Your District Councillor

Charlotte Cane Tel. 742509

District Council Notes (June/July 1999)

It’s the time of year when we ask you to register to vote. One of the Sunday papers has already predicted that Tony Blair will call a General Election in October 2000, so it is important that you register to be sure of your chance to vote for the next government. You should have received your electoral registration form in early September. Filling in the form is as easy as one, two, three:

3. Then return it to the District Council

Details of teenagers who will turn 18 during 16th February 2000 - 15^th February 2001, should also be included. If you have not received a form or if you have any queries that are not answered on the form please contact the electoral services department tel: 01353 668833 ext 214/338.

Environmental sustainability dominated Council activities in July. The Carnival to launch our Local Agenda 21 was a great success. And Cleanaway announced that they had collected 2,425 tonnes of material for recycling over the two years since the roadside collection scheme was introduced.

Our Air Quality review was more mixed. We are within the government limits for Benzene, 1-3, Butadiene, Lead and Carbon Monoxide. But we may exceed the limits for Sulphur Dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide, so we need to do more reviews on these pollutants to see if limits are exceeded and how the levels can be reduced. We also need to carry out more reviews on fine particles (PM₁₀), because the government has not yet given us clear guidelines on acceptable levels. Air quality affects all of us, so it is important that it is monitored and action taken to improve it. We will continue to work with other local authorities and national government in order to improve our air quality in East Cambridgeshire. We may also need to find ways to work with European governments and industries, because some of our air pollutants may be blown in from the Continent.

It is also important that the Council doesn’t forget to put its own house in order. We will therefore carry out an energy audit of the Council as the first stage in a full environmental sustainability audit.

There’s another chance to buy compost bins at less than half price on Sunday 3^rd October between 10.00am and 3.00pm.