Summary

  • BBC Radio Cambridgeshire hosts a mayoral election debate at ARU Peterborough

  • Chris Mann is your host as he interviews candidates from the main parties

  • The debate is live via video stream on this page 11:00-12:30 on Tuesday, 29 April - click on "Watch live" at the top of the page

  • The mayor will run the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority for four years

  • The public vote takes place on Thursday, along with voting for Cambridgeshire County Council

Live Reporting

By Kate Moser Andon and Emma Howgego. Edited by Andrew Woodger.

  1. Welcome to today's debate

    Watch a recording of the live debate here

    BBC Cambridgeshire hosted a live video-streamed debate with the candidates vying to be mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

    The election takes place on Thursday, 1 May, with the votes due to be counted the day after.

    The successful candidate will be in charge of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority for the next four years.

    Tuesday's debate has been hosted by BBC Radio Cambridgeshire presenter Chris Mann and it has taken place at the Anglia Ruskin University campus in Peterborough.

    A recording of the live debate will be available to watch on this page shortly.

  2. Who is taking part in today's debate

    There will be five candidates on your ballot paper vying to be mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority. In alphabetical order, listed by surname, they are:

    Paul Bristow, Conservative Party

    A head and shoulders image of Paul Bristow standing on a residential road, with bungalows in the background, a black car parked in a driveway and red car parked by a kerb.

    Paul Bristow is a former MP for Peterborough who represented the constituency between 2019 and 2024.

    He says he would fast-track proposals to dual or upgrade the A10, A141 and A47.

    He says he would also like to deliver new community stadium in Peterborough, which would be a home for Peterborough United and have a public swimming pool.

    Ryan Coogan, Reform UK

    Profile picture of Ryan Coogan, he wears a navy suit jacket, white checked shirt and navy tie with stripes. The background is a brick wall that has been painted white.

    Businessman Ryan Coogan has lived in Cambridgeshire for more than 35 years.

    Coogan says he wants to scrap the Greater Cambridge Partnership (made up of local councils and the combined authority's Business Board) and says net zero policies are damaging Cambridgeshire's economy.

    He says he would like to see investment in nuclear and hydrogen energy, which he describes as a practical, long-term energy strategy.

    Lorna Dupre, Liberal Democrats

    Lorna Dupre facing the camera. She wears a yellow coat with a burgundy, flowery top. In the background is a field.

    Lorna Dupre is the leader of the Liberal Democrat & Independent Group on East Cambridgeshire District Council.

    She says there is a "desperate need" for genuinely affordable homes in the right place. She says she will use new powers handed down from government to make that happen.

    She wants to see access to new skills training for the "changing world of work" and more co-operation to meet the "urgent challenges of a changing climate".

    Bob Ensch, Greens

    Bob Ensch is standing in front of wooden panelling. He is smiling at the camera while wearing a blue shirt and blue square framed glasses. He has short black hair and blue eyes.Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire Green Party

    Bob Ensch has lived in Cambridgeshire for 45 years and works for FutureIN, which gives disadvantaged young people employment opportunities in construction.

    He says he wants to see more buses, running more frequently on more routes, with tap-on tickets and capped fares.

    He says he will "invest to end homelessness" and "fight for tenants' rights and campaign for rent controls".

    Anna Smith, Labour

    Anna Smith, who has shoulder-length brown and grey hair and is wearing glasses, smiles at the camera. She is wearing a a pink jacket and a top.Supplied

    Anna Smith is a Cambridge city councillor and is the current deputy mayor of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, having served under the previous Mayor Nik Johnson, who is not seeking re-election.

    Smith has lived and worked in Cambridge since 1995 and is a former teacher at the city's Hills Road Sixth Form College.

    She says she is committed to fixing 100,000 potholes. She wants to continue the Tiger Pass, which allows under 25s to use buses for £1 per journey.

  3. Election issues

    The new mayor will be in charge of a number of transport, education and economic policies for the county.

    The CPCA was set up in 2017, and is led by a directly-elected mayor. It also consists of representatives from:

    • Cambridgeshire County Council
    • Cambridge City Council
    • East Cambs District Council
    • Fenland District Council
    • Huntingdonshire District Council
    • Peterborough City Council
    • South Cambs District Council
    • the Business Board

    Transport appears to be one of the biggest issues that candidates have been campaigning on. Some are prioritising public transport and cycling while others have outlined priorities for road building.

    Supporting educational opportunities for young people, affordable housing and a new swimming pool for Peterborough have also come up for discussion during the campaign.