Congratulations to the residents of Soham and Barway this evening on the passing of the referendum on their Neighbourhood Plan.
Soham and Barway join a growing number of communities in East Cambridgeshire—including Sutton, Witchford and Mepal in my own division—whose area is covered by a Neighbourhood Plan. These plans are a great way of enabling local residents to design and shape their places.
The East Cambridgeshire Community Fund will be open to applications between Monday 28 October and Monday 9 December 2024.
Grants are available to support local community groups to provide new, or develop existing, community services and initiatives that improve the quality of life for residents of East Cambridgeshire. They cannot provide capital funding for buildings but can be used to buy equipment.
Grants are available to cover up to 75 per cent of your project costs. The minimum grant is £250 and the maximum £1000.
Applicants must have a written constitution, a management committee with a Chair, Treasurer and Secretary, a bank account with a two-signatory requirement, up to date accounts, and an Equal Opportunity and Child Protection Policy where applicable.
Voluntary and Community Action East Cambridgeshire can offer advice to help you meet these requirements. Please call 01353 666166 or email Voluntary and Community Action East Cambridgeshire.
For further information contact 01353 665555 or visit https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/finance/east-cambridgeshire-community-fund where you will find more information and application forms.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is encouraging individuals to act now and check their National Insurance record to fill any gaps in their National Insurance records from 2006 onwards, to maximise their State Pension.
People have until Saturday 5 April 2025 to maximise their State Pension by making voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill any gaps in their National Insurance record between 6 April 2006 and 5 April 2018.
HMRC and the Department for Work and Pensions are encouraging people to act now and use the online State Pension forecast checker to see if they can increase their retirement income.
The service enables people to check if they have gaps in their National Insurance record, calculate if making a payment would increase their State Pension, and then make a payment if they wish to do so.
East Cambridgeshire District Council has published the following planning applications in the Sutton division.
24/00898/FUL
Witcham
Park House 2 The Slade Witcham
First floor extension over existing flat roof.
24/00636/FUL
Witchford
1 Clover End Witchford CB6 2XD
Proposed porch to front.
24/00943/FUL
Witchford
175 Main Street Witchford CB6 2HP
Two storey side extension, part first floor extension at rear, raise roof level of remaining existing single storey element, replace existing conservatory. Porch over front door and new fenestration.
You can find further information on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, please write to the district council and not to me. You can comment
East Cambridgeshire District Council has published the following planning applications in the Sutton division.
24/00748/FUL
Coveney
Commrooks Farm Straight Drove Coveney
Change of use of land from ancillary recreational use to use for the stationing of a former railway carriage to be used for tourist accommodation—retrospective.
24/00721/FUL
Little Downham
2 Pymoor Lane Pymoor CB6 2EE
Single storey porch to comprise an entrance hall and WC.
24/00738/FUL
Little Downham
Land North East of 1 Seventh Drove Little Downham
Proposed replacement dwelling.
24/00568/LBC
Mepal
Wisteria House 3 Brangehill Lane Mepal
Front wall railings, replacement rendering on front elevation, cast iron guttering to front, trellis to front and associated works.
24/00588/FUL
Sutton
5 Redwood Gardens Sutton CB6 2QN
Two storey and single storey extensions to side and single storey extension to front.
24/00577/FUL
Witchford
1A Sutton Road Witchford CB6 2HX
Proposed outbuilding.
24/00604/FUL
Witchford
4 Field End Witchford CB6 2XE
Single storey extension to rear and associated works.
You can find further information on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, please write to the district council and not to me. You can comment
East Cambridgeshire District Council has published the following planning applications in the Sutton division.
24/00796/FUL
Little Downham
Commonside Station Road Little Downham
Proposed extension to rear of existing dwelling with new access driveway.
24/00837/FUL
Little Downham
Fen Dale Adventurers Drove Oxlode
Demolition of existing house and garage and erection of a two-storey house.
24/00870/FUL
Little Downham
Quince Cottage 5 Park Lane Little Downham
Demolish existing single storey side extension and rear conservatory, and construct a two-storey side and single-storey side extension.
24/00826/FUL
Witcham
14 Martins Lane Witcham CB6 2LB
Internal and external alterations including proposed bay window. Garage conversion (retrospective).
You can find further information on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, please write to the district council and not to me. You can comment
Great to visit Haddenham Youth Fusion yesterday at the Haddenham Recreation Ground.
Haddenham Youth Council really seems to be taking off, and is well supported by the Parish Council. I had a useful discussion with the members on their tombola stall about bus services—and won several prizes!
The police stand was a useful chance to catch up about some local Sutton issues, and to hear about the police cadet scheme. Some of the cadets were there to promote the scheme. The district council’s Community Safety Team was also in evidence, and I was pleased to get four out of the five questions right in their ‘True or False’ quiz.
There was a jobs theme evident too, with the Combined Authority’s Careers Hub and the Cambridge LaunchPad project connecting employers with young people interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Health was also a prominent theme, both physical and mental, with representation from the Healthy You programme and Beezee Families, the local cricket club, the Our Voices youth advisory group, and the Cameron Grant Memorial Trust which encourages everyone, but especially young people, to speak up and ask for help with poor mental health. It’s named for Cameron, a young man who took his own life after a seven year battle with depression.
The Community Advice Bus—sadly now limited to Soham and Littleport—was on the scene, as was the Connexions bus, the Fire Service and a great climbing wall!
All sacks should be delivered by 31 August (we received ours this week). Residents will then have one month to report sacks not being received.
After 30 September, East Cambs Street Scene will not process reports of sacks not being delivered, and residents will be advised to make their own arrangements.
The calendar of collection dates will be delivered separately by the recycling crews during the first two weeks of September. It will be attached to the handle of the blue lidded bin. (Residents on the alternative ‘sacks only’ service will receive a copy in the post).
More information at https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/east-cambs-street-scene/black-sack-annual-delivery-2024
The Department for Education is reminding eligible working parents in England who are making child care arrangements for September, that they need to apply by Saturday 31 August for:
Parents can check their eligibility on the Childcare Choices website.
Cambridgeshire County Council is consulting on its plans to develop ‘active travel hierarchies’. The consultation will be open until Monday 16 September 2024. Here is how you can have your say.
The council is developing hierarchies to guide it in prioritising maintenance of routes used for walking, cycling and wheeling depending on how much a route is used, how important it is to users, and any risks associated with it. This is an approach that is already used with routes used by motor vehicles.
Ensuring that more important routes are maintained as a priority, the council will enable users to experience better journeys, and more people will be encouraged to walk and cycle.
The hierarchy will consist of three related hierarchies, for
Your input to the consultation will be valuable in helping the council to get this right.
The Active Travel Hierarchy will not promote physical or legal changes to the highway network, such as changes to the surface or status of a public right of way. These changes are subject to other legal and administrative processes.
Did you know? Cambridgeshire County Council maintains 4,550km of roads; 2,936km of footways, over 550km of designated cycleways, and over 3,000km of public rights of way.