The County Council’s General Purposes Committee met today to discuss its spending this year, budget next year, COVID, and a confidential item.

I asked how much uncertainty there was about how this year’s spending would look at year-end in early April. I was told there were millions of pounds in potential variation depending on what happens in the coming months.

We heard from the County’s Director of Public Health about the latest COVID figures for the week, and were given the following figures for cases per 100,000 population and for the increase in the last seven days.

• England 284 (up 63 per cent)
• East of England 374 (up 99 per cent)
• Cambridgeshire 170 (up 108 per cent)
• Cambridge 181 (up 122 per cent)
• East Cambridgeshire 140 (up 50 per cent)
• Fenland 190 (up 62 per cent)
• Huntingdonshire 144 (up 165 per cent)
• South Cambridgeshire 194 (up 133 per cent)

The virus is definitely on the rise across the county, and we need to remain vigilant. The message from the Director of Public Health was clear: just because you’re allowed under the COVID rules to do something, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Keep social interactions to your own household if you can; meet outdoors if you have to; and meeting indoors continues to be risky.

We discussed the County Council’s ‘strategic framework’, and I expressed surprise that the section of the document on ‘A well-connected, safe, clean, green environment’ contained no reference whatsoever to public transport – or to encouraging people to choose more environmentally friendly modes of transport where these were available. So much for the Conservatives’ green credentials!

Some early figures for the council’s budget plans were presented, and we were promised that in January we will be presented with options to deliver a balanced budget. Conservative councillors once again peddling myths and misinformation about Liberal Democrat views on the budget in order to distract from their own policies and proposals and their ‘fantastic’ decision to close children’s centres across Cambridgeshire.

Before going into private session to discuss the confidential item, I said it raised issues which ought to be given a wider public airing. Unfortunately the Committee Chair didn’t agree.