Blog Posts

  • Guided bus, Stroke and opposition leader

    The day began with some catching up with the diary planning. This was quickly followed by an intense meeting with two experts on Stroke. I have a particular interest in this subject as it has a huge impact on our adult social care budget and is devastating for families affected. We explored ways to improve… Read more

  • Lancaster Way Business Park, Ely

    It was my great pleasure to have a visit to Lancaster Way Business Park in Ely on tuesday. This site provides employment for some 980 people and hosts some fantastic companies. I was keen to understand how we might support there drive for more business. With district colleagues we explored a range of suggestions some… Read more

  • Library Service – a new way of thinking

    One of the exciting and satisfying parts of being a councillor is being able to make a positive difference to people’s lives. The library service is clearly very important to people as the results of our consultation process have shown. Lots of good ideas have come out of this consultation, not just from the public,… Read more

  • Scary Friday – meetings with finance, HR, an MP and you know who from March

    Scary Friday? Well not not really scary but challenging yes. First up was a get to know each other chat with the LGSS finance team. Introductions to bright people in this quantity meant I needed to be on top of my game. Given my keen desire for robust budget management this was the team that… Read more

  • More shared services with Northamptonshire

    It was my pleasure to chair a meeting of our Local Government Shared Services (LGSS) joint committee on the 28th July. LGSS is the organisation that has been created by Cambridgeshire County Council and Northamptonshire County Council to provide back office function for both councils at a lower cost. No loss of front end delivery… Read more

  • SmartLIFE – jobs and skills for low carbon economy

    Sometimes councils are thought of as slow and old fashioned in thinking. The SmartLIFE centre in Cambridge is a fantastic example of innovative thinking by County Council staff that can bring real benefits to industry. David Arkell, Head of Innovation and Partnerships and also a SmartLIFE Director was brimming with enthusiasm when I met him… Read more