Mayoral candidate Aidan Van de Weyer launches vision to create a greener and fairer society

The Liberal Democrat candidate to be Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Aidan Van de Weyer, has launched his election manifesto for the 2021 Mayoral Combined Authority election.

Cllr Dr Aidan Van de Weyer said,

“I am offering the people of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough the opportunity to have a Mayor who works for all residents, after four disastrous years under the current Mayor James Palmer.

“I am today setting out my vision to create a greener and fairer county. I will stand up for the most vulnerable, for young people hit by the pandemic, for people without a decent home.

“This is our chance to end the cronyism and the wastefulness of James Palmer and the Conservatives. Palmer has achieved so little in fours years, but his spending has spiralled. His office costs are over £5 million per year, not £850,000 as he promised. He has handed over £12 million to consultants for the imaginary tunnels of his CAM project. And he has given taxpayer-funded jobs to four former Tory councillors.

“And now James Palmer has lost £45 million of government housing funding - from his own party - meaning hundreds of families from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough stand to lose the chance of a new home.

“We can’t let Palmer have another four years. We need to get the Combined Authority back on course.

“I will work to protect our environment, with much-needed actions for getting us to zero carbon and improving our green spaces. I will replace CAM with a plan for a realistic mass rapid transit system integrated with much better buses under local control. I will install better, safer routes for cyclists and pedestrians. Working together with other councils, I will get higher environmental standards for housing.

“I will make our society fairer, building many more homes that are genuinely affordable and helping small businesses through the pandemic. I will work to make secure long-term rental agreements are the norm, so that renting is less perilous.

“I will offer a better future for young people by boosting apprenticeships and improving access to post-16 education and training. Using the resources of the Combined Authority and business partnerships, I will shape a green recovery with skilled long-term jobs. I will make sure Peterborough University is attractive to students from this area and beyond, so that it adds to the success of the city.

“I have lived in Cambridgeshire since the age of one. I know and love our county. It is a great place to bring up my family - my children go to one of our excellent village colleges.

“With my experience as Deputy Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council for three years, I am able to deliver changes that make a difference to residents’ lives.

"At the last Mayoral election in 2017, Lib Dem Rod Cantrill came a very good second. Given the excellent results that the Lib Dems have had since then across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, I am in an excellent position to defeat James Palmer. 

“A vote for me and the Lib Dems on 6 May will help me create a greener and fairer Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.”

Aidan's manifesto for the 2021 Mayoral Election can be downloaded here.