Only two of Histon Road’s twelve councillors turned up to the first Greater Cambridge City Deal Local Liaison Forum, set up by the City Deal Board to give local people influence over the proposed remodelling of Histon Road.

The two councillors present, Cllrs Hipkin and Todd-Jones decided to exclude CamCycle and Cambridge Past Present and Future from a proposed design workshop session.

Cllr Hipkin explained his decision to exclude Cambridge’s largest membership organisations stating:

they have other opportunities, through the assembly and through consultation by the board, they make their generic representations, you know this is a local forum, and I think across the city pressure groups have a different function

A member of CamCycle present at the meeting said:

I’m a Histon Road resident but I’m also here on behalf of the Cycling Campaign. The cycling campaign represents thousands of people in Cambridge many whom are local residents like myself and we offer our expertise on how to make highways safer for everybody and so we would not like to be disinvited. We are offering help. We are also many residents who live locally along the streets.

Cllr Todd-Jones suggested CamCycle members join their local residents’ group.

Histon Road Local Liaison Forum – 5 July 2016

Attendance

Present (2): Cllr John Hipkin (Independent, Castle), Cllr Mike Todd Jones (Labour, Arbury)
Apologies (2): Cllr Carina O’Reilly (Labour, Arbury); Cllr David Jenkins (Liberal Democrat, Cottenham, Histon & Impington)
Absent without apologies (8): Cllr Charlotte Perry (Labour, Arbury); Cllr Marie-Louise Holland (Independent, Castle); Cllr Valerie Holt (Liberal Democrat, Castle); Cllr Christopher Cross (Conservative, Histon and Impington); Cllr Neil Davies (Independent, Histon and Impington); Cllr Edd Stonham (Independent, Histon and Impington); Cllr Paul Sales (Labour, Arbury); Cllr Mike Mason (Independent, Cottenham, Histon & Impington)

Background

The Greater Cambridge City Deal board have asked local councillors to establish local liaison forums to discuss, and make recommendations on, details of the proposed remodelling of Histon Road.

Decisions

Chair and Vice-Chair

Cllrs Hipkin and Todd-Jones unanimously elected Cllr Todd-Jones as chair of the Histon Road Local Liaison Forum.

Cllr Todd-Jones sought to nominate Cllr Hipkin as vice-chair but Cllr Hipkin said Cllr Hipkin was not available.

No vice-chair was elected, that decision was deferred until the next meeting of the forum.

Following his election as chair Cllr Mike Todd-Jones committed to admonish the absent councillors in the hope of encouraging them to attend future meetings.

Terms of Reference

Cllrs decided to delete the last line from paragraph 6.2 of the officer proposed terms of reference which had stated: “The only part of the minutes that can be discussed is their accuracy”.

A councillor did point out that what those proposing this idea were probably seeking was a “matters arising” item on the agenda, but they decided to permit themelves to discuss matters from the minutes when debating a motion on if the minutes ought be signed as a correct record instead.

Co-opting members of Local Liaison Forum

After about an hour of unfocused discussion councillors decided to co-opt three representatives of residents’ groups to the Histon Road Local Liaison Forum.

Cllr Todd-Jones explained the proposal as being to co-opt: “three representatives nominated by Histon Road residents’ groups”.

Cllr Hipkin proposed adding to that: “The Windsor Road Residents’ Association, The Richmond Road Residents’ Association, Bermuda has been mentioned and they must be included, and the Oxford Road Residents’ Association, so if all of those are included I shall be very happy”.

Cllr Todd-Jones said something along the lines of them having the option to nominate someone to the Local Liaison Forum.

Arrangements for Workshop Sessions

Officers had suggested proposed membership, which councillors varied:

Officer Suggestion	Councillors Decided to Invite
Councillors on the Forum (12)	Councillors on the Forum (12)
Histon Road Residents’ Association (6)	Residents Associations (?)
Windsor Road Residents’ Association (3)	Disability Panel (?)
Federation of Cambridge Residents’ Associations (1)	Local traders (?)
Disability Panel (4)	Chesterton Community College (?)
Local traders (4)	North Cambridge Academy (?)
Cambridge Cycling Campaign (3)	Local Police (PCSOs) (?)
Sustrans (1)	Schools (?)
Chesterton Community College (1)
Mayfield Primary School (2)
St. Luke’s Primary School (1)
North Cambridge Academy (1)
Local Police (1)
Cambridge Past Present and Future (2)

Cllr Sarris, who isn’t a member of the Histon Road forum, and so was speaking as a member of the public, said the officer proposals risked empowering the sharp elbowed middle classes and opposed inviting city wide pressure groups saying:

“these people have already had a chance to make submissions, some would argue they’ve been listened to rather more carefully than local residents have when it comes to the closing off of Union Lane. I see no reason to dilute the voice of the local residents by building in these pressure groups I think it simply serves to confirm what is my general anxiety with respect to this that the Union Lane issue shows up I think, the consultation is engaged in and it is deferred to when it is moving in the same direction as the City Deal wants you to go in, but if it is to the contrary it is the views of locals not withstanding, so let it not be the views of local residents not withstanding if there’s pressure being applied by the Cambridge Cycling Campaign or whoever. I’m very uncomfortable with building these groups in.”

Cllr Todd-Jones said he thought there were groups with expertise which ought to be involved but Hipkin responded saying:

“they have other opportunities, through the assembly and through consultation by the board, they make their generic representations, you know this is a local forum, and I think across the city pressure groups have a different function, and who’s choosing them, why is Cambridge Past Present and Future which I dearly love, why have they been included and “Civic Society” hasn’t. Let’s keep it to local residents, local resident groups, and local residents’ associations, that will be my proposal”

Cambridge Past Present and Future is “A civic society” so and I’m not aware of another Cambridge group called: “Civic Society”.

Cllr Hipkin’s proposal was seconded by Cllr Sarris who at that time was merely acting as a member of the public as he is not a member of the Histon Road Local Liaison Forum.

Chair Cllr Todd-Jones said: “We have a proposal to only include residents’ groups and schools”.

Chair Cllr Todd-Jones then proposed inviting: “Residents’ associations groups, the disability panel, local traders, schools, Chesterton Community College, the North Cambridge Academy and I would suggest the local police I would think our local PCSOs would have an input and a say on the design”.

Cllrs Hipkin and Todd-Jones then unanimously agreed Cllr Todd-Jones’ Proposal.

I was surprised to hear Cllr Todd-Jones suggest the police would be represented by PCSOs, I would have expected perhaps experts in road safety and road design, senior officers as well as those with a local interest and knowledge.

Member of the public, ex Liberal Democrat councillor for Arbury Tim Ward sought clarification that in summary councillors had decided to exclude the Cycling Campaign. Cllr Price noted Cambridge Past Present and Future had also been excluded. I noted that councillors’ selection of invitees also excluded the press (or anyone else seeking to report from the workshop events – which are planned to include key officer presentations).

Cllr Mike Todd-Jones suggested that cycling campaign members should join their local residents group.

Cllr Sarris noted there are councillors who are members of the cycling campaign who will be sitting in the workshops as well. (Neither Cllr Todd-Jones or Hipkin had declared an interest as members of CamCycle).

Quorum

Tim Ward questioned if the meeting was quorate with only two councillors present. Chair Cllr Todd-Jones said he didn’t know and he would refer the matter to the monitoring officer to determine. (He didn’t say which council’s monitoring officer, or if he meant the City Deal director).

Cllr Todd-Jones appeared to suggest the decisions could be taken email if the meeting was deemed not to have been quorate but when questioned about this he stated the meeting would be re-run.

Dates and Workshop Agenda

The officer proposal accepted by councillors was for the Histon Road workshop to be held on Monday 18th July, 6.30pm-9.00pm, in the Kreis Viersen Room, at Shire Hall.

Councillors didn’t debate the content of the workshops; officers’ proposals include just two twenty minute workshop sessions – much less time than was spent debating who to invite to them.

I suggested whole day workshops at weekends to remove the time pressure, and in the hope of giving time for meaningful deliberation.

I had previously suggested using the North Area Committee to avoid the need for creating new forums (councillors from other areas and others can be co-opted to the area committees, the council’s constitution expressly encourages it). The benefits of using the North Area Committee include a right of public access, public speaking slots, published papers and agendas and more. Area committees can, and have in the past, met in a discursive, workshop style, format.