Fiona Whelan

This Thursday, November 27th, there is the County Council by-election in the Hardwick electoral division, covering the villages of Barton, Caldecote, Childerley, Comberton, Coton, Grantchester, Hardwick, Kingston, Madingley and Toft.

The by-election has been caused because the Conservative County Councillor had failed to attend any Council meetings for six months.

I very much hope you will vote for me, and vote for change. I live locally, I am a Caldecote Parish Councillor, and I promose you that I will be an energetic and committed Councillor. I will attend Parish Council meetings; I will listen to your concerns, and I will work hard to get those concerns addressed by the County Council.

Fiona Whelan. Liberal Democrat candidate for the Hardwick by-election.

The Liberal Democrats yesterday upended a substantial Conservative majority to win the District Council by-election in Teversham, which lies just to the east of Cambridge airport. The results were: Frances Amrani (Liberal Democrat) 269; Colin Barker (Conservative) 237; David Kellaway (Independent) 191.

Frances Amrani lives locally, in the high street in Teversham. A mother of three, she works at the Cambridge University Press as a commissioning editor. She is Chair of Governors at the Spinney Primary School in Cherry Hinton. Her website is here.

Fiona Whelan and Alex Reid (Lib Dem spoke for Environment & Transport) attended a meeting of Grantchester Parish Council on 17th November, to give their support to the local campaign for interactive speed limit signs on Coton Road. Traffic coming off the M11 motorway approaches Grantchester at speed along this road, and speed measurements have shown average speeds more than 50% above the 30mph limit. Grantchester Parish Council has allocated money to pay for the signs, but is being told by the County Council that they cannot have them. No good reason has been given, and Fiona and Alex are pressing the County Council to let these signs go ahead. We think this is a classic example of top-down government, witht he County Council taking a ‘we know best’ attitude. This is just the sort of thing that should be decided by a Parish Council.

Did you know that Cambridgeshire County Council spends more on advertising than it does on buses?  Over the past ten years the budget for advertising has increased from £768,000 to £2,402,000, while subsidies for rural bus services are being constantly reduced - the same is true for budgets for repairing and maintaining roads and pavements.

Traffic and road problems are one of the biggest concerns voiced by residents on the doorstep.  Giving people the opportunity to get out of their cars and onto busses is something that would make a difference, and something our local Lib Dem district councillors are continually working to support.  But we need wholehearted County Council commitment if we’re going to see a real difference.

“It’s a matter of priorities,”  Fiona notes. “We pay Council Tax so we can have good services, not good press officers to tell us services are good when they so obviously are not.”

It’s clear that traffic and anti-social behaviour issues are big concerns for many.   Hot spots in Hardwick have remained unresolved, while residents in Toft are concerned about traffic implications in the event of an expansion of Comberton Village College.  No village is problem-free.  Fiona and her team have had concerns confirmed time and again in conversations on the doorstep. 

 As for Hardwick, Fiona says: “It would be fair to say that a significant percentage of people we spoke to are thoroughly cheesed off with the traffic situation and believe it will never be sorted out.  Luckily there is a determined spirit to see changes made.  I can assure Hardwick Parish Council that they left me in absolutely no doubt - whatsoever! - about the strength of local feeling in relation to Hardwick’s main traffic chaos spot.  It’s high on my list of priority should the people of Hardwick Ward elect me on the 27th of November.  There have also been issues relating to anti-social behaviour in public open spaces in Hardwick.”

Fiona has reported Toft concerns about increased traffic to County Lib Dem Education Spokesman Peter Downes, and he in turn has passed them on to Comberton Village College Principal, Stephen Munday.

Fiona has written on her blog: “I’d urge anyone with anything to say on these issues to come along to the next Neighbourhood Policing Panel, which will be held in Hardwick on November 19th. It’s vitally important to be heard, and everyone has a chance to air their views.”

Unsurprisingly, CAB money advisors have seen a doubling of their work load from last year, and a dramatic increase in a cases of priority debt.  Local residents who have been just managing to make ends meet are now facing extraordinary pressures, as price rises in food, petrol and utilities are pushing many household budgets to the limit.  

As the CAB puts it, “Small problems can push people off the tight rope.”

The CAB is a lifeline for many, and works extremely hard to prevent homelessness.  It depends on significant funding from district councils, but also on an army of dedicated volunteers to run their day-to-day case work.

Fiona says, “If you are worried about managing your own financial situation, the CAB advises to get in touch as soon as possible.  The number to call for the Cambridge office is 0870-1264010.”

Open letter to Jill Tuck, Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, from David Jenkins, leader of the Liberal Democrats on the same council.

Dear Jill,

We will be going through a difficult winter. Whether or not we call it a recession, and I gather that it is now ‘official’, many people will feel the economic pinch and small businesses will be especially vulnerable.

This is the time when local government should show leadership and demonstrate that it really does understand local problems and has a will to address them. I have spoken to Lib Dem council group leaders across Cambridgeshire who have agreed to work with their councils to this end. Lib Dem led Cambridge City Council has already taken several steps along these lines.

The County Council has a powerful role and should not shirk from using its position responsibly.

May I suggest:

1. Actions to support local people

• reverse recent cuts in grants from the County Council to the Citizens Advice Bureaux; the CABs are highly effective and have proven their ability to leverage relatively small funding to deliver significant benefit to people who need support with money advice, debt counselling and claiming benefits to which they are entitled;

• lobby landlords to invest in insulation in their properties; this is a situation where investment does not take place under normal circumstances because the benefits are not immediately enjoyed by those who invest; and

• enforce the minimum wage and associated employment rights; this does not just benefit the employee but also the wider community as spending power is increased.

2. Actions to support local business and trade

• Work with the Greater Cambridge Partnership, the local business partnership, and other business groups and develop a compact whereby larger companies in the region agree a code of prompt payment with their suppliers thereby easing the cash flows of the latter; and

• Designate a number of days through the next 3 months, and especially in the run up to Christmas, as ’shop locally days’ and offer incentives to people to use local transport, including the park and rides, to participate.

3. Actions to support local communities

• put an immediate freeze on actions which do not support local communities such as the withdrawal of rural bus routes;

• revisit the Post Office closure debate;

• consider initiatives such as credit unions; and

• (in the medium term) develop innovative plans to deliver full broadband availability to rural communities?

Jill: these ideas mainly require councils to show flexibility and to redirect activity in the short term. They do not require a lot of money but they do require us all to work together. They will bring benefit of the local community in its broadest sense.

Now’s the time for all of us to show leadership.

Yours sincerely

David Jenkins

Lib Dem group leader; Cambridgeshire County Council

Comberton District Councillor  Steve Harangozo writes:

“Many of you will know that your local Lib Dem councillors work hard to get better bus services for our area.  We’ve had some successes, for example getting the Number 18 to make stops in Cambourne.  We’ve also had frustrations in not being able to do more.  We know that with a few key improvements, more local people would find public transport a viable means of getting around for work, shopping, appointments, and social life. 

We’ve just learned that Cambridgeshire County Council is considering applying for extra funds from central government, to increase the frequency of the Number 18 service as well as some other related improvements.

Now is a great time for a new, committed county councillor to fight our corner.  In addition to greater frequency of the Number 18,  we need a regular late evening run from Cambridge, plus better connections between Comberton and Hardwick and Citi4 services.  Not forgetting improvements to the fleet of buses!

Your local Lib Dem councillor team feel that we have the expertise to get the Council to make effective changes, but what will really make the difference is a committed county councillor working together with us to put forward a strong case.  Please give Fiona your support and let her know what improvements to our local bus service you would like to see.”

Much of the Hardwick County Division lies on the doorstep of Cambridge, and cycling to and from villages such as Grantchester, Coton, Barton and Madingley has increased markedly in the past few years.  Cyclists from further afield, too, make the journey to Cambridge on a regular basis.

CamShare is looking for Bike BUDies.  This online car journey-matching service from the Travel for Work Partnership and Cambridgeshire County Council is now matching up cyclinsts to share the journey, too.

Many cyclists are very experienced, and have expert knowledge of routes.  CamShare needs to recruit from this pool of people a number who are willing to share a cycle journey with another person, giving them the confidence to try cycling and find a route with someone who knows the way.  If you are willing to help new cyclists to find their way, then please register now as a Bike BUDi on www.camshare.co.uk.  Register too if you are new to cycling and your may find your perfect journey match.

If you register before 1 November 2008, you’re eligible for a free cycle health check and will be entered into a free prize draw.

It is incredibly frustrating for residents who phone up the Council asking if someone could please come out and cut back a council-owned tree which is blocking light, dropping fruit or branches, pushing up its roots and causing cracks and bumps in pavements - or worse, threatening to undermine the foundations of nearby homes. 

For disabled and elderly residents, cracks in pavements caused by tree roots are a very real hazard.  Fiona says, “While these untended trees may be a low priority for the Council, they are a big problem for the people who have to put up with them.”