St Neots: 'I think this could put our town on the map'

St Neots is to benefit from a £12.8m investment in its High Street and town centre - and could soon have its own MP

For the first time in its 1,000 years of history, St Neots could appear in the name of a Parliamentary constituency as part of a boundary reshuffle. What difference could it make for a town that is the largest in Cambridgeshire?

'We need more opportunities for young people'

Alex Hughes believes things are on the up and up for St Neots - and a new MP should seize the opportunities coming its way

Business consultancy owner Alex Hughes was born and bred in St Neots and is one of its biggest fans, describing it as a "beautiful place to live".

"It's perfectly connected and it's got loads of investment going into it, both private and public," says the 32-year-old.

"I think the future is fantastically bright - it's about time St Neots had a voice and its own identity."

If the Boundary Commission's proposal comes to fruition, the town could give its name to a new constituency by 2023.

• Winners and losers from England's boundary changes

St Neots was part of the Huntingdonshire constituency in the 1970s and early 1980s, when its MP was future Prime Minister John Major.

It then became part of the South West Cambridgeshire seat in 1983, represented by Sir Anthony Grant, before becoming part of the Huntingdon constituency in 1997.

Huntingdon has been represented by the Conservative MP Jonathan Djanogly since 2001.

The town grew out of the existing settlement of Eynesbury when the bones of Saint Neot were brought there from Cornwall in about 980 AD.

If the town and nearby villages, including Cambourne, Fenstanton, Bar Hill and Swavesey, became the St Neots MP's sole focus, what should they get their teeth into?

St Neots had a population of 33,970 compared to Huntingdon's 25,730, according to the government's latest estimates from mid-2017

"We need to see more opportunities for young people, for work," says Mr Hughes.

"There's not a job centre, nowhere locally that connects communities, businesses and education.

"It's madness that they have to get on a bus to Huntingdon to find opportunities for work."

The future High Street fund includes the redevelopment of what was the Falcon pub on the Market Square, which has been closed for many years

The town, which is 45 minutes to London by rail, is getting a new bypass and is also at the centre of the new Cambridge to Oxford east-west rail link.

"There are phenomenal opportunities here for new business, all this this development is happening around us," adds Mr Hughes.

"All the people who used to travel to London - because St Neots is a commuter town - during the pandemic, they've opened the door, walked into the town and realised there's a wonderful bohemia here.

"We need to see the infrastructure built and nurtured to support communities thriving and local people finding opportunities locally.

"It'd be a massive shame if that activity was taken elsewhere."

'We need to put the town at the forefront'

Ms Rose's cafe and bar is based in the old Bedford Cambs and Hunts Electricity showrooms

Naomi Rose, 37, moved to the town seven years ago and followed her dream of opening her own cafe bar - Elsie May's Electric Lounge - in a former electricity showroom.

She backs the move to redraw the constituency boundaries, especially on the back of a £12.8 investment by government and councils to redevelop the centre.

The town centre features familiar names but its fair share of empty shops

"I think it could be really beneficial to the town," she says.

"There are so many vibrant things going on in St Neots and there is so much we could do to showcase what a beautiful town it is, I think it would really help to put St Neots on the map.

"They need to focus on the community, build up the events programmes to really benefit the town completely.

"We have a lot of independent businesses, and a lot of young people, and there's a real opportunity to develop in this area, there's a great vibe about the place.

"It's an honour to get some dedicated attention - we are the largest town in Cambridgeshire and to have that focus on the town is a real positive for me."

'We've got too many houses and not enough jobs'

Amy Cope, pictured with son Bobbi, two, says she feels the town has enough new housing - with the focus needing to shift to schools, jobs, retail and leisure

Amy Cope, 37, has lived in St Neots all her life and says she feels positive about the town's future and is full of praise for Stephen Ferguson, an independent councillor who was elected mayor last May.

"He's turned things round and brought things to St Neots, like new businesses. A lot has happened since," she says.

The centre includes many independent cafes, pubs and restaurants

Amy says having more things to do would be a key priority.

"I do think we need more shops, a shopping centre, as people go out of town for that, and more for children to do - we have the cinema but that's expensive, and that's it, so more entertainment.

"We've got too many houses, not enough schools, and not enough jobs for the people who live here, either.

"Where I live, they are building a new estate but they need to build schools and create jobs so people want to stay in those houses.

"Huntingdon seem to get a lot more than we do here - hopefully a new MP will move things forward."

'We have been overshadowed for generations'

Museum curator Liz Davies says St Neots' proximity to the A1 and River Great Ouse gives it a geographical importance

Liz Davies, the curator of St Neots Museum, is unsurprisingly well-versed in the town's history.

"Like St Ives and Huntingdon, it's always been geographically important because it's close to the A1, the Great North Road, and also it's on the river [Great Ouse]," she says.

"Having its own MP is enormously important. This part of Huntingdonshire has been overshadowed by Huntingdon, and the borough and then St Ives for generations, since the medieval period.

"Since the end of World War Two, and then the London overspill, St Neots has been growing and growing, and with the new [housing] developments coming on stream, the town is growing enormously."

The River Great Ouse has been vitally important to St Neots

She highlights various projects which will have an impact on the town are being planned.

"They need to listen more carefully to what local people want," she says.

"We have this East-West Rail link, where it's suddenly been discovered that this raised section of railway could be going right by the town.

"The future High Street fund is going to help us develop the High Street and Market Square, but somebody who could bring all that together and help to focus it would be really useful."

'We have long played second fiddle'

"This is an exciting and welcome change," says St Neots mayor Stephen Ferguson.

"There is a feeling amongst St Neots residents that we have long played second fiddle to Huntingdon, the smaller town for which our current constituency is named.

"I think it's a recognition of St Neots role as the third largest settlement in the county [after Cambridge and Peterborough], and presents a wonderful opportunity for us to elect an MP who truly represents our interests.

"I fully support the proposed changes."