Tag: Cambridge

  • Posters on Railings in Cambridge

    The Vibrancy of Cambridge’s Culture is Illustrated by the Number and Variety of Posters on City Centre Railings. Photo by Prisoner 5413 (license). I attended Cambridge City Council’s West Central Area Committee on the 18th of June 2009. During the open forum section of the meeting which is for members of the public to ask […]

  • 2009 Strawberry Fair

    These Three Children Appeared to be Enjoying the 2009 Strawberry Fair Immensely Cambridge’s Strawberry Fair was held on Midsummer Common on Saturday the 6th of June 2009. I was present at a number of times during the day of the fair and on the day before. Cambridge-News billboards and the newspaper’s front page on the […]

  • Suggesting Improvements to Election Observation in the UK

    I sought accreditation as an electoral observer for the recent elections. Candidates and their agents can observe elements of the elections, and I was informally offered accreditation from a party to observe my local count, however I have no allegiance to any party and decided to follow a route administered by the Electoral Commission instead. […]

  • More Votes Counted Than People Who Turned Out in Cambridge

    Cambridgeshire County Council’s election results are currently being published. I had received an assurance that the number of spoilt papers would be published alongside the ward by ward results. The council are not doing this, but they are reporting turnout figures on a per-ward basis from which I ought be able to approximate the number […]

  • Tree Felling Starts on Midsummer Common

    Stump of a large Lime tree which Cllr Julie Smith, Cambridge City Council’s Executive Councillor for Arts and Recreation, decided to fell. On Wednesday 3rd of June the first few of the latest batch of trees to be felled on Midsummer Common were removed. This follows a decision to fell the trees which was taken […]

  • Cambridgeshire County Council – Party Leaders on the Congestion Charge

    On the 2nd of June 2009 the Andie Harper show on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire interviewed the leaders of the three main parties currently making up Cambridgeshire County Council. I submitted a question, which was put to the councillors: Conservatives in the City of Cambridge are opposed to the Congestion Charge, however Conservatives ruling the County […]

  • European Elections 2009 – Cambridge Hustings

    From left to right: David Bannerman (UKIP), Andrew Duff (Liberal Democrat), Andie Harper (Chairman), Richard Howitt (Labour), Tony Juniper (Green Spokesman), Vicky Ford (Conservative) On the evening of the 1st of June I attended a European Election Hustings at the Emmanuel United Reformed Church in Cambridge. Amnesty International, Oxfam and NO2ID had collaborated to organise […]

  • Commenting on Cambridge City Council’s New Tree Protocol

    Would this tree be facing the city council’s chainsaws if a proper decision making process had been in place? I have responded to Cambridge City Council’s consultation on how it makes decisions with respect to tree works. The consultation closes on Friday 5 June 2009. Mr Payne, I am writing to respond to your current […]

  • Mayor’s Charities Include School for Bullied Children

    Councillor Russ McPherson has been elected Mayor of Cambridge by his fellow City Councillors. At Cambridge City Council’s annual meeting on the 21st of May 2009 Councillor Russ McPherson was elected Mayor of Cambridge for 2009-10. The first thing he did was announce the charities which will benefit from his work during the year. These […]

  • IPCC Says Police Complaints System Flawed and Underfunded

    I observed Cambridgeshire Police Authority’s Professional Standards Committee on the 13th of May 2009 and watched Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) commissioner Len Jackson contribute to the committee’s discussions. Main points: 89% of complaints against the police are deemed “unsubstantiated”. According to the IPCC commissioner this is so high because the system is flawed and […]