West Chesterton Liberal Democrats

The County Council is preparing plans to redevelop the existing Milton Road library.

The idea is to rebuild the library with flats on the first floor. This would solve some of the structural problems with the existing building.

Having helped safeguard the library from closure, Kevin and the local team want to know your views.

“I want the library to be a success,” said Kevin.

“While it would be sad to lose the current building, this proposal could be very good news for library users for years to come.”

Kevin and Damien are working with the Friends of Milton Road library to ensure any redevelopment plan meets local needs and local concerns.

The deadline for objections to the planning application to build a sixth-form hostel on the
Staples site has now passed. The local Focus team are working with local residents and traders to resist the proposals.

“These plans are nowhere near good enough for this important site,” said David Grace. “Just because the current Staples building is so awful doesn’t mean we should allow a poor-quality building of five storeys to go ahead.”

Watch this space for more info, and keep in touch with updates via the Friends of Mitcham’s Corner website.

Cllr Kevin Wilkins’ attempts to improve pavements around West Chesterton look set to take a big step forward shortly.

After winning a promise from the Council last year, Kevin has now been told that the project to repair pavements in part of Gilbert Road will begin soon. First of all, residents will be consulted on the
proposals. Kevin and Damien have fought to ensure that the paving slabs will not be taken up and
replaced by unsightly tarmac, except where tree roots make paving slabs impossible.

Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have revealed ambitious plans to harness the power of solar energy and wind to bring in millions of pounds every year to protect county council front-line services.

The Lib Dem budget amendment and supporting text are available online here:

http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/CMSWebsite/Apps/Committees/AgendaItem.aspx?agendaItemID=6512
 

Their alternative Cambridgeshire County Council budget includes a £20 million investment in solar energy and a new wind farm that would generate £2.5 million a year.

In addition they would sell off the council’s headquarters at Shire Hall and dispose of some of the council’s “bloated” property portfolio to bring in a further £20 million plus.

“These are difficult times for local government, particularly in Cambridgeshire, where this year the interest payments on the guided busway will wipe out almost half of the funds brought in by the council tax increase,” said Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrat Leader, Kilian Bourke.

“This has not been helped by the culture of corporate waste the Conservatives have presided over in Shire Hall.  They are attached to the trappings of power and they consistently back this up with taxpayers’ money.

“The Liberal Democrats would end this culture by selling Shire Hall and getting rid of an extra twenty-fifth of council’s bloated property portfolio.  We would invest the proceeds in renewable energy to generate an extra stream of income.

“We would use this extra income to provide better basic council services, to make it easier for people to get around, and to take care of our environment.”

The budget also includes a plan to re-open youth clubs across the county, invest £500,000 a year in community support for mental health and put money in to improving primary school buildings.

The Lib Dems would reverse the Tories’ cuts to funding for our bus service and increase spending to £5 million a year in bus and community transport while, at the same time providing free transport for young people seeking work, education or training.

Pavement maintenance would receive a £2.5 million cash injection along with money for increased gritting of pavements and cycleways and £4 million for strategic cycle links in rural areas.

They would deliver the long-awaited Chisholm Trail and contribute £3 million to the re-opening of the Wisbech rail line.

Ely’s proposed bypass would be scrapped in favour of a less destructive underpass and Cambridge’s city centre shuttle bus would be reinstated and run on electricity.

Savings would be made by centralising corporate functions, cutting press, marketing and PR and mileage expenses across the council.  Extra spending on the council’s social media website would be scrapped and the council’s Cabinet reduced by three members.

“The Lib Dems would also protect lower earning and female staff from Tory cuts to terms and conditions,” added Cllr Bourke.  ”Any reduction in the acceptability of flexible working would hit female staff hardest.”

“This budget would not only protect our environment but capitalise on the income that can be generated from green energy to protect our front-line services and provide investment in those services on which our residents rely.”

New rules giving councils greater powers to tackle disruptive road works have been welcomed by Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats who have been campaigning for change.

County Councillor, Sarah Whitebread, who represents Cambridge’s Market Ward has been calling for new laws to allow local authorities to charge companies by the day for road closures as an incentive to speed up work.

Now Liberal Democrat Transport Minister, Norman Baker has announced a new road permits scheme for companies wishing to carry out work. It will give councils the power to set conditions on the length of time it will take utility companies to complete the work and the amount of road space to be left available for road users.

Where similar schemes have been put in place in other parts of the country they have been found to be effective in reducing time taken to complete work.

Cllr Whitebread said: “This is extremely good news. We have seen major disruption in Cambridge as utility works take much longer than planned causing misery for traders who have struggled as a result and problems for those trying to travel through the city.

“Until now, we have been at the mercy of these companies and forced to put up with disruption until the jobs get done; these new permits will give local authorities power to take action.”

Currently councils wanting to introduce a permit scheme need approval from the Department for Transport. Following consultation, this requirement will be removed to give councils more freedom in reducing congestion and making it easier to put new permit schemes in place.

Last summer Cambridge faced weeks of disruption while work was carried out on gas mains in East Road. And this week sewer replacement work, expected to take three months in Jesus Lane, was suspended due to the ice and snow.

Cambridge City Councillor, Colin Rosenstiel, who represents Market ward, said: “I hope a permit scheme locally can impress on utilities and their contractors the need to make the best use of the time. When they dig up roads they need to get the jobs completed as fast as possible”.

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert said: “This change in the rules gives local people the power to take control in their towns and cities rather than waiting for approval from central government.

“This move towards localism is at the heart of everything the Lib Dems stand for and I am pleased to see that this message is getting through to government.”

Cambridge City Council is teaming up with Cambridge University on a £25 million project to build a mini power station for the city centre.

Unlike a conventional electricity power station which wastes some of the heat it generates, the scheme would heat hot water which would be pumped around buildings to provide heating, saving energy and cutting costs.

The project would provide heating and hot water for the city council, universities and some colleges.

A detailed financial appraisal will now be carried out along with design work and recommendations for the location of the power plant.

Tim Ward, Cambridge City Executive Councillor for Planning said: “Theoverall efficiency of Combined Heat and Power systems are much higherthan the traditional arrangement where heating is provided by gas boilers and electricity from large power stations.

“This results in energy savings which in turns cuts carbon emissions and reduces costs.”

Similar schemes are already in operation elsewhere in the UK including Nottingham and Southampton.

At the same time, Cambridge City Council is promoting the government’s Green Deal encouraging householders to save money on their energy bills by providing money for home insulation and other energy saving measures.

Although householders will not have to pay for the work up front, the cost will be recovered over time through their fuel bills.

The golden rule for Green Deal installations is that the energy savings must be at least enough to pay for the installation.

The city council, together with other Cambridgeshire councils, are setting up a scheme to secure the maximum take-up of Green Deal measures to reduce fuel poverty and carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency in their council housing.

“We will be aiming to ensuring good value and high quality energy efficient installations,” said Cllr Ward. “This will provide work for the local energy efficiency companies and support community groups and voluntary organisations working on sustainable energy related issues.”

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert will vote against a one per cent cap on benefits today (Tuesday, January 8) because he believes it won’t offer enough protection to society’s most vulnerable.

Julian will register his protest against the move during the Second Reading of the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Bill in the House of Commons.

He said: “One per cent is below both the level of inflation and the rate at which wages are going up in the economy. It is simply not enough for people who deserve support to be able to keep up with the cost of living. I think the government made the right decision last year to increase support by 5.2%.

“We must remember that these benefits go to people who work as well as people who do not work. Some of it goes to help people who are working in poorly paid jobs to make ends meet, and some goes to help those who are not able to find employment. They need targeted help to find a job, not what is effectively a punishment.

“People who are in low-paid jobs will be benefiting from our increase in the income tax threshold – the tax paid by someone on the minimum wage has been halved, and will go down further; that is right and fair.

“I am incredibly proud that we managed to give a 5.2 per cent increase last year, especially in pensions. This offered real help to those in the greatest need. But I cannot support a benefits cap which would give families little or no chance of keeping pace with the rising cost of living.

“To build a stronger economy and a fairer society, so that everyone can get on in life, we have to provide support for the most vulnerable.”