nik Johnson

News6 months ago

Bailey and Boden thwarted in bid to resurrect code of conduct complaint against Mayor Nik Johnson

CAPCA spent £461 personal alarms and home security CCTV

Algores Way, Wisbech, ticked all the boxes “and the applicant concluded that the EfW CHP facility site was suitable and that following the completion of the site selection process, the consideration of specific alternative locations for the EfW CHP facility was not necessary”. PHOTO: Terry Harris

News6 months ago

Clock ticking on possible legal challenge to £450m Wisbech incinerator

The council’s six-week window to apply for a judicial review of the decision began on February 21

Site for massive Wisbech incinerator , Wisbech Saturday 24 February 2024. Picture by Terry Harris.

News7 months ago

Fenland Council hits the panic button to stop £450m Wisbech incinerator

Fenland District Council to turn to WisWIN and UKWIN for help.

News7 months ago

Cambridgeshire ‘one of the least successful counties’ in finding jobs for adults with learning disabilities

Cambridgeshire almost 50 per cent worse than the national average in ensuring learning disability adults get paid work

Rob Bridge, Cambridgeshire, and Peterborough Combined Authority chief executive, said: “The revised best value notice acknowledges the progress the Combined Authority has made and continues to make since January 2023"

News8 months ago

Political infighting holds back Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority

Minister clearly aware of the antipathy towards Mayor Dr Nik Johnson held by Conservative district council leaders

News8 months ago

Confidentially breached ‘due to a leak in the press’ says Combined Authority

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority row over Mayor remains unresolved

Wisbech Port where some charges likely to rise by 25 per cent “in order to begin to reduce the significant deficit being incurred on the port operations”.

News8 months ago

Wisbech Port charges may rise by 25 per cent to ‘reduce significant deficit’

Fenland Council says charges where they have discretion to amend are proposed to rise by around 6.7 per cent

Council leader Chris Boden says: “Almost every other principal council has raised its council tax over the past six years, and of the few which haven't raised their council tax, none can match Fenland's two per cent reduction in that period.”

News9 months ago

‘Hoo-ray and up she rises’ as Fenland Council vote to increase allowances

Many Fenland councillors are also county councillors where each receives an annual basic allowance of £11,133.53

News9 months ago

Combined Authority faces fresh turmoil after Tory leaders refuse to accept conduct ruling

Cllr Chris Boden: 'It stinks of a cover up and it stinks of secrecy'

Cllr Anna Bailey points an angry finger at Mayor Dr Nik Johnson. “He should resign,” she says.

News10 months ago

Mayor Nik Johnson threatens ‘formal action’ against Tory council leader for ‘impropriety’ claims

'In your public comments you have cast aspersions against me as a practising doctor' Mayor tells Cllr Bailey.

Mayor Dr Nik Johnson under fire from Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald (right) who says: “In essence, the findings against the mayor show that a supposedly senior professional, a children’s doctor no less, was totally unequipped then, and remains so now, to fulfil the role of mayor.”

cambridgeshire and peterborough combined authority10 months ago

Mayor Nik Johnson discovers a week is a long time in politics – and its only Thursday

Cllr Wayne Fitzgerald: “As the old proverb goes, physician, heal thyself!’. Mayor Dr Nik Johnson should do the decent thing and go now.”

John and Andrea Anker have won permission from Fenland District Council for Manor House Old Chapel Farm at 102 Eldernell, Coates, Whittlesey, for full planning permission (part of the application retrospective) to allow them to expand their wedding and events venue. PHOTO: Old Chapel Farm

News11 months ago

Licence battle looms for 120 capacity remote Fenland wedding and events venue

Coates licensing hearing will be told of 16 objections but will also learn of 15 letters of support

Mayor Nik Johnson (second right) with Fenland District Council leader Chris Boden (right) on a visit to March in 2022 for an update on the town’s transformational £8.4million #FutureHighStreetsFund project.

Local Council12 months ago

Mayor declines public ‘grilling’ but still happy to meet Fenland councillors

Mayor Johnson had originally planned to attend the overview and scrutiny meeting at Fenland Hall, March, on December 5, 2022, to “discuss the levelling-up agenda for...

Fenland Council leader Chris Boden (top left) says the council was not ‘short changed’ when it sold this land at Murrow for £8,000 at auction in 2019. It has now gone on sale, with permission for one house, for £95,000.

News1 year ago

Land sold by Fenland Council for £8,000 has £95,000 price tag

A former sewage treatment works and garages owned by Fenland District Council and sold four years ago for £8,000, is back up for sale – but...

Conservative social clubs across Fenland each received £10,000 as part of a grant scheme set up under Covid – but it was £10,000 to a Conservative association that continues to trouble one councillor. Cllr John Clark remains critical of the NE Cambs Conservative Association (NECCA) for accepting a £10,000 Covid furlough business support hand out. And he referred to it in his resignation letter from the Conservative group on Fenland District Council and from the Conservative Party itself. “The Conservative office is hardly a business,” he said. “It only has one part time employee (Cllr Sam Hoy is part time association agent) who is a councillor who continued to receive their allowances of £24,411.64 through the Covid period.” “The Conservative group has a large cash reserve of some £90,000. “Our MP Steve Barclay was against the application and receipt of the central government furlough funding.” Fenland Council confirmed it had paid grants to the following organisations. It noted that “all of these organisations occupy properties which qualified for small business rate relief”. In 2020 the council confirmed that £10,000 went to: • Whittlesey Conservative Club • Wisbech Conservative Club Ltd • Wisbech & District Conservative club • The Chatteris & District Conservative Club £10,000 was also paid to March & District Conservative & Unionist Club Ltd as part of the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure scheme. But at the same time, Fenland Council announced £10,000 had also been paid to NECCA. It was an issue first raised in September 2020 by independent councillor Will Sutton (himself a former Conservative councillor until he was de-selected but kept his seat at Elm and Christchurch as an independent. He asked, at a council meeting that month, whether leader Cllr Chris Boden could authorise publication of the different business grants and discretionary grant schemes to be publicised “due to the fact that it is £20,000,000 of public money that has been paid out”. Cllr Boden responded, according to minutes from that meeting, that “Councillor Sutton is correct, it is public money that has been allocated as part of the scheme, however, there is an implied confidentiality when it comes to disclosure as to who has received that funding”. Cllr Boden added that as it is public money and with the amount being so large, there is a public interest to ensure those monies have been spent correctly and prior to the first grant process scheme commencing the council were advised that there would be an audit process which would be followed up after the grants had been distributed and that process has commenced by Central Government. The council leader said that an internal audit process has also been initiated to check our records “and as a council we are of the opinion that Central Government will find no matters of concern as part of their external audit process”. Cllr Boden added that if there is anybody who wishes to challenge any inappropriate allocation of funds then they should report it to the Section 151 Officer who will carry out a thorough investigation. Cllr Sutton said that he had been made aware of various party-political offices across the country who has claimed monies as part of the scheme, which, is in his opinion, is very wrong and he would hope that this is not the case locally. Cllr Boden stated that under the rules of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), he cannot make any comment on any applications for funding, but he will discuss with officers and report back to members of the council when he has ascertained what his position is to be able to respond. The council leader reiterated that if any member has any knowledge of any improper allocation of grant funding, then they should report it directly to the Section 151 Officer for investigation The minutes were later to include details of The Local Government Transparency Code which places a requirement on Local Authorities to publish each individual item of expenditure that exceeds £500, this requirement includes grant payments. “It is therefore the intention of the District Council to publish this information however we are aware that there have been a number of issues with the administration of the Business Grant scheme nationally involving fraudulent applications,” said the response. “Whilst we remain committed to complying with the transparency code we also have an obligation to protect public money and therefore the data will be published once the Business Grant Scheme is complete and all outstanding applications have been processed and finalised. “All applications for grants from politically related premises have been processed and finalised. “To provide additional transparency, there is therefore no reason not to provide that part of the information now.” In February of 2021, Cllr Sutton returned to the issue. Two meetings ago, record the minutes, he asked about the small business grants to political party offices across the country and in particular the NECCA office. He said Cllr Boden was unable to give an answer at the time because of GDPR but he came back in writing, and it was appended to the minutes of the last meeting. “NECCA did receive a grant payment which was legal although Councillor Sutton questioned the morality of it but he asked, given that the government have now given out more money, can Cllr Boden confirm whether or not the local office has received further monies,” record the minutes. Cllr Boden emphasised that the small business grant fund, which was set up during the first lockdown, had business grants that were given out which were not discretionary, specific rules were set down by Government about whom we may pay and any breach of those rules then we would have been penalised. Every legal application that came in was paid. Regarding the current regime, it is similar with the LRSG winter lockdown payment. There have been 12 payment regimes put into place by central Government, and under that only businesses that are in retail, hospitality and leisure industries are going to quality so he does not know if NECCA have made any application, and if they had then it would be refused. Cllr Sutton stressed that he understood Cllr Boden was not responsible for choosing who got paid but he still questioned the rules. He pointed out that various political offices across the country have either refused to claim or given the money back and his understanding is that he believes the MP (Steve Barclay) also thought it wrong to claim. Cllr Boden concluded by pointing out that “he is at this meeting as Leader of FDC to provide answers to questions regarding FDC and Councillor Sutton needs to write to the organisation concerned regarding this question”. Former Fenland Council leader John Clark says: “The Conservative group has a large cash reserve of some £90,000. Our MP Steve Barclay (pictured at a Conservative garden party in Whittlesey last summer) was against the application and receipt of the central government furlough funding.” Former Fenland Council leader John Clark says: “The Conservative group has a large cash reserve of some £90,000. Our MP Steve Barclay (pictured at a Conservative garden party in Whittlesey last summer) was against the application and receipt of the central government furlough funding.”

Local Council2 years ago

Rumblings over £10,000 lockdown grant to run NE Cambs Tory HQ

Conservative social clubs across Fenland each received £10,000 as part of a grant scheme set up under Covid – but it was £10,000 to a Conservative...

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Peterborough & Cambridgeshire News | CambsNews.co.uk

Mayor Dr Nik Johnson prepares for Combined Authority coming out of ‘special measures’

Council looks to snub March, Chatteris and Whittlesey to give £1m plus ‘windfall’ to Wisbech

Gloves are off over who decides how £20m awarded to Wisbech is spent

Bailey and Boden thwarted in bid to resurrect code of conduct complaint against Mayor Nik Johnson

Clock ticking on possible legal challenge to £450m Wisbech incinerator

Fenland Council hits the panic button to stop £450m Wisbech incinerator

Cambridgeshire ‘one of the least successful counties’ in finding jobs for adults with learning disabilities

Political infighting holds back Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority

Confidentially breached ‘due to a leak in the press’ says Combined Authority

Wisbech Port charges may rise by 25 per cent to ‘reduce significant deficit’

‘Hoo-ray and up she rises’ as Fenland Council vote to increase allowances

Combined Authority faces fresh turmoil after Tory leaders refuse to accept conduct ruling

Mayor Nik Johnson threatens ‘formal action’ against Tory council leader for ‘impropriety’ claims

Mayor Nik Johnson discovers a week is a long time in politics – and its only Thursday

Licence battle looms for 120 capacity remote Fenland wedding and events venue

Mayor declines public ‘grilling’ but still happy to meet Fenland councillors

Land sold by Fenland Council for £8,000 has £95,000 price tag

Rumblings over £10,000 lockdown grant to run NE Cambs Tory HQ

Peterborough striker Ricky-Jade Jones unveils plaque at new city care home

Whittlesey – in danger of becoming the waste capital of the Fens

Villagers win time to buy pub after demolition plans withdrawn

Lessons not learnt says report into latest overspeeding train incident at Spital Junction, Peterborough

McDonald’s forced to pull the plug on new restaurant and drive-thru in Fenland town

Councillor wants full funding restored to Wisbech and Fenland museum

Cambridgeshire County Council to turn redundant farmhouses into children’s care homes

Norfolk/Suffolk lose out in deal former Cambs Mayor James Palmer called ‘puppet devolution’

Restaurateur Peter Fierro bombshell closure shock of Peterborough pizza parlour

LGBTQ+ Kite Trust in Ely to become key centre for reporting hate crimes

Magnificent Mary – 41 years of devotion and dedication to the NHS

Dealers use boy with ‘vulnerabilities’ in London and Peterborough county drugs line

Number of children in Fenland living in poverty ‘rose each year under Conservatives’

4 houses opposed by East Cambs councillors and parish council win approval on appeal

Boss hears his fate after £10 vodka incident at Wisbech cafe/restaurant

Historic house owner claims ‘I was lied to’ over siting of new loos for Fenland town

Planners argue publican can’t justify demolition of Fenland country pub

Children ‘shouted and sworn at’ during Mill Road Cambridge protest

‘Cutting edge’ solution to high mobile network demand trialled in Cambridge

John Lewis in Cambridge targeted by shoplifters

3 month improvement programme for A1303 Swaffham Heath Road Cambridgeshire crossroads

‘In one fell swoop’ (Macbeth) Huntingdon Shakespeare theatre group finds Buckden has ‘a heart of gold’ (Henry V)

Knifeman turned on Littleport victim ‘suddenly and inexplicably with a terrifying level of violence’

WATCH: Brazen bike thief caught by Sainsbury’s CCTV at Huntingdon

Peterborough ‘the chosen one’ for launch of Labour’s bus revolution

Cambridgeshire drink driver 3 times over the limit fails to notice car missing a tyre!

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority ‘in much better shape to work collaboratively and effectively’

30 prisoners from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough released early

420-place primary school for new township of Great Haddon Peterborough

Poor parking delays firefighters reaching Whittlesey house fire