Your County Councillor

COUNTY COUNCIL LETTER

December 1999 / January 2000

Because of an earlier editorial closing date, this month's news covers only to the first week of December. The significance of this is that whatever I write about, the County's budget may be out-of-date by the time you read this.

Still, I may as well make a stab at what broadly will happen.

The Government, from its traditional “we know best" standpoint, says the County should spend about 412% more in 2000/2001 than their judgement for this year. Although 4127. is in line with the average of all other authorities, it is less than other Shire counties (5%). This means that the Governments assessment for Cambridgeshire is less per head than any other county!

Based on this year's costs, our officers calculate we need to spend just under £360 million after balancing pressures against economies. I emphasise these are provisional figures subject to confirmation or change during the next two months. Once again, the cost of living allowance has been denied, so once again we are having to live within limits any reasonable person would judge to be unfairly low.

The effect on us as Council Tax payers is likely to be an increase at around 8%. No decision has yet been taken but assuming the Conservative administration at Shire Hall agrees to spend about £360m., that about 8% on to Council Tax seems inevitable.

There will be general consultations between now and February 2000, when a final decision is taken. Furthermore, although the County portion of Council Tax is by far and away the largest, you will not know what your final tax demand will be until the East Cambs. District Council, your Parish Council and the Police have all added their (much smaller) shares.

Much of the content of my county report from March onwards will be accounting for the results of the spending decisions to be taken at the February 2000 budget meeting. We hope to spend your money as wisely as humanly possible.

SCHOOLS are to be a top priority. If we can ease the acute money problems of our local schools, I, for one, will be mightily relieved More news later as it unfolds.

There is some good news! For instance, our schools have produced best ever GCSE results this year. The proportion of students gaining five or more higher grades (A-C) was 53.2% compared with a national figure of 47.8%. We get less government money than other neighbouring counties yet our schools consistently achieve exam results which are above national average. Congratulations to all those working under these financial disadvantages.

Bottisham Village College has been picked out as specially successful in the last school year and the Warden was invited to a special event to celebrate this earlier this month.

Happy Christmas and New Millennium Year.

From all reports, most people enjoyed the arrival of New Year, New Century and New Millennium. Round here it arrived with explosions in the sky, not the computer - and lots of goodwill in the days after.

During the break from council routines I caught up with most of my papers and was gratified to find that the expectation of life continues to rise for both males and females. It seems to go up at the same rate as the passing years, although I know this is nonsense. Nevertheless, in spite of all our complaints and sometimes unreal expectations, we should be thankful we live now and not a hundred years ago in times of no old-age pensions, poorer health, lower levels of medical knowledge and, above all for men, wars.

Following that last line of thought and having vivid memories of the last war, it is maybe understandable that I find full-blooded membership of the European Union essential for the inhabitants of these islands of ours. If anything can lessen the likelihood of war, being part of a strong international group of European states tops the list of essential safeguards. That the European Union should have a common currency is common sense and a great reassurance to our commerce and industry which is so dependent on export to the rest of the continent. If we can trade within Europe using a common currency, as in the States of America, life should be much more predictable, secure and, to use a modern word, sustainable. No doubt, you can now guess how I shall vote in the coming currency referendum!

Returning to a lower, local level, some of us are becoming alarmed at the thought that our smaller post offices are in danger. It seems that the payment of benefits are to be switched to automatic credit transfer. This means payments to bank or building society with the resultant loss of business to the post offices particularly in rural areas.

In recent memory Reach and Swaffham Prior have lost their post offices and we must do all we can to preserve the remaining ones in Lode, Swaffham Bulbeck , Bottisham and Burwell. I am working towards a programme of protest to the Government and will report further next month as things develop.

If Ely can lose its post office and have its services transferred to a nearby shop, you can see the possibilities for much smaller communities such as our own.

Fordham By pass project has been awarded a quarter of a million pounds to cover the design costs of building a new road from south of Fordham to the bottom of the Soham by-pass running alongside the railway. It is unlikely that the Government will fail to follow up this initial allocation with the remaining (approx) £12m. needed. When completed the road will not only relieve the centre of Fordham but make it easier for people from our villages travelling to Ely. Mildenhall and Newmarket. Roll on that day!

A word on. winter gritting and snow clearing: reckon on salting, of A and B roads and only in village centres if icy conditions persist for several days. The County will provide salt for local icy spots, if the parish council will supply the bins.

James Fitch