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Cambridge City Council Full Council – May 2011
Ian Nimmo-Smith as Mayor of Cambridge (Source) I observed the latter part of Cambridge City Council’s Full Council meeting on the 26th of May 2011. This was the “annual meeting”, the first of the civic year, and the first for the newly elected councillors. I arrived well after the ceremonial fancy dress session and after […]
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Cambridgeshire Renewables Infrastructure Framework – Kick Off
Alex Plant, CEO of Cambridgeshire Horizons, at the CRIF event. On the 25th of May 2011 I attended the kick-off meeting of the Cambridgeshire Renewables Infrastructure Framework. Despite attending the four hour event and reading the project’s website I wasn’t really in a position to offer a succinct summary of what the “CRIF” is or […]
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North Cambridge Police Priorities – May 2011
“North Area Profile May 2011 On the evening of the 19th of May 2011 City and County Councillors from North Cambridge will get the opportunity to vote on the area’s local policing priorities for the next three months or so. Councillors’ deliberations and decisions will follow a presentation from the police and a session where […]
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Antidemocratic Changes Proposed to Cambridgeshire County Council Constitution
Proposed amendments to Cambridgeshire County Council’s constitution have been published today, just one day before they are to go before a meeting of the full council on the 17th of May 2011. The amendments have been put forward by Councillor Nick Clarke, who was recently elected leader of the ruling Conservative group on the council, […]
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Speaking at Cambridge City Council on the City Wide Police Priorities
On Thursday the 7th of April Cambridge City Council’s full council debated and approved new city wide police priorities. All Liberal Democrats and most Labour councillors voted to drop burglary, robbery and cycle theft from the priorities and approved new priorities of: Alcohol-related violent crime in the city centre Repeat victims of domestic violence Repeat […]
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Referendum on the Alternative Vote
AV Referendum Ballot Paper (Source) A referendum on if we should move to using the Alternative Vote system to elect MPs is to take place in the UK on the 5th of May 2011. We’re being asked if we want to move away from the system where we simply deem the person who gets the […]
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Cambridge Backs Committee
There is a proposal to reduce the yew trees to the right of the Garret Hostel Lane path to 4m high this winter. Last week, in response to a Freedom of Information request to Clare College, the papers for meetings of the Cambridge Backs Committee since 2007 were released. Background to the Backs Committee The […]
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Policing East Cambridge April 2011
Policing East Cambridge April 2011 I spent the evening of the 14th of April 2011 observing Cambridge City Council’s East Area Committee meeting. City and county councillors were to hold the police to account for their performance against priorities they’d set previously and to set new priorities for the forthcoming period. Key Points Councillors set […]
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Cambridge City Councillors Jostle to Get Snouts in Trough
Cambridge City Council’s Mayor and Deputy Mayor Process into the Council Chamber Before the Councillor Allowances Debate On the 7th of April I observed a Cambridge City Council meeting. Despite many important items being on the agenda, including the future of the NHS and setting the city wide police priorities the item to which most […]