The Chief executive of Peterborough Environmental City Trust (PECT), Hugh Cripps, has opted for  voluntary redundancy after an 18-year secondment to the charity from the Peterborough City Council,as part of the cuts being made by the local authority

Rachel Huxley, previously head of operations at PECT, is now  acting chief executive, managing the day-to-day operation of the charity. Trevor Gibson, director of environment capital for the council and Chairman of the Eco Innovation Centre in Peterborough, has been drafted in to support the development of a strategic business plan.

Mr Gibson said, “The budget cuts are affecting us all and Peterborough Environment City Trust is no exception. Nevertheless, PECT remains in a strong position and there is no question that the charity will continue to deliver its important environmental work in the city. I’ll be working with PECT’s board of directors and senior management team to develop a robust business plan to ensure the charity continues to lead Peterborough in its aspiration to become the UK’s Environment Capital.”

Rachel Huxley paid tribute to Hugh’s work to forward Peterborough’s Environment Capital aspiration over the last 18 years saying, “Hugh’s efforts to create an exemplar city for sustainability and a better place to live and work made a real difference for Peterborough. He helped establish PECT and spearheaded some of our headline projects including the Green Wheel which provides over 45 miles of cycle route. He will be missed by all the staff at PECT. Our main aim now is to continue to build on the great work he did.

“We’ve got some exciting things on the horizon for 2011 including the launch of our Walk Peterborough iPhone app, the city’s 20^th Green Festival, and a brand new phase of the Seeding Sustainable Communities project where we visit people in their homes to provide tailored advice on living in an environmentally friendly way.”

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