Your County Councillor

COUNTY COUNCIL LETTER

 Mid December / January 2001

The first priority is to wish all readers a happy and rewarding mid-winter break. It has started early in our family with two separate in-laws already fasting under Ramadan rules. During that time we have to ensure food is available in quantity after sundown, or else !!

Much' goes on at this time in Cambridgeshire, what with maturing studies of the A14 corridor, the first stages of the new Structure Plan serious budget concerns overall and its direct effect on financing schools, Social Services inspection reports, and so on; the list is endless. Let's look at one or two.

First news about Government Grant. Cambridgeshire has once again been severely disappointed at the early news from Whitehall. On the preliminary figures it looks as if we shall be the lowest funded county once again. To add insult to injury we are not to receive any allowance for the high cost of living in this and all other counties near London. Some people may remember Mr Blair gave a commitment to review the so-called Area Cost Adjustment (ACA) days before the 1997 Election. We are still waiting.

Meanwhile, our schools in the south of the county see neighbouring schools in Herts., Beds and Essex receiving up to £200 per pupil more than Cambridgeshire. It is galling for all three parties and we are united in our disappointment and indignation at the way we have been treated. On a like-for-like basis had we been given a grant equivalent to Bedfordshire we should have another £20m to spread around our services with the lion's share going to schools.

The effect of all this short change is a probable increase of around 8% in the County share of Council Tax. I'll keep you informed,

In spite of all the financial bad news our schools continue to do us proud. The latest is Bottisham Primary which has a clean bill of health from OFSTED, who highlighted the standard of teaching, the behaviour of pupils and the leadership of the Head well supported by the governors. With one grandson there and another in the wings I was particularly pleased to read that OFSTED finds a strong moral code in the school with pupils having a clear sense of right and wrong. Where improvement is sought the team picks out provision for reception year pupils and assessment.

There are now 75.000 vehicles per day travelling on A14 (at Swavesey). As the theoretical capacity of the road is only 68.000, you will recognise the problem. Add to that 1240 casualties (27 killed, from 1995 to now between QUY and Ellington in the west, Everybody now recognises something must be done.

A lot of local consultation is now going on with the study group Cambridge to Huntingdon Multi-Modal Study (CHUMMS), suggesting at least) four possible solutions, not all mutually exclusive. Most pick on the need to use the potential of the old Cambridge - St. Ives railway line for either rail or guided bus.. Widening the A14 and building a new road either north of the existing road or south via Cambourne are other possibilities. I have maps and descriptions if anyone wants to come round and see them. Otherwise ask Mark Vigor at Shire Hall

MID-JANUARY 2001.

Over £15m. to spend on Cambridgeshire's Transport Plan is this month's good news: The Government has responded to the County's bid in this positive way by adding £8m. to the nearly £7m. announced in November.

Some of the new money will be spent on safety schemes, investment in Park & Ride at Trumpington, bus priority measures, cycle ways and reduced through traffic in the City centre. The earlier November money will be spent on repairing local 'A' roads, bridges and other roads this year.

Already T have noticed survey work going on near Quy roundabout where traffic lights will eventually be put in at the junction of A1303 and B1102. In addition I am pressing for action on the badly needed cycle/footpath from Longmeadow to Swaffham Bulbeck.

Meanwhile, work has now started on the new Cambridge:` Millennium Cycleway,, opening midsummer, which will link Newmarket Park & Ride with the City centre. There has been much support for this project from Marshalls. The route will run via Ditton Meadows and Stourbridge Common. Eventually this path will form part of the National Cycle Network.

Another aspect of Transport was a useful meeting councillors in the Cambridge area had with Mr Inglis Lyon, the new head of Stagecoach. Mr Lyon is running Stagecoach. East which is a merger of Cambus, Viscount and Northampton. He has a new team around him and already he has claimed improvements such as reliable running of buses. The buses are now regularly washed. New low floor, low emission double deckers are starting to arrive on the 113 Service and will appear on other routes later. It is a slow process so do not expect new buses soon.

Mr Lyon referred to the need to develop reliable routes into and out of Cambridge (e.g. to/from Newmarket). He recognises that growth of housing in our area gives real potential for a better, viable bus service in our direction.

For complaints it is useful to know that Michelle Hargreaves is trying to improve response times to them. Also needing improvement is putting up of timetables in all bus shelters.

Another promise for the future is to introduce smart cards. Megariders are now available at Drummer Street. Mr Lyon is looking at the possibility of sale through post offices - Good: Time table enquiries 0870 6082608 lam - 8 pm.

Turning to Police matters, we continue to recruit a dozen potential officers every month to make up for losses. There is, however, a slightly alarming increase in sickness within the force. This now amounts to one in seven officers sick and off work. One source of extra stress is the extra policing required to protect Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS)~ at Huntingdon. Much leave has had to be cancelled and officers are working long hours to. try and cope with their routine jobs as well as the demands of HLS. I am reminded of the same problem that arose over the Molesworth nuclear missile protests of the late eighties.

Greetings and a Happy 2001 to you all.

James Fitch