Blog Posts

  • Budget – Q and A

    General – Questions and Answers Council Tax increase How can increasing council tax mean that Cambridgeshire residents are better off? Let me make this clear. I believe in the Government’s policy of keeping taxes low. But Cambridgeshire is already a low tax authority which has a below the national average funding. This year’s “Pickles Promise” Read more

  • Who thought of Chesterton Station?

    Following last week’s ribald exchange at Cabinet, I asked for the history on this. Here’s what was found: “In 1987 the County Council commissioned Messrs TPA to undertake a review of rail services in Cambridgeshire with a view to assessing the potential for developing services and the introduction of new stations. The study report in Read more

  • Facts and figures about councillors

    Some key metrics from the Local Government Group’s 2010 census of councillors. Of course this will include district, unitary and county councillors who all have hugely differing roles: 68.5% male 96.3% white 85.9% non-disabled Only 28% below the age of 55 47.2% retired Most councillors give around 16-20 hours per week 56% do other unpaid Read more

  • Fulbourn – Opening of outdoor adult fitness equipment

    On saturday it was my pleasure to join with Tony Orgee and the Chairman of Fulbourn Parish Counci, Jo Patten, to open the new outdoor excercise equipment. As ever the hardworking Parish Clerk, Patricia Newman, was in attendence. http://fulbournpc.org/parish-council/parish-councillors/ This was the official opening so the kit had been in use for a short while Read more

  • Fenland – Investments

    I listened recently to the Lib Dem Leader of the opposition claim we were not investing in Fenland. I am normally a little dismissive of the Lib Dems because they lack substance and flop around in the wind to gain votes. In this case I was irritated. Irritated because the Cambridge centric Lib Dems rarely Read more

  • County Council budget facts and figures – for those that like them

    Headline figures• Total authority budget for 2012/13 is £848m • Without schools the 2012/13 budget is £472m (2.5% more than last year) • Government formula grant funding for 2012/13 is £107m (11% less than last year) Capital Spend• Total planned capital spend for 2012/13 is £147m • Capital spend over the next five years will Read more