The votes have been counted and the results are:

Lib Dems: 1881

Conservatives: 1091

Labour: 323

Greens: 158

Our majority has gone from 200 in November 2008 to 790 today

After a few days off to recover we’ll be back out there on Monday sorting out bus services!

1. Council Tax kept down.
Keep Council Tax rises as small as possible, funding new initiatives by re-direction of resources. We believe in actively pursuing real value for money both to keep Council Tax at as reasonable a level as possible and to provide the quality services residents expect.

2. Speed limits.
Change policy to make it easier, where local councils wish, to reduce speed limits from 40mph to 30mph and to introduce new speed limits including 20mph zones. Improve speed limit enforcement.

3. Local money for streets and pavements.
Offer additional local highways improvement funds with spending decisions taken locally, for example by local councils. Projects will be managed by the County Council and to be subject to their technical approval.

4. Accident reduction schemes.
Implement proposed but currently unfunded accident reduction schemes including new traffic lights at dangerous junctions and traffic calming schemes.

5. Lorry Restrictions.
Prepare a lorry management plan; introduce and enforce weight restrictions to reduce lorry nuisance in villages.

6. Better bus services.
Develop a bold plan for the improvement of bus services throughout the county and for their integration with rail and Park & Ride. Improve bus infra-structure including bus stops, electronic ticketing and bus information systems.

7. Cycling improvements.
Support cycling improvements throughout the county using the approaches outlined in the Cambridge Cycling Campaign’s 2020 Vision document.

8. Local money for youth services.
Increase spending on youth services and facilities with spending decisions taken locally for example by local councils.

9. Police presence.
Fund additional police presence across the county assigned to the larger towns and villages.

10. Support for voluntary organisations.
Increase funding for voluntary organisations. Potential recipient organisations include Age Concern Cambridgeshire, Citizens Advice Bureaux and Disability Cambridge.

Councillor Geoff Heathcock, Lib Dem Health Spokesman said, “In the light of recent events surrounding Wessex Place in Cambridge and the way that was handled by the County Council and PCT, I am appalled that a few weeks later we find ourselves facing the possible closure of another Day Care Centre. This has ’leaked out’ - rather than ensuring that both local users of the service and their elected representatives were told properly. Officers and Managers have to get the message sooner rather than later that when they are running services on behalf or in conjunction with others for the vulnerable, people are entitled to be properly consulted – not given what may amount to a done deal. Fiona Whelan and Sebastian Kindersley, the local County Councillors and I are extremely angry and will be raising this again and again in the next few days!”

Hardwick County Councillor Fiona Whelan adds, “I feel that this is a truly appalling way to treat our vulnerable residents and yet again a complete lack of any understanding for the devastating effect it will have – both on their lives and on the lives of their carers.”

“I fail to understand how the home is promoting a period of ongoing consultation when those affected have still to be officially informed. Not even the local GPs have been contacted”

Lib Dem leader on the District Council, Sebastian Kindersley adds, “We will be following this issue up and will not let it rest. This is simply not good enough. We are not blaming the operator – they have their own commercial interests to look after, but the PCT and the County Council have not done enough to ensure that this facility was viable. We will now be insisting that they act and prevent the closure.”

Fiona has been out in warm coat and wellies with Tim Scott and Robin Page of the Countryside Restoration Trust in recent days looking at the Barton/Haslingfield Bridge.

Given the internal iron construction of the bridge, there have been concerns expressed between the County Highways Department and the University (who own the land the bridge sits on) about its safety. However this Victorian Bridge is one of only 4 left in the County and at the moment and it would truly be a sorry state of affairs to see it go.

Walking around the area with Robin and Tim, Fiona was shown where bats could currently be hibernating in the bridge, and how local barn owls, that have come back into the area, would be at risk of flying into cars using the Haslingfield Road if the bridge were lowered. Any plans to cut back significant quantities of vegetation and trees around the bridge would be hard to support.

Whilst the safety of pedestrians and users of the bridge is paramount, the bridge serves as a useful natural impediment to cars taking the road at even higher speeds. The current 3 tonne weight limit also prevents heavy lorries using the bridge – something that Barton residents have been troubled by because of traffic to Barrington Cement works – despite previous assurances to the contrary. Fiona and other locals are watching to see what happens with planned changes to Barrington Cement works and will keep you updated.

Fiona and the CRT will be reporting back on the issue of the Bridge as the situation develops.

Fiona Whelan (Liberal Democrat): 1369
John Ionides (Conservative): 1169
Helan Haugh (Labour): 208.

This by-election has been caused by the Conservative County Councillor’s failure 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 promise 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.

The locations of the polling stations are:
Barton: The White Horse, High Street, Barton.
Caldecote: Furlong Way, Highfields, Caldecote.
Childerley: Furlong Way, Highfields, Caldecote.
Comberton: Village Hall, Green End, Comberton.
Coton: W.I. Hall, Coton.
Grantchester: Reading Room, High Street, Grantchester.
Hardwick: The Pavilion, Egremont Road, Hardwick.
Kingston: Village Hall, Church Lane, Kingston.
Madingley: Village Hall, Madingley.
Toft: Toft People Hall, School Lane, Toft.

Fiona Whelan, Liberal Democrat candidate for the County Council by-election in the Hardwick division.

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.

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.”