Category: Article

  • Lights, Make-up and Extra Pay Required if Councillors to Be Filmed

    Cllr Gordon Gillick (UKIP, Waldersey) told Cambridgeshire County Council on the 25th of March 2014, which was debating filming council meetings, that as a member of Equity he would need to be paid if he was to be filmed as well as claiming councillors would need lights, make-up, multiple cameras and professional camera operators. Cllr […]

  • List of Cambridgeshire County Councillors Voting Against Publishing Their Voting Record

    On the 25th of March 2014 Cambridgeshire County Councillors voted on if details of how they have voted at meetings ought be published. I obtained the voting record by filming the screens at the meeting which display the votes cast to those present and am publishing below a list of those councillors who voted against […]

  • Cambridgeshire County Council – Live Streaming and Publishing Votes

    In a first for me I’m going to be debated at Cambridgeshire County Council’s full council on Tuesday the 25th of March 2014. A motion submitted by East Chesterton’s Councillor Ian G Manning, on filming council meetings, asks the council to note: Local blogger Richard Taylor recently demonstrated at Cambridge City Council how easy it […]

  • Seeking Open Transparent Courts and Confident Empowered Jurors

    The House of Commons Public Bill Committee on the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill 2013-14 is currently in operation. I have made the following submission following the: Public Bill Committees – guidance on submitting written evidence. Submission from Richard Taylor, an individual writing in a personal capacity. I would like to make a submission in […]

  • Submission to Home Affairs Select Committee Inquiry on Police and Crime Commissioners

    The Home Affairs Select Committee has been holding an inquiry into Police and Crime Commissioners. As far as I can see they’ve never published a specific call for contributions from the public, but the committee’s home page links to guidance for those submitting written evidence. While the investigation’s webpage states: “Inquiry status: oral evidence concluded” […]

  • Data Protection Biggest Bugbear and Pain in the Backside Says Police and Crime Commissioner

    At Cambridge’s North Area Committee on the 20th of March 2014 Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Bright expressed his opposition to Data Protection law calling it “the biggest bugbear” and “a pain in the backside”. The commissioner’s comments were made in the context of a question on phone scammers: Mr Bond: I was surprised to […]

  • Police and Crime Commissioner Bright Says He Has Published Non Emergency Call Answering Decisions

    Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Bright attended Cambridge’s North Area Committee on the 20th of March 2014. I asked Commissioner Bright why he had not published his decisions relating the time taken by the police to answer calls to their non-emergency, 101, phone number. I noted the decisions were not on the Commissioner’s published […]

  • Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Panel – March 2014

    Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Panel met on the 19th of March 2014. I observed, filmed, and used the public participation slot, at the meeting. Positive outcomes: Acting Chair Cllr Ablewhite announced the panel will call in the Centre for Public Scrutiny to assist them with coming up with a scrutiny plan; apparently in recognition of […]

  • Public Questions – Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Panel March 2014

    I have submitted the following questions to Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Panel’s meeting on the 19th of March 2014: Why do the panel’s rules of procedure not include provisions for members of the public to make statements to the panel, or to suggest items for scrutiny, during the public participation agenda item? Which aspects of […]

  • Role of Police Community Support Officers in Cambridgeshire

    At the February 2014 Police and Crime Panel meeting Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Bright presented plans to continue reducing the number of Police Community Support Officers employed by Cambridgeshire Police. Commissioner Bright is planning to have 150 PCSOs in 2014/15 (see paragraph 6.3 of his budget report); that’s a reduction from 180 in […]