Labour candidate to be Cambridgeshire mayor lays out his policies
Nik Johnson has not produced an official manifesto
Updated
Nik Johnson, Labour councillor and mayoral candidate for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
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Labour’s candidate to be Cambridgeshire’s mayor will not be releasing an official manifesto, but has set out his vision for the role, saying he will be open to others’ ideas.
He also said he would rebrand the bus fleet along a “Fen Tiger” theme, where the buses would be painted orange and black.
“Orange for the setting sun of the Fens and black for the loamy soil”, he said, saying “the one part of Cambridgeshire per se that particularly stands out as unique in terms of its local geography is the Fens”.
He also said he would explore the possibility of introducing a busway into the Fens, and ask the Greater Cambridge Partnership to “reconsider” its proposed Cambridge South East Transport busway route.
On the question of a metro for Cambridge area and beyond, he said he opposes the current mayor’s proposals based on “untried technology”, saying he will “reconsider the need” for such a system owing to the changes brought by the pandemic .
Mayor Palmer campaigning across Cambridgeshire for a second term as Mayor.
- Credit: JAMES PALMER
The incumbent and Conservative candidate to be Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s mayor will not be releasing an official manifesto, but says he has a clear vision for a second term.
The mayoral election on May 6 will decide the next leader of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, which has significant powers and funding for transport, housing and to support the economy and adult education.
James Palmer told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that if re-elected his ambition is that homes available for purchase for £100,000 are to make up 10 per cent of all new developments in the county.
On the question of a metro for Cambridge area and beyond, he said he will “reconsider the need” for such a system owing to the changes brought by the pandemic .
It would “not be a priority for me to do in the first four years”, saying bus franchising and linking in other projects such as East West Rail into the current system would take priority.
He said the combined authority’s affordable housing programme should follow the “successful” Cambridge City Council model of building council houses, but said he accepts that would require additional government funding.
Cllr Johnson’s proposals include:
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