SHOULD Oxmoor in Huntingdon be renamed? As a new round of consultation over development on the Oxmoor begins, former Mayor of Huntingdon, Councillor Jeff Dutton says that Oxmoor residents need to be protected from a poor reputation the area gained over 10

SHOULD Oxmoor in Huntingdon be renamed?

As a new round of consultation over development on the Oxmoor begins, former Mayor of Huntingdon, Councillor Jeff Dutton says that Oxmoor residents need to be protected from a poor reputation the area gained over 10 years ago but no longer deserves.

He told The Hunts Post: "Young people are not getting job interviews if they have Oxmoor on their address. As soon as they say Oxmoor, the doors are closed to them.

"The idea has been mooted before. We also need to attract more businesses to the area, there is money from EEDA (East of England Development Agency) for new businesses setting up on Oxmoor but no one is claiming it.

"The name change is just part of a programme of ideas. We also need to get the message across that there is a huge, ready-made workforce on the Oxmoor."

Cllr Dutton was made Oxmoor Champion after being re-elected to the district council in May.

He said: "A name change could work. Tiger Bay in Cardiff was renamed and it is now a flourishing dockland area."

He said the name should be chosen by the people of Oxmoor and he hoped that the idea would be taken up and publicised by the Oxmoor Action Group.

However, the idea was panned by some Oxmoor residents. Richard Meredith, chairman of Huntingdon and Godmanchester Civic Society, whose family was one of the first to move to Oxmoor in the 1960s, moved back there 10 years ago after living in various places including London.

He said: "Oh that old chestnut - the idea was tried years ago back in the 1970s.

"No, of course it shouldn't be changed Oxmoor is an historic name. All changing it will mean is that it is changed by estate agents on their details. If kids can't get jobs it's because of their education, not where they live.

"I'm looking out at a fantastic medical centre, trees and grass, we have good schools here - what we need is to keep Huntingdonshire Regional College.Parts of Oxmoor have gone through rough times but it has settled down now."

Joanne Santillo, who lives in The Whaddons and is campaigning to stop its green spaces being built on, said: "I think they should just drop the name Oxmoor, not change it. Most people don't put it on their addresses anyway, I don't.