Your County Councillor

COUNTY COUNCIL LETTER

 Mid February / March 2001

Inevitably, the highlight for this month is the level of Council Tax we shall, have to pay for April. As far as the County is concerned their share will rise by 8 % so that, for instance, a Band D property will rise to £668.07 for year 2001/2. This is much the largest share of the whole Council Tax, but remember, to get the exact figure you need to add the Police, Parish and District portions. At this moment the final charge is not yet certain, but I'll give details next month.

You will wonder why the total rise will be more than inflation. The short over simple answer, in my opinion, is that the Government wants to raise more money locally to pay for local services and to do that they have cut grants to all Counties, Districts and Police authorities. As a result we pay more locally but the Government has the opportunity of national tax cutting, using their local giant savings so that overall there is not much change to total tax charged in the U.K. This does not mean that everyone ends up all square. We all have different personal circumstances such as the wide difference between the value of our houses.

If it is any comfort, last April we found ourselves with the 3rd lowest Council Tax of all counties and we expect to remain within the last few this coming year. It is also worth noting that two thirds of the County Citizen's Panel voted for an increase of 8% or more in order to maintain and improve existing services.

Turning to Fire Service matters, last month I was involved in the selection of a new Chief Fire Officer (CFO) to replace Alan Gray who has had to retire for health reasons. We chose Tom Carroll who was C.F.O. for Oxfordshire. Tom is in his mid 40s and earlier in his career served with ,us for 14 years in the Peterborough area. Tom starts work with us next month.

While on the subject of fire protection, we are beginning a recruitment drive for more fire fighters, either full-time or part-time (called "retained"). As you know, we have two fire stations in our area at Burwell and Swaffham Bulbeck If you are interested in.. finding out more, ring 01480 444529. The basic qualification is that you live or work within 5 minutes travelling time of either station. Women are welcome and everyone must have good eyesight, hearing and be physically fit. Retained fire fighters are paid an annual fee and have to attend weekly drill nights (paid). There is also payment for attending fire calls.

Lastly, it has become obvious that a lot of drivers are overtaking illegally at the junction of Bell Road, Bottisham, with the A1303. The junction was altered for safety reasons and I have asked officers to see how we can improve on the existing arrangement. We need to make it safer by discouraging drivers from Cambridge from overtaking cars turning left into Bell Road. More on this later, as test data is interpreted.

POLICE matters took priority in my work over the last month. For some time talks with senior officers about a replacement for the excellent P.C. Paul Davis had been inconclusive. However, Inspector David Howell in charge of our sector has now told me that Paul really will be replaced. As I write I cannot give the name, but I understand a confirmatory appointment will be made soon.

Even more reassuring is the knowledge that Sgt. Terry Cakebread will be at Histon Police Station to deal with telephone reports and enquiries involving wholly police interests and he will be assisted by a civilian officer who will be able to take on queries which overlap other aspects of crime prevention and victim support administration and research. There is a Police and Community Liaison meeting on April 4th at 7.30 pm in Comberton Village College. Anyone can go and ask questions of Inspector Howell and his colleagues. Usually only local parish and district councillors and Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators attend, but it is open to anyone and I recommend those with an interest to go along also.

Inspector Howell was emphatic in his support of Neighbourhood Watch schemes and we should expect a re-awakening of activity on this subject in the next few months.

Allied to this I have now received an answer to a question I raised at the last meeting of the CAMBRIDGESHIRE FIRE AUTHORITY about progress in curbing hoax calls to the Fire Service. The news is good for once. The number of hoax calls which was at a peak of nearly twelve hundred in 1996/7 has steadily declined to about 560 in the year ending March 2001.

Speaking to school children, pursuing; prosecutions of known offenders and the ability to consider having a mobile phone disconnected when hoax calls have been made have all contributed to the fall. We hope to continue the trend downward.

HIGHWAYS, Department tell me that they are catching up with pothole filling and other similar repairs now that the weather is (slightly) improving. Water filled potholes along the fen roads prevent immediate action until drained.

The CYCLE/FOOTWAY programme proceeds at a slow but steady pace. Bottisham, Lode and Swaffham Bulbeck parish councils are now being consulted on the designs put up by W.S. Atkins for. the two paths Swaffham Bulbeck to Longmeadow and along the A1303 from Bell road, Bottisham to Quy. Construction is planned for year 2001. At last we are getting somewhere:

James Fitch

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