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14 Mar 2017

Businesses urged to challenge mayoral candidates at hustings event

Take the opportunity to challenge candidates who have put themselves forward to be mayor of the new Combined Authority of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough at a free hustings event being run by Cambridge Network on Wednesday 5 April (5-8pm) at the Cambridge Union.

All those interested in the future growth of the region are welcome -  to hear from and put questions to the candidates standing for the position of Mayor of the new Combined Authority. The Mayor will lead the decisions on how to use the devolved powers, including how to allocate the £600 million of new funding for local economic growth.

Businesses are urged to come and quiz the candidates on what they might do in this new public role.

The inaugural mayoral election will elect the Mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, established by the seven local councils across the county. This hustings event, supported by AstraZeneca and Cambridge BID, gives people the chance to learn more from the prospective candidates prior to the vote in May.

As part of the devolution deal, the responsibilities of the combined authority will include the following:

  • A £600 million budget for local economic growth (£20 million over 30 years)
  • A £170 million budget for housing, including affordable and council housing, with £70 million specifically for housing in Cambridge
  • Transport infrastructure improvement and maintenance
  • Provision of skills training and apprenticeships
  • Integration of local health and social care resources
  • Integration of local employment services, and design of a National Work and Health Programme alongside the Department for Work and Pensions

The combined authority will be chaired by a directly elected mayor.

The hustings take place the day after the nominations close and it is hoped that all candidates will be there, chaired by a strong neutral person (Tom Barton of the BBC chaired the Network's last event in the Cambridge Union).

Questions: Please submit your questions by email here, so time at the event can be managed to cover as many topics as possible.

This event is free. Find out more and book your place here.

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