The economic downturn and credit crunch are creating huge demand for the services of advice agencies such as Citizens Advice Bureau and the Cambridgeshire Law Centres. There is an urgent need to increase the number of advisors available to help people with a range of problems including debt, welfare benefits, employment issues and housing.

Nichola will be putting a motion to Council on 9 December, calling on the Conservative-run County Council to allocate £100,000 to the county’s advice agencies to help meet the increased demand in the coming few months, with more to come in future years.

This move will complement the efforts of Cllr Ian  Nimmo-Smith, Leader of the Lib Dem City Council, who is asking all Cambridgeshire’s councils to contribute to funding extra advice and support for people suffering from financial problems at this time.

The motion reads:
Voluntary sector agencies such as Citizens’ Advice Bureau offer vital services to people needing advice about managing debt, applying for benefits, securing decent housing and other issues. As a result of the current credit crunch and economic downturn, many people in Cambridgeshire are facing severe financial pressures and are increasingly turning to these organisations for help. The agencies need extra funding to employ additional advisors in order to meet the demand.This Council requests Cabinet to allocate £100,000 to these agencies for immediate use during the current financial year, and to consider what further sums should be made available during the next two financial years.

Nichola is one of several Liberal Democrat councillors to join over 100 senior academics and community leaders in signing an open letter pointing out that new visa procedures will deter overseas students from coming to Cambridge, damaging both Universities, thriving languages schools, and the city’s economy.

The letter was signed by David Howarth, Cambridge’s Lib Dem MP, who said: “The government is trying to bring in ID cards by stealth by picking first on weaker groups, such as foreigners and students. But they know that their national database system will not work even in theory unless everyone is on it, not just a few people. They are just softening up public opinion by trying to link ID cards with the immigration issue. But since anyone who is here illegally will neither have nor need an ID card, this change will make no difference.”

“I am also worried about the effect of this move on the economy of Cambridge, which relies on a stream of highly qualified scientists, engineers and academics from all over the world. Treating highly qualified people as potential criminals rather than as welcome guests is not going to put us at the top of their list of places to go to use their talents.”

Ross Anderson, Professor of Security Engineering and Member of Cambridge University’s Council, said “This will place yet another burden on non-EU students and spouses in Cambridge (on top of the recent huge increases in visa fees). People will have to trek to Croydon to get fingerprinted and interviewed. In fact one of my own foreign students is hurrying to write up and leave the country before his current visa ends in January precisely to avoid this.

“This will not merely be an annoyance but will make UK universities less competitive. It’s basically an attempt to introduce ID cards by stealth by picking on relatively defenceless people.”

Andrew Watson, joint Cambridge coordinator of the NO2ID campaign, said: “The government originally planned to use British airport workers and students to test its unpopular ID card scheme, but both groups are resisting strongly. It seems the Home Office now plans to use non-EU students as guinea-pigs instead, forgetting that they can always study in other countries. Non-EU students contribute over £3 billion to the UK economy every year; risking driving them away for no better reason than to
test the doomed ID card scheme is sheer folly.”

How does this sound? To show that it is tightening its belt and offering good value for money, the government sets a target for efficiency savings. Just the sort of thing the taxpayer (and voter) likes to see, especially in these tough times. But how is the target met? Well, in the case of the Conservative County Council, not by cutting waste and slimming costs, but by borrowing from its own funds! Read the rest of this entry »

House-building has ground almost to a standstill and the economy is sliding into recession, but the government’s mania for targets remains undimmed. Read the rest of this entry »

A recent study by EEDA (the regional development agency) suggests that by 2021 congestion could cost £700 per worker per year in lost economic productivity in the Cambridge area. Read the rest of this entry »

Now that the CB1 Masterplan has got its first stage outline planning approval, Nichola will be working hard to see that the many terms and conditions of the planning consent are followed through with a fine tooth comb. Read the rest of this entry »

You’ll have heard the momentous news that Ashwell’s outline planning application for the station area redevelopment was approved earlier this week.

Nichola spoke to the planning committee at the start of the day to explain the range of concerns expressed by Petersfield residents, and to ask the committee to consider very carefully whether these concerns could be resolved at the next stage of the process.  Read the rest of this entry »

Over the last year or so, Nichola and Romsey county councillor Kilian Bourke have been asking local people for their thoughts on Mill Road’s problems and the solutions to them. Read the rest of this entry »

Media coverage of the prospective “closure of Mill Road” last week was sparked by off-the-cuff remarks from Council highways officers and was unhelpful.

The real news, hidden behind the headlines, is that the County Council seems set to scrap Mill Road’s funding for an accident reduction scheme, or at the very best kick the project into the long grass. Read the rest of this entry »

In these days of high petrol and diesel prices, it makes sense to drive as economically as possible. Click on the Sustainable Driving page for some useful tips for saving money and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

A four day planning inquiry has taken place to hear Tesco’s appeals against refusal of planning permission to extend the old Wilco store in Mill Road, Romsey and the result is expected in November. Many objectors attended the inquiry and site visit, and some made statements. Representatives of the No Mill Road Tesco Campaign and the Cambridge Cycling Campaign gave detailed evidence about the dangers and inconvenience that would result from Tesco’s proposed options for making deliveries to the store. Nichola made a statement to the inquiry which you can read here. Read the rest of this entry »

With Ashwell’s planning application for the station area development due to go to the City’s planning committee on 15 October (9.30am at New Hall), Nichola is making a last push to secure funding from developers Ashwell for traffic management measures in the Tenison Road area.

In a letter to residents she has asked for their written support to be produced at the planning committee meeting. You can read the letter here.

Read the rest of this entry »

Underage drinking is being targeted in Petersfield and neighbouring wards Coleridge and Romsey.The Cambridge Community Alcohol Partnership (CAP) was launched in July by Cambridgeshire Trading Standards in partnership with police, the charity Drinksense and the alcohol retailers’ group, RASG. Read the rest of this entry »

Nichola and her Lib Dem colleagues from Romsey ward are promoting the idea of Mill Road as an “Independent Business Zone”. Nichola will be speaking on behalf of residents opposing Tesco at the planning inquiry which starts tomorrow.

Explaining the idea to the Cambridge News, Nichola said: “The government gives precious little backing to communities who are trying to protect the special character of local shopping streets. Mill Road is very special and we are looking for practical ways to protect and improve it. Read the rest of this entry »

It was announced last week that the County Council’s cabinet has formally suspended its ‘TIF’ plan for £500 million of central government transport investment plus a 7.30am-9.30am congestion charge in Cambridge. Instead, the cabinet will pass the poisoned chalice to an independent Transport Commission whch will now take evidence from people with an interest in the congestion issue. It will not report until after the County Council elections next year. Read the rest of this entry »

In July, we reported that Nichola had written to government minister Rosie Winterton to ask her to allow councils to use road signs saying ‘No Entry Except Cyclists’ at the entrance to contraflow cycle lanes. The reply was negative  - apparently this sign would be confusing for drivers and cyclists! Cambridge would just have to struggle on with the famous low flying motorcycle sign (motorcycle over car within a white circle with red edge) - which in reality is misunderstood and ignored by many drivers.

The Cambridge Cycling Campaign has also been working on this issue with Cambridge MP David Howarth.

The great news is that the government has now announced a major review of road signs, giving Cambridge a good chance to argue for signs suitable for contraflow cycle lanes, which are themselves important safety measures for cyclists and are supported by government guidance.

In response to concerns about plastic bottles blowing out of the blue recycling boxes, the City Council is trialling the use of net covers on the boxes. Residents of Glisson Road were selected to be the Petersfield guinea pigs.

The trial will be monitored for six months. If you are using a net, do record a Comment here to let us know how well it works.

The rules of the government’s Concessionary Bus Fares scheme, which provides free bus travel to elderly people, are forcing Cambridge residents to pay the bus fares of thousands of people who live outside the city.

The scheme is administered by local councils, supposedly with full government funding, but Cambridge is being left to foot 50% of the bill this year – that’s £1.3 million, or £1 in every £5 raised in council tax by the Council.

The scheme penalises places like Cambridge which attract many visitors. The Council has to pay the bus fares for all elderly people who get on a bus in the city, including return fares for people who live outside the city.

Cllr Ian Nimmo-Smith, Lib Dem Leader of the Council is tearing his hair out. “It’s great that elderly people are entitled to free bus travel, but it’s unfair that Cambridge’s Council Tax payers are having to foot the bill for non-residents. Unless the government changes its rules, we may have to make big cuts in other services to pay for this.”

Cambridge City Council has been rated as “Excellent” and as one of the top four financially-competent councils in England by the Audit Commission.

The owners of this site have submitted two more planning applications, one for 43 student bedrooms (involving the demolition of Hanley House) and one for 6 new houses plus the conversion of Hanley House as 2 houses).

Nichola has written to the occupiers of neighbouring homes to make sure that residents are aware of the proposals and know how to write to the City Council if they want to. She has also written to the Council setting out objections to both applications. You can read Nichola’s letters to the Council here: Read the rest of this entry »

Some Petersfield residents have been asking why the refurbishment of the Central Library is taking so long. Council officials say that delays have arisen because of unforeseen structural problems with the building. The project is a year behind schedule, but should be completed in the spring next year.

Earlier this year, Lib Dem County councillors proposed an increase in library budgets to allow for increased and improved book stock, especially for the Central Library. The proposal was rejected by the Council’s Conservative majority. Nichola says: “We are worried about Cambridgeshire’s exceptionally low spending on book stock, compared to other councils. The Central Library refurbishment is an exciting project, but it is essential that the book stock is continually renewed and improved.”

Read on for an explanation for the delays, provided by the Head of Libraries at the County Council. Read the rest of this entry »

Nichola has written to the Planning Inspectorate asking to speak at the Public Inquiry into Tesco’s proposals for the old Wilco store on Mill Road. The Inquiry will hear Tesco’s appeal against the refusal of planning permission to extend the building and install equipment. It will start on 30 September at the Guildhall.

At the March meeting of East Area Committee where the application was refused, Nichola argued that the substantial scale of the extension (an extra 36% of floorspace building) would give rise to unacceptable traffic and servicing impacts.

In July, councillors refused another application from Tesco for air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment, because of the noise nuisance for neighbours.

Nichola has drafted a Resolution calling on County Councillors of all parties to oppose the government’s ID Card scheme.

“The freedom to go about our law-abiding business without interference by the state is fundamental and precious”, she says. “The government wants British people to give up this freedom to help fight terrorism, but there is no evidence that the scheme will work. Of course fighting terrorism is vitally important, but the key to success is excellent policing and intelligence operations. The Lib Dems would spend the £5.5 billion cost of the ID card scheme on extra policing.”

You can sign the Liberal Democrats petition against ID cards at www.libdems.org.uk/noidcards. Read the rest of this entry »

Nichola has challenged County Council transport officers to be more ambitious over the money collected from CB1 station area developer, Ashwell, to fund traffic calming measures in the Tenison Rd/Devonshire Rd/Glisson Rd area.

Nichola says: “The sum included in the draft S106 agreement is ridiculously low. I have told the Council that I will lodge an objection to the CB1 planning application unless the figure is much, much higher.”

The City Council has said that it hopes the CB1 planning application will be decided at the 15th October planning committee meeting. Before that, County Councillors will be given a briefing by Ashwell and County transport officials and Nichola plans to raise this issue at the meeting.

If you have burning questions about the County Council’s financial affairs, now’s your time to ask. The Council does little to promote the fact that, every year, members of the public have the right (under the Audit Commission Act 1998) to inspect the accounts for the previous year. Contracts, receipts and invoices are open to scrutiny, with little room for the Council to claim confidentiality.

This year the inspection period runs from 13 August to 10 September. If you’d like help with applying for information, do let me know.

Nichola has challenged the County Council’s Conservatives to live up to their promise to promote new technologies to save money and reduce carbon emissions. Last year, she approached Cambridge University Professor Colin Humphreys, a world expert on LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology, to ask for advice on the possible use of LEDs for street lighting. Prof Humphreys agreed to help the County Council set up a pilot project in Cambridgeshire, but the offer was rejected by senior Cabinet members on the grounds that LED street lighting was not a viable technology.

Read about LED street lighting and Nichola’s challenge here: Read the rest of this entry »

Congratulations to the Cambridge Cycling Campaign for spotting that Cambridgeshire County Council has argued in its published response to the CB1 station area planning application that the development should be designed to accommodate articulated bendy buses 18 metres long.

Read the rest of this entry »

The County Council’s Lib Dems continue to campaign over rules governing the introduction of 20mph limits. As previously reported, Nichola led a challenge against a Council decision not to allow 20mph speed limits to be introduced on roads where the existing average speed is above 20mph. The new rule means that a street with existing average speeds of just 21mph cannot qualify for a 20mph limit.

Read the rest of this entry »

Following an earlier refusal of planning permission to extend the building, Tesco has now been refused permission for air conditioning and refridgeration units at the old Wilco building in Mill Road, Romsey. As with the previous application, local residents and the No Mill Road Tesco Campaign led a strong and influential campaign against the proposals. Read the rest of this entry »

The County Council’s ruling Conservatives have chosen to add millions of pounds to the Council’s Reserves rather than spend them on front-line public services. Underspends from last year and new grant money will sit in the bank rather than go towards making up some of the drastic cuts in vital services that have been seen in recent years. Read the rest of this entry »

The government’s Post Office closure programme has identified three Post Offices within Cambridge and another 20 throughout Cambridgeshire. The three are 33 Regent Street, 2a Trumpington Street and the St Johns Post Office, Hills Road (south of the railway bridge).

Petersfield’s Post Offices in Mill Road and Hills Road are safe, which is a relief for our local community. However, in common with Lib Dem colleagues all over the County, Nichola is worried about the effects of the closures especially for less mobile people such as the elderly. The Lib Dems have created the Save Cambs Post Offices website (see link on the left) which carries information and a petition.

The City Council will be holding a public meeting about the closures at the Guildhall, at 7pm on Tuesday 22nd July.

All of Cambridge’s Liberal Democrat councillors have expressed fierce opposition to the decision of the Conservative-run County Council to hand a powerful role in deciding Cambridge’s long term transport future to business organisations and special interest groups. The bus company Stagecoach, Marshalls Aerospace, the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses, Addenbrookes hospital and Cambridge University (but apparently not Anglia Ruskin!) have been invited to form a Transport Commission to advise the Council what to do about the congestion charge/transport investment scheme currently under consideration for the city. Read the rest of this entry »

Car clubs work well for people who want to give up car ownership or go without the second car. They also have a wider benefit to the whole community because a shared car can result in 6 private cars being taken off the road. This reduced demand for scarce parking spaces is a major benefit in a densely occupied area like Petersfield. The Cambridge car club is up and running with local cars at Queen Anne Terrace and Adam and Eve Street car parks. The club was brought to Cambridge by the Lib Dem City Council and is run by a London company, Streetcar (www.streetcar.co.uk ). Their website explains how to join and use the club - it looks like good value and very simple to use. Nichola has recently been in touch with Streetcar to ask them to bring more cars to Petersfield so the service is convenient for residents throughout Petersfield. Obviously they will do this more quickly if there is plenty of demand for the service.

Success in securing funding from the County Council for an accident reduction scheme along Mill Rd means that Nichola is pressing County Council officials to make progress with the promised public consultation. She believes that any scheme will succeed only if local residents and businesses are fully involved in the design. Read the rest of this entry »

The planning application by Ashwell PLC (www.cb1forcambridge.co.uk) to redevelop the railway station area with a new transport interchange, offices, 331 homes, 1,250 student rooms, a hotel and GP surgery, shops, bars and restaurants and multi-storey car park) is ploughing its way through the planning system and may be decided in the autumn. The City Council will determine the application, but the County Council has a key role to play in getting the transport aspects of the scheme right. The design of the new station forecourt, which must provide a safe and effective transport interchange as well as a vibrant and enjoyable new city square, is crucial and Nichola has attended an event in London looking at how such a space might be designed and managed. Read the rest of this entry »