-
Opening up the Open Forum at Cambridge Area Committees
I have just sent the following email to Cambridge City Council: I would like to register to use the public speaking slot at Cambridge City Council’s Community Services Scrutiny Committee on Thursday, 14th March, 2013 at 1.30 pm. I would like to ask about a subject which is not on the agenda: the open forum […]
-
Draft Police and Crime Plan for Cambridgeshire Published
Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Bright has today (26 February 2013) published a draft of his Police and Crime Plan for comment. This is something I and others have been suggesting the commissioner ought do for some time, given he was elected without a detailed manifesto or significant electoral mandate. Had the commissioner been […]
-
Ban on Super Strength Lager and Cider Debated at Cambridge City Council
On Thursday the 21st of February 2013 Cambridge City Council debated a Labour proposal to ban super strength lager and cider. I filmed the debate and have posted all the main elements of it online. Cllr George Owers spoke for the proposal which formed part of the Labour opposition’s “alternative budget” for the council. The […]
-
Objection to Proposal to Accommodate 172 Pupils at Mitcham’s Corner
Proposal: Mitcham’s Corner Cambridge I have submitted an objection to a planning application to demolish the buildings on Mitcham’s Corner in Cambridge currently housing Staples and Lloyds Bank, replacing them with a commercial space, that Staples and Lloyds are expected to move back into, along with 172 rooms for the largely 16-18 year old pupils […]
-
Council Ignoring New Trees Which Fail in Cambridge
Remains of Recently Planted Tree. Milton Rd, Cambridge Cambridge City Council has planted lots of new trees in Cambridge in recent years. While the majority of the new trees are doing well, some have failed to thrive. A certain fraction of failure is to be expected and is not in itsself a problem; however I […]
-
Police and Councils To Share Information on People Via Website
A meeting of Cambridge’s Community Safety Partnership on the 5th of February 2013 heard that many public bodies, including most notably the police, are considering massively expanding their use of web-based (but restricted access) databases for keeping track of people, addresses and for managing cases. The current and proposed subjects of these databases include offenders, […]
-
Commenting on Proposed Council Tax Rises
The Conservative party is split on the question of council tax rises. Conservatives in central government are saying they want to see council tax kept at its current level, but locally in Cambridgeshire we’ve got a Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner and a Conservative run County Council who are proposing council tax rises. I have […]
-
Cambridge Magistrates Court Lists Obtained via Freedom of Information Request
FOI Request – Cambridge Magistrates Court List Information While the doors of our adult courts in the UK are unlocked and anyone can just walk in and observe what’s going on they don’t effectively operate in an open and transparent manner. Our courts fail to pro-actively and openly publish information about what they are doing. […]
-
Proposal to Increase Council Tax Announced by Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Bright
Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Bright Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Graham Bright (Conservative) has just announced his plans to increase the policing element of council tax by 1.9% as of April this year. Mr Bright stood on a ten point manifesto, number six of which stated: Not to put any additional burden on […]
-
Police and Crime Commissioner Bright on 20 MPH Enforcement in Cambridge
Cambridge’s councillors introduced a 20 mph limit on Maid’s Causeway in August 2010; but signed it poorly so it had no impact on speeds and the police have been unwilling to enforce it as they take the view that, given the state of the signage, that would be unfair. At the West/Central Area Committee on […]