STOP the Cambridge Congestion Charge
The Greater Cambridge Partnership is promoting a charge that is so large it also includes parts of South Cambridgeshire. The proposed scheme even includes a £5 a day charge to access Addenbrookes and Royal Papworth Hospital. The argument being put in favour of this is that the millions of pounds residents pay for this charge will fund more buses.
I am deeply concerned of the impact this extra financial burden would put on many people to access hospital, work and schools alongside the impact this will have for business, particularly hospitality and retail.
There is a consultation running from 17th October to 23rd December 2022. I would strongly advise all to have their say through the consultation (link below)
GCP Making Connections 2022 | Consult Cambridgeshire (engagementhq.com)
Alongside others I have supported the call for a referendum before any such charge is implemented. While the Greater Cambridge Partnership is consulting on these proposals it is Cambridgeshire County Council that have the powers to make this a reality. There is a petition to force the County Council to debate holding a referendum, it doesn't take long to sign and a link is provided below.
Thakeham's 25,000 house proposal
The news of a 25,000 house proposal has shaken many of us. There has been much speculation that this developer will be treated differently to others. But my view is very clear, there must NOT be any special treatment for Thakeham or any other developer. Many local representatives and residents have been working hard to find out just what is going on. I was very disappointed that the Leader of the District Council knew of the proposals two months before it became public and despite meeting the developers twice never saw fit to tell councillors from different political parties. On issues such as these party politics should be put to one side to do what is right for our area, and I am still shocked that the Leader did as she did.
To the proposals themselves, at the time of writing this there has been no submission to South Cambs District Council Local plan or any planning application submitted. While the developers claim they are pursuing other ways of getting permission, we can not see any legal way they can do this. Anthony Browne MP has repeatedly raised this issue at Westminster and Ministers have confirmed that they have no plans to support a new town in this location, more on the work that Anthony is doing can be seen via this link Letter to constituents affected by Thakeham development | Anthony Browne .
As a councillor, I fail to be convinced that this proposal is right for South Cambs. I will not support unsustainable & inappropriate developments. I will not support proposals that destroy the rural nature of our district.
East West Rail
Since East West rail was announced I have believed that the Varsity line is a unique opportunity to provide much needed transport links not only for the two leading academic cities but also for residents of South Cambs. A route along the A428 corridor would serve the new settlements both existing and those waiting to be built. It is a sensible solution to the lack of rail provision currently in that area along with being a potential asset in reducing the congestion issues in and around Cambridge.
In the early stages I and many others campaigned hard for the route to go via Cambourne NOT Bassingbourn. I'm pleased that our efforts were successful and that a station at Cambourne is now firmly in the plans. I still maintain that a route that continues north could provide much needed transport infrastructure in the north of the district where there has been a great deal of development over recent years.
Civil Parking Enforcement
Civil parking enforcement will mean that the council rather than the police would be responsible for enforcing illegal parking. This would help us solve many of the parking problems in the Mordens especially outside schools, the train station at Odsey and along the double yellow lines installed in Arrington.
I'm pleased that our calls for CPE are being taken seriously and have the support of others across the political spectrum and of our local MPs. Between us and hopefully funding from the Greater Cambridge Partnership we can start to take real action and end our parking miseries.
