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December / January 2003 |
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| Your District Councillor | |
District Council Notes (October / November 2002) |
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Ely Farmers Market has achieved certification by the National Association of Farmers Markets. Ely is one of the first markets to receive this certification and it recognises that our Market meets their criteria for a true farmers market where local farmers, growers, bakers and brewers are able to sell their produce directly to the public. The Farmers Market is held in the Market Place on every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month from 8.30am, except for December where the dates have been changed to coincide with the Christmas holidays so the Farmers Markets will be on 7th and 21st December. We have started a free 'Park and Ride' scheme in Ely every Saturday. You can park for free at the City of Ely Community College, and free buses run to Market Street every 15 minutes from 9.30am to 5.00pm. The scheme has been funded through the Market Town Initiative. We are also trying to make it easier for people with disabilities to get around Ely. To help us with this we have an Access Group who make recommendations for things which will improve access for disabled people. The latest initiative is a Shopmobility service providing two powered scooters and a wheelchair. The Council is running the new scheme in association with Ely Museum. It is available on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 10.30am and 4.30pm. It allows people with limited mobility to borrow an electrically powered buggy or wheelchair free of charge so that they can get around the City independently. Generous sponsorship by the City of Ely Chamber of Trade and Brands store has enabled the scheme to purchase this equipment. To book one of these you should ring the Museum on 01353 666655. You then use an intercom system just inside the car park to call for your pre-booked buggy or wheelchair to be brought to your car which you should park in the specially marked spaces in front of the Council Offices. You will need to have 2 items of identification with you – the Museum staff will explain this to you when you book. The pilot Green Waste Recycling Scheme to 1,000 households in Little Thetford and Stretham has been an overwhelming success, and in view of this the Council has decided to expand the scheme to Bottisham and Lode starting in November. The official Launch event for Healthy Living – East Cambridgeshire took place at The Maltings, in October. The evening's entertainment was provided by Barry Smith, one of Ely’s top Chefs, who prepared a three-course meal. Afterwards, people had the opportunity to sample some of Barry’s tasty dishes, and take a look at the seventeen project displays that make up ‘Healthy Living - East Cambridgeshire’. The Council together with East Cambs & Fenland Primary Care Trust are the main partners of Healthy Living - East Cambridgeshire, with other partners from the voluntary and community sector. If you would like to find out more, visit their newly launched website at www.hlec.org, or contact Andrea Compton, Project Development Manager, on 01353 654227 or email andrea.compton@cambs-ha.nhs.uk. The Audit Commission has now published the timetable for the Comprehensive Performance Assessments for District Councils. The CPA assessment for East Cambs will not be until 2004. This is a government scheme that will put Councils into one of 4 categories, from excellent to failing, and follows on from the Best Value Reviews and audits, which the government has made us do. The future number of audits will be based on the category that our CPA puts us into, with excellent councils needing only a few audits and failing councils having many audits and some services put out to the private sector. These audits are very costly so we hope to be able to score highly in the CPA in order to reduce the number of audits. The government claimed that the Best Value Reviews and the audits that went with them would find savings of 5% within Councils and therefore cover their costs, so they provided no additional funding. But in East Cambs’ case almost all the reviews have found that the area being reviewed was under resourced, so far from finding savings our costs have increased. Therefore our ratepayers have had to cover the extra costs of the Best Value Reviews and the audits. October saw the national Energy Efficiency Week. During this week a national scheme was launched, subsidised by London Electricity but available to everyone. This offers Cavity Wall Insulation for only £150 for a 3-bedroomed semi-detached house. Fitting cavity wall insulation can save someone as much as £135.00 per year. Savings are also available on loft insulation. The contact number for a no obligation survey is 0800 587 2251. We are also trying to encourage energy efficiency in new buildings. As part of this the Building Control Team hosted a breakfast seminar for over 40 local building contractors and designers. They were given presentations on the correct and effective use of insulation within buildings. I hope you and your families have a Happy Christmas. Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat Councillor for the Swaffhams and Reach) |
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