On International Women’s Day, I’d like to say a big personal Thank You to all my women councillor friends and colleagues in my district and county council groups. Here’s to you for all you do!
Cambridgeshire County Council
East Cambridgeshire District Council
An excellent explanation here from Professor Christina Pagel of Independent SAGE on what might happen with COVID-19 under current Government plans.
The vaccination rollout is going really well (thank you, NHS) uptake is better than expected (well done, everybody), and the vaccines appear to be more effective than at first thought (high five, science). Case numbers are dropping, and lockdown has been helping too.
But, says Professor Pagel, for all to continue to go well, the Government’s current strategy is relying on
Will that work?
Cases are still relatively high. SAGE thinks opening schools all at once, as is happening today in England, is likely to push the R rate over 1 (i.e. cases will rise again). Allowing cases to remain at current levels risks new mutations of the virus taking hold while most of the population is unvaccinated or at best half-vaccinated – and our border controls are nowhere near strict enough. And there are places, largely areas of deprivation, with stubbornly high COVID-19 rates.
According to Professor Pagel, these issues could be solved – with effective test and trace alongside supported isolation, safer workspaces, safer schools, tackling poverty, addressing vaccine hesitancy, and implementing stricter border policy this year.
But without those steps, the Government is putting all its eggs in the basket labelled ‘vaccination’.
The next deadline for applications to Cambridgeshire County Council’s Innovate & Cultivate Fund is Saturday 1 May 2021.
One-to-one pre-application advice will be available on Thursday 18 March and Tuesday 23 March.
The fund supports initiatives that strengthen communities and reduce pressure on County Council services, and the Council is looking for a return on investment. Council services that are inviting applications are adult social care and children’s services.
The fund is open to voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations based in and outside of Cambridgeshire, and public sector organisations in Cambridgeshire. Please note that projects serving Peterborough residents are not eligible.
This funding round is for ‘Cultivate’ grant applications (£2,000-£15,000) for projects that build community support networks for vulnerable people. The ‘Innovate’ funding stream (£15,000-£50,000) is suspended until further notice.
Pre-application advice
The Council strongly advises organisations to seek advice before submitting an application. Bookings are now open for telephone advice appointments on Thursday 18 March and Tuesday 23 March. These fifteen-minute one-to-one appointments must be pre-booked and are available on a first come first served basis. Please book here.
Cultivate Project Ideas
The Council has developed application guidance for three new Cultivate project ideas – Mobile Warden Schemes, Community Youth Worker and Digital Inclusion Projects – that can help people to remain independent and active within their community, encourage volunteering and complement more costly Council services. The Council also continues to invite applications for Timebanks, Good Neighbour Schemes, Dementia-Friendly Communities and Men’s Sheds. You can find guidance on how to apply for a start-up grant for each of these projects here.
Applications and further information about fund priorities and criteria can be found on the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation (CCF) website.
Elizabeth Court and The Orchards in Sutton, and Cross Lane in Little Downham, will now not be resurfaced this coming year, due to ‘budget adjustments and constraints’ at the County Council.
They are now being put forward for the 2022 programme.
Is this an early outcome of the £7.5M cut to highways maintenance in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough I reported on recently? I’m trying to find out more, including what other cuts to local road repairs we can expect this coming year.
The following planning applications in the Sutton division have been published by East Cambridgeshire District Council.
21/00286/FUL
Coveney
Site east of 9 Main Street Wardy Hill
Construction of a three bedroom, two storey detached dwelling, remodelled access and associated works.
21/00257/OUT
Little Downham
Site north west of Hill Crest Mill Hill Little Downham
Outline application with all matters reserved, except access, appearance, layout and scale for the provision of a new storage building and ancillary office and associated hardstanding and the change of use and alterations to convert an existing nissen hut to a detached dwelling, including alterations to an existing access and the provision of a new vehicular access.
21/00296/FUL
Little Downham
Green Acres Straight Furlong Pymoor
To retain straw storage structure and clad with agricultural materials to roof and walls.
21/00316/FUL
Little Downham
Mandalay Adventurers Drove Oxlode Pymoor
Proposed two storey side / rear extension.
21/00225/FUL
Mepal
16 School Lane Mepal CB6 2AJ
Two storey rear extension.
21/00328/FUL
Mepal
Land north west of 11 Bridge Road Mepal CB6 2AR
Construction of one four-bedroom chalet bungalow, double garage with games room over, parking, access and associated site works.
21/00325/AGN
Mepal
Low Bank Farm Low Bank Mepal
Proposed straw/hay shed.
21/00330/CCA
Sutton
Sutton Primary School The Brook Sutton
Retention of 7-bay mobile classroom for temporary period. Informative: Section 73 application to develop land without complying with Condition 2 of planning permission E/3001/14/CC to extend the temporary period until 31 August 2024.
21/00304/FUL
Sutton
8 The Brook Sutton CB6 2PU
Demolition of existing conservatory and construction of new two storey and single storey rear extensions, along with internal additions and alterations.
21/00305/FUL
Sutton
Land north west of the Scout Hut The Gault Sutton
Revised replacement dwelling (as previously permitted under 09/00121/FUL).
Further information can be found on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, comments should be addressed to the district council and not to me. Comments may be made
A reminder that Cambridgeshire County Council is still building up its picture of the flooding events of Christmas and New Year – and needs residents’ help to do this.
The Council will be working with the Environment Agency, Internal Drainage Boards, police, fire and district councils, to create ‘heat maps’ of the incidents, share understanding, and learn lessons.
To help the Council gather the fullest possible picture, it would be useful if residents who experienced flood incidents but have not yet reported them could do so at https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/business/planning-and-development/flood-and-water/report-a-flood
The following planning applications in the Sutton division have been published by East Cambridgeshire District Council.
21/00267/FUL
Little Downham
The Patch 68 Ely Road Little Downham
Construction of detached garage and gym and new garden wall.
21/00122/FUM
Witchford
Land to west of 16 Cathedral View Park Witchford
Erection of 12 park homes with no change of use in the land.
Further information can be found on the district council’s planning pages. If you would like to respond formally to the council about any planning application, comments should be addressed to the district council and not to me. Comments may be made
Vaccination rates for East Cambridgeshire are looking good, with data now in up to 21 February.
Here are the numbers of East Cambridgeshire residents receiving at least one dose of the vaccine, broken down by age.
| Under 70 | 70-74 | 75-79 | 80+ |
| 11,688 | 4,810 | 3,500 | 4,829 |
Do take up the opportunity of a vaccination if you’re offered it: mine at Doddington was straightforward and painless and I’m looking forward to my second dose in ten or eleven weeks’ time. It’s important for our own safety and for the safety of our families, friends, neighbours, and of course our NHS and care workers.
Note: data from https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/
Here’s that COVID ‘road map’ announced by the Prime Minister on Monday.
The budget amendment put forward by Liberal Democrats on East Cambridgeshire District Council focuses on recovering from COVID, says Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Lorna Dupré.
“COVID has hit many families and local businesses hard,” says Lorna. “Jobs are at risk. Mental health is declining for many people. And teenagers and young adults have been particularly affected by the long periods of lockdown on top of the chronic lack of affordable local amenities.
“That’s why our budget proposal centres on helping small firms at the council’s eSpace centres help with their rents; offering advice on COVID safety to food serving establishments hoping to open or re-open; and on ring-fencing £40,000 within the council’s Major Projects fund to start a piece of work with partners on improving leisure and recreation across the district, with young people and the outdoors particularly in mind.
“We have also identified efficiency savings in the council budget to reduce the Conservatives’ budget shortfall.
“Both parties’ proposals provide balanced budgets in 2021/22 and 2022/23 but require substantial savings in 2023/24. By addressing efficiency savings early, the Liberal Democrat proposal reduces the savings requirement in 2023/24 by over £400,000.
“Finally, the Conservatives propose to freeze council tax this coming year, but then to increase it by the maximum possible amount every year for the lifetime of their financial plan. We agree with them that they have starved the council of income for basic services for far too long.
“But we have proposed instead a small increase of 1 per cent in council tax this coming year, and 2 per cent the following year, waiting until April 2023 to increase the council tax by the 3.5 per cent that the Conservatives propose from April 2022.”