District and County Council reports

Rural Travel Hubs:  Following an initial call last year for parishes to suggest how public transport links could be improved, six villages including Oakington have been working with South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) and the Greater Cambridge Partnership to explore how rural travel hubs could work in practice to get more people out of their cars, using public transport, cycling or walking.  Oakington Parish Council may be able to take this opportunity to address some unintended consequences of high demand for Busway services, and its ambition to change the Citi 6 bus route will benefit more than just Oakington. Including a cycleway to Cottenham could widen the benefits even further.

Buses:  I have been calling for a root-and-branch review of bus services into, out of, and especially around Cambridge.  I was prompted by:

1. the Bus Services Act 2017, which gave combined authorities with directly elected mayors the opportunity to explore bus franchising in their areas;
2. withdrawal by Whippet of half its commercial services, ending its accompanying statement with this challenge: “We strongly believe that a franchising model, like that of London, will create the conditions for high-quality bus services to be operated with the single-minded purpose of serving the community here in Cambridgeshire.”
3. high-level interest in the railways, with the Secretary of State for Transport dropping into Cambridge North station, expressing keen interest in East-West Rail, and giving the green light to a Cambridge South station.  But did he visit Drummer Street?  Or try changing buses in Emmanuel Street with a pushchair and three bags of shopping?
4. the rural travel hubs initiative, which has prompted many people to tell us it’s all very well thinking about interchanges but they aren’t much use if there is no bus, or the buses are full at peak times, or the bus takes forever going round the houses to get to the city centre.

The bus review has now been picked up by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, and I have been working to help write the terms of reference.

Flooding:  Ten years since the floods that knocked out Gloucester, flooding still has the second highest score on the National Risk Register (after pandemic influenza).  The government is committed to making 300,000 homes better protected against flooding by 2021, and the Environment Agency is making this a priority now that half the time has passed.

There are 73 bodies engaged with flood risk management in Cambridgeshire, and the county council is the lead local flood authority.  Flood risk management has been a key focus of local authority involvement in the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme.  The fundamental requirement is no increase in flood risk to people or property, while seeking betterment wherever possible.  The Highways England scheme crosses eight watercourses, including Oakington Brook and Beck Brook.  The alignment of both has been altered slightly.  Eleven drainage schemes have been required, and ten have been signed off.  The only one that hasn’t is Beck Brook (which becomes Cottenham Lode before joining the Old West branch of the Great Ouse).  The issue relates to floodplain compensation areas, where land is lowered to substitute for raising ground levels elsewhere in the functional floodplain.

Recycling:  From 11 December 2017 paper for recycling should be placed directly into blue wheelie bins.  (Separated paper no longer commands such a premium price.)  Withdrawing caddies means fewer bin lorries, saving around £670,000 over the next seven years.  Co-mingling of paper with general recycling allows use of single-body trucks rather than the split-bodied trucks that are required to keep paper separate.  Split-bodied trucks frequently have to return to base for emptying.  Single-bodied trucks carry more and can complete a collection round without this interruption.  Residents can keep their caddy and use it however they wish.  Alternatively, caddies can be taken to a household waste recycling centre.  They should not be placed in wheelie bins.

Come on guys, we’re letting the side down: only about half of the packaging from bathroom products like shampoo bottles, deodorant and aftershave canisters currently gets recycled, compared to almost all the packaging waste generated in the kitchen.

Unauthorised encampments:  The police have praised our handling of a spate of Gypsy and Traveller encampments in the district, hinting that they will be following the example that SCDC set during the summer.  We have issued some new guidance to parish councils to help them protect their land and deal with any issues that may arise.  We have also updated our guidance for Travellers.  The new guidance is https://www.scambs.gov.uk/content/gypsy-and-traveller-illegal-encampment-advice  

Community Land Trusts:  SCDC has launched a new £50,000 community-led housing programme, helping to build affordable homes for local people on local wages.  Free advice, introductory sessions and scoping exercises are available, as well as grant payments up to £4,500 per group.  An example of a similar project not far from us is the Manor Farm development by the Stretham and Wilburton Community Land Trust.

Heat seeking vision:  To see heat loss out of your home this winter, new easier-to-use compact thermal imaging cameras are available to borrow free of charge.  You can work out where to tackle insulation and draught proofing.  To book direct from the council, call 03450 450 063 or email reception@scambs.gov.uk  The operating manual is accessible online and brief training sessions are provided free at Cambourne.  Check out dates and times at https://www.scambs.gov.uk/content/thermal-imaging-camera-0  Places are limited and need to be booked by emailing spep@scambs.gov.uk with your name, address and a phone number in case they need to reach you.  You can also contact Sustainable Cottenham for the next time a camera is in their possession locally.

Best-kept Gardens:  Franklin Gardens faced competition from more entrants this year, but still carried off awards for Best Garden at a Sheltered Housing Scheme and Best Community Garden.  The hard work on their gardens put in by some of the  district council’s tenants provides a great deal of pleasure for many.  Congratulations and thanks again to our green-fingered residents.

Tim Wotherspoon