Report for Parish Councils – June 2023.
South Cambs District Council
GCP Making Connections
On 26 May the Greater Cambridge Partnership published its report on the Making
Connections consultation that ran from October–December last year. This can be viewed
as a written report to which there is an introductory 15-minute video presentation. The
consultation was on proposals to transform the bus network, with the intention of making it
properly fit for purpose for most residents across the district, to invest in other sustainable
travel facilities, and to fund this in the long term through a Sustainable Travel Zone (STZ)
in Cambridge.
There were over 24,000 responses including 145,000 free text comments which allowed
detailed feedback on the proposals. The responses showed strong support for the broad
proposals for improvements to bus services and the sustainable travel network, but
highlighted significant concerns over the STZ proposal. The GCP also commissioned
demographically representative polling to complement the survey responses.
Along with other local representatives, councillors at South Cambridgeshire District
Council will be studying the results carefully over the coming months. It is clear that there
is strong support across the district for a shift towards more affordable and sustainable
transport, but that many residents are unhappy with key aspects of the proposed scheme.
In my response to the consultation last year as District Councillor I supported the moves to
invest in bus services but highlighted concerns over access to Addenbrooke’s Hospital and
the effect of a flat congestion charge rate on residents with lower incomes, as well as
problems with the design of the proposed local bus network.
It is clear that the topics of hospital access, the proposed charging times and fairness of
the STZ scheme, and the related proposals to move to a bus franchising model will be key
focal points for discussion in the next few months.
East West Rail
On 26 May the East West Rail Company released a Route Update Report and announced
the dates of a series of public information events in June and July, including events at
Eversden Village Hall on 22 June and Harston Village Hall on 26 June, both running from
2pm until 5pm. The report confirms their preference for the southern approach to
Cambridge, which passes between Harston and Newton, and explains the reasoning
behind their decision in some detail.
Wellcome Genome Campus
The design guide for the Campus has been released. Obviously the short term concerns are around the A1301 and impact on this road and potential rat running as the campus develops.
Cabinet–Parish Liaison meeting will focus on transport
As I reported last month all Parish Councils have been invited to a Parish–Cabinet Liaison meeting on 5 June which will focus entirely on transport. The Mayor Dr Nik Johnson will be in attendance, as will a representative from the GCP. There will be updates on bus services, results from the Making Connections consultation and progress on Greenways.
Four-day week trial extended
The trial of a four-day week at South Cambridgeshire District Council has been extended
by 12 months after independently reviewed data showed the initial pilot was a success. At
a time of increased public sector spending pressures, the four-day week aims to allow the
Council to deliver excellent services while improving consistency and reducing cost.
Following the well-publicised success of many similar trials in the private sector, the
District Council became the first local authority in the country to trial this way of working
between January and March 2023. Around 450 desk-based staff have been involved. The
Council decided to undertake the trial because of the acute recruitment and retention
issues it was facing, mirroring the national recruitment and retention situation in the public
sector, and reflecting the high cost of living in this area.
Before the trial started, the Council was spending about £2 million a year on agency staff,
often in specialist roles where the private sector pays more. This bill could be halved if all
the agency posts were filled permanently. The difficulty in filling vacant posts had been
expensive and disruptive to our services. During the three-month trial the Council’s annual
wage bill has already decreased by £300,000 thanks to an improvement in recruitment and
retention.
Throughout the trial the Council’s Key Performance Indicators have been monitored
carefully to ensure that we maintain the quality of our public services and this will continue
throughout the extended trial period. The full independent report on the trial was compiled by the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. https://scambs.moderngov.co.uk/documents/s131267/Appendix%202a%20Bennett%20Institute%20Evaluation%20of%20the%20KPIs%20final.pdf
Planning Delegations
Recent meetings here:
https://www.greatercambridgeplanning.org/media/2783/delegation-meeting-minutes-16-may-2023.pdf
Cambridgeshire County Report
Carers Week
As part of National Carers Week, Cambridgeshire County is highlighting the challenges faced by unpaid carers and recognising the contribution they make to families and communities in our region.This year’s theme, focuses on ‘Recognising and supporting carers in the community’ and wants to bring communities together to recognise the huge contribution unpaid carers make to society.
Being a carer can be very rewarding, but can also be very hard work. There are lots of reasons why caring for someone can leave carers needing support and it’s important that they think about their own mental and physical health and emotional wellbeing as well as the person that they are caring for. Support is available for anyone who cares for someone else, whether they call themselves a ‘carer’ or not. This support can help make the caring role easier and it can free up more time for carers to take care of themselves.
If you provide care for someone, our partners are on hand to help: Caring Together for adult carers in Cambridgeshire; Centre 33 supports young carers in Cambridgeshire and Making Space helps carers in Cambridgeshire who look after someone with mental ill health. Information for carers is available on the County Council website.
Potholes: Current Status & Solutions
I reported last month on status of repairs. This is a summary of the funding and resources.
In addition to this work we are pro-actively scanning the network through Gaist to monitor over the summer the state of the roads.
New Collision Data base
In order to propose both 20 mph zones and LHI bids there is a new database of collision data available:
https://cambridgeshireinsight.org.uk/roads-transport-and-active-travel/cambridgeshire-collision-data/
ICT Conference
Representatives from Google and Microsoft will be leading sessions at a special ICT conference next week.
The first ICT in Education Conference and Exhibition will be held on 9 June at the Møller Institute in Cambridge.
Organised by the ICT service at Cambridgeshire County Council, the event will bring together educators, industry experts and technology providers to explore the latest trends, share best practice and highlight the wealth of resources and support available to schools, much of which is completely free.
The conference is aimed at a wide range of ICT practitioners, including school leaders, teachers, special needs co-ordinators, school business managers, IT staff and data protection officers.
Delegates will be able to attend a range of sessions, workshops, and panel discussions led by experts in the field. Keynote speakers will share their insights and experience on a variety of topics including Digital Transformation Strategy, Teaching Computing, Inclusion, Safeguarding and Sustainability.
It will also feature keynotes from Cisco, Microsoft and Google, plus a special session on the wider issue of Zero Carbon Schools.
Organisers will also be announcing the launch of a new campaign – Digital Cambridgeshire.Education – which has secured £780,000 of apprenticeship funding for school teachers and leaders in maintained Cambridgeshire schools.
The conference is free for school staff to attend, but booking is required. Sessions can be booked here: The ICT in Education Conference & Exhibition 2023 – The ICT Service : The ICT Service. https://theictservice.org.uk/event/the-ict-in-education-conference-exhibition/
Peter McDonald
June 3rd 2023