Friday 29 May: the first meeting of the municipal year for the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority’s Overview & Scrutiny Committee.

I’m pleased to be re-elected to chair the committee for a second year, with Cambridge’s Cllr Kevin Price once again my deputy. Last year’s ‘lead members’ from our committee have also agreed to continue to shadow the Combined Authority’s Executive Committees: Cllrs Andy Coles and Alex Miscandlon for Skills, Cllr Ed Murphy for Housing, and Cllr Alan Sharp for Transport.

We receive the Combined Authority’s register of current projects, plus a number that have been completed or discontinued (we ask that the latter should be split out into those two respective groups – finishing something and abandoning it are quite distinct things!). We agree that our lead members should review the timelines for each of these projects so that we can ask the various Executive Committee chairs and officers to come to brief our committee at appropriate stages.

The committee’s CAM Metro task and finish group asks permission to extend its work into this year. We agree that as this will be a project with a long duration, and not without its controversies, this seems sensible. Our Bus Review task and finish group will also be continuing into the current municipal year.

We consider the issues the Combined Authority will be dealing with in the next twelve month, and ask for papers to our June meeting on key issues in Housing and Transport. We also agree to request a presentation to our meeting next month on Skills. Covid-19 will have considerable effects on jobs, training, apprenticeships, and potentially the viability of higher education institutions including the Combined Authority’s flagship University of Peterborough.

We discuss the Combined Authority Board’s papers for this coming Wednesday, and we agree three questions to ask the Board:

• The Overview & Scrutiny Committee received a written response following its question to the meeting of the Combined Authority Board on 29 April stating that ‘productive discussions’ were ongoing relating to the appointment of a Chair of the proposed Independent Commission on Climate Change. What have these discussions consisted of and have they resulted in the appointment of a Chair of the Independent Commission and other commissioners? What progress on this important piece of work has been made in the last month?
• There is an increased emphasis on active transport modes and an increased level of importance attached to cycling, walking and equestrian transport as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. What steps are being taken to prioritise active travel not only in the light of Covid-19 but more generally?
• The paper accompanying this item [the surrender of the Combined Authority’s lease at Alconbury] refers to savings that will be achieved as a result of the surrender of the lease on the Combined Authority headquarters in Alconbury. However, there are no assumptions included in terms of the costs associated with alternative accommodation. Can the Board provide a more accurate savings figure which takes into account such costs? Secondly, why is the Combined Authority paying a whole year’s rental costs to terminate the lease at Alconbury?

Our next meeting will be on Monday 22 June, before the Combined Authority Board meeting on Wednesday 24 June.

A full recording of the Overview & Scrutiny meeting is here.

East Cambridgeshire District Council will be launching its discretionary funding scheme from Monday 1 June for businesses unable to access other COVID-19 grant funding.

Applications for the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund open from 12:00 noon on Monday and the Council is urging businesses to check their eligibility and apply as soon as possible as funding is limited.

The deadline for applications for the fund is Tuesday 30 June 2020.

An additional limited fund of £828,000 has been made available to the Council by central Government to support small businesses who have not been eligible for previous grants provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Local Authority Discretionary Fund will prioritise the following four types of businesses:

1. Small businesses in shared offices or other flexible workspaces which do not have their own business rates assessment. e.g. units in industrial parks, science parks and incubators
2. Regular market traders on East Cambridgeshire Market with fixed building costs, such as rent, who do not have their own business rates assessment
3. Bed and Breakfasts which pay Council Tax instead of business rates
4. Charity properties in receipt of charitable business rates relief which would otherwise have been eligible for Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Rate Relief.

Businesses must meet all the following criteria to be eligible:

• Have relatively high ongoing fixed property related costs
• Occupy property, or part of a property, with a rateable value or annual rent or annual mortgage payments below £51,000.
• Can demonstrate that they have suffered a significant fall in income due to the COVID-19 crisis
• Have fewer than 50 employees
• Have been trading on or before 11 March 2020.

Businesses who are eligible for the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme are also eligible to apply for the Local Authority Discretionary Fund.

Who is not eligible?

Businesses which are eligible for cash grants from any other central government COVID-19 related scheme are not eligible for the Local Authority Discretionary Fund.

If you believe you are eligible for one of the other grant schemes and have not yet been in touch, please contact the Council at covid19businessgrants@eastcambs.gov.uk or by telephone on 01353 665555.

Apply online by visiting: https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/business/local-authority-small-business-discretionary-grant-coronavirus-update The Council will pay the grant as soon as a successful application is received and verified.

More information about the eligibility criteria for the Local Authority Discretionary Grant Fund can be found at https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/business/local-authority-small-business-discretionary-grant-coronavirus-update

For more information about the financial support for businesses, visit https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/content/coronavirus-information-businesses

The following planning applications in the Sutton division have been published by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

20/00377/FUL
Little Downham
Head Fen Farm Head Fen Pymoor
Siting of temporary residential unit during building works being carried out (retrospective).

20/00609/FUL
Witchford
The Woodlands Grunty Fen Road Witchford
Construction of timber-clad field stable for two ponies including store shed, to replace block built stable which is to be demolished

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

• online using the council’s public access web page (the link above);
• by email to plservices@eastcambs.gov.uk;
• or by post to the Planning Department, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, CB7 4EE.

Dear Stephen,

If I’m honest, seeing the long list of Government ministers who have lined up to support Dominic Cummings, I write to you more in hope than expectation.

Nonetheless, as one of your constituents I feel obliged to let you know of my own anger, and that of other residents I know in North East Cambridgeshire, to see the lockdown rules we have observed scrupulously, and often to our own detriment and that of people we love, being flouted with apparent impunity by a government adviser with the full support of senior parliamentarians and the Health Secretary and the Attorney General.

Speaking personally, friends and family have suffered bereavements during this time, and those they love have been unable to travel to support them in person in their loss. I have not seen my eighteen-month-old grandson in nearly three months, even at a safe two-metre distance.

Others have endured far more painful experiences than mine. You will be aware of people unable to comfort their parents, children, partners as they died, because they were following the rules laid down and repeated by this Government. Families locked down in their homes struggling to look after their children while very sick themselves. And yet Dominic Cummings, author of those rules as of so much else emanating from your Government, made more than one trip to a destination over 250 miles from his London home, and ministers are now queuing up to re-frame the meaning of advice that was crystal clear when it was given, in an attempt to gaslight the British public into believing that Dominic Cummings behaved appropriately and that we were simply foolish for not ignoring advice that did not suit us. Worse than that, we are told that if we did not break the rules as Dominic Cummings did, it is an indication that we do not care enough for those we love.

I hope you will at least attempt to understand why so many people, of all party political affiliations and none, feel so utterly furious at what Dominic Cummings has done, and why two-thirds of the British public believe he broke the rules and over half believe he should resign.

• Peterborough – 371 confirmed cases
• Cambridgeshire – 1,056 confirmed cases

Where to get medical help over the May Bank Holiday Unlike the earlier bank holidays in April and May, GP practices will not be open on Monday 25 May, but a wide range of NHS services will be available including NHS 111, Ely Minor Injury Unit and local pharmacies. Find out what is available locally at https://bit.ly/CPCCGMayBankHoliday

Only a few community pharmacies will be open on bank holiday Monday to manage emergency prescriptions. To find out where a community pharmacy may be open near you visit the NHS website HERE

• If you think you have symptoms of Coronavirus visit www.111.nhs.uk/covid-19 Do not go to a GP, pharmacy or hospital. If you are unable to manage your Coronavirus symptoms, have been instructed to do so or do not have access to the internet, then please call NHS 111.
• For the latest information and advice visit  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Testing or Swabbing for COVID-19 Testing is now available to any member of the public over the age of 5 with symptoms by visiting nhs.uk/coronavirus Please note, all tests must be booked in advance.

New portal for care home testing The Government has launched a new online portal which makes it easier for care homes to arrange deliveries of coronavirus test kits. All symptomatic and asymptomatic care home staff and residents in England are now eligible for testing. Care homes that look after the over 65s will be prioritised for testing. You can find out more about the new online portal here.

Mental Health Awareness Week ends this Sunday (24 May) The theme is kindness, especially random acts of kindness – calling a friend you haven’t spoken to for a while, writing a letter to someone you miss, donating to your local food bank, arranging a video lunch break with a colleague. Why not join in and do a random act of kindness? If you’re not sure where to begin, then check out this page https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/coronavirus/random-acts-kindness

Support is still available for anyone with a drink or drug problem If you need help your GP is a good place to start. They can discuss your problems with you and get you into treatment. You can call your GP practice as usual for an appointment. There is also help available through the organisations here

Law change around Organ Donation The law around organ donation changed on Wednesday 20 May, which means consent will be presumed and you will need to opt out if you wish not to be a donor. You still have a choice, and families will continue to be involved in the process https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/uk-laws/organ-donation-law-in-england/

Don’t delay seeking medical treatment NHS organisations are still open to provide urgent medical treatment and support healthcare concerns. The number of people going to Emergency Departments, Minor Injury and Urgent Treatment Centres has significantly reduced compared to last year, and clinicians are concerned that some patients are not seeking the urgent and emergency help they need for important conditions such as strokes, heart attacks, meningitis, sepsis and cancer.

Many GPs are also finding that fewer people are contacting them to flag early signs of cancer, which would need urgent investigations to take place, or to report deterioration in their long-term conditions, both physical and mental. You can still speak to your GP by phone or online. If they decide you need to be seen in person, you will be offered a face-to-face appointment in a safe environment. If you are not sure where to go for medical support, visit https://111.nhs.uk/ in the first instance.

Dental services If you think you need urgent dental treatment, call your dentist. If you cannot contact your dentist, or you do not have one, use the NHS 111 online service. if a clinical appointment is necessary, this will be arranged at an urgent dental care centre.

Maternity services Coronavirus advice and guidance for pregnant and postnatal women is available here.

Visiting patients in hospital Please be aware of the changes to the visiting policies at all three local hospitals.

• Peterborough City Hospital and Hinchingbrooke Hospital’s visiting policy
• The Rosie Hospital (Addenbrooke’s) visiting policy

East Cambridgeshire District Council has tonight (21 May) unanimously supported a Liberal Democrat proposal to establish a cross-party working group to move forward the district’s recovery from the covid-19 pandemic.

Cllr Charlotte Cane (Bottisham), who proposed the motion, said: “Our district faces a number of challenges as we hope to move out of lockdown and into economic recovery. But there are also opportunities, to build on the wonderful community spirit that has emerged, to encourage more sustainable modes of transport, and to rebuild our economy in a way that helps to address the threat of climate change.

“The working party we have successfully proposed will help achieve this important task.”

Cllr Mark Inskip (Sutton), who seconded the motion, said: “Communities and parish councils have stepped forward in ways we could not have imagined to support vulnerable residents. The district council now needs to work with these volunteers, and with local businesses, to shape our area’s recovery. Our proposed working party will be a key part of this.”

The Liberal Democrats’ motion passed unanimously with minor amendments and cross-party support.

The Liberal Democrats are at the forefront of a cross party call to protect pubs in the face of the “unique combination of challenges” created by the Covid-19 crisis. 

Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper, alongside MPs from the Tory, Labour, SNP, Plaid Cymru and Green parties, are calling for Ministers to ensure pubs – a “cornerstone of British culture” – are in a position to reopen once social distancing measures are eased.

The group have written to the Chancellor to demand bespoke support for the industry including calls to: 

• Scrap the £51,000 Rateable Value cap for pubs, allowing pubs to access the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund.
• Stop pubco landlords from charging rent to their tenants through the crisis.
• Extend the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme for the hospitality sector for the duration of social distancing measures and adopt a tailored approach to taper down the scheme in line with the ability of pubs to re-open on a viable basis.

Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat MP for St Albans, said: “Pubs are an iconic part of our social and economic fabric. They are the hub of many communities and play a key role in the wider economy, employing nearly half a million people directly and supporting so many other jobs – not least in brewing and entertainment. 

“Right now, many pubs are saddled with enormous rents, payable despite the fact that their doors are closed. On top of this, many are unable to access Government grants because they’re based on the broken business rates system. They are on a financial precipice. 

“The Chancellor must take radical action to prevent beloved pubs from permanently closing their doors. He must scrap the unfair rates cap that prevents so many pubs from accessing vital funds, and prevent pubco landlords from charging exorbitant rates to their tenants whilst they are unable to open their premises. 

“Longer term, we are calling for wholesale reform of the broken business rates system, which has been exposed as completely unfit for purpose.  

“Ministers must act urgently to support UK pubs through the COVID crisis, or risk leaving a gaping hole in communities across the UK and the loss of a wonderful part of our heritage.”

Tom Stainer, Chief Executive at CAMRA said: “We welcome this letter, which highlights vital issues facing pubs during the Covid-19 lockdown. It has been estimated that up 19,000 pubs are now at risk of permanent closure as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, which also means that jobs are on the line, and consumers stand to lose out on the social and wellbeing benefits of pub going.

“Up to 20 per cent of pubs may not be eligible for grant support due to their high rateable value – but that doesn’t mean they are better able than smaller pubs to weather this storm, so it’s imperative that the grant scheme is extended to offer them support.

“CAMRA has also called for pub companies to cancel rent for tenants and is seeking assurances that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be available to pubs and brewers until the end of social distancing measures. We’re delighted to see MPs doing the same and applaud their efforts – hopefully, the Government will listen.”

The following planning application in the Sutton division has been published by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

20/00577/OUT
Witcham
15 Martins Lane Witcham CB6 2LB
Outline planning application (all matters reserved except access) for the erection of one bungalow with a new access from Martins Lane.

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

• online using the council’s public access web page (the link above);
• by email to plservices@eastcambs.gov.uk;
• or by post to the Planning Department, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, CB7 4EE.

The following planning application in the Sutton division has been published by East Cambridgeshire District Council.

20/00558/FUL
Witcham
The Chapel 6 Silver Street Witcham
Single storey side extension, alterations to front landscaping and dropped kerb.

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

• online using the council’s public access web page (the link above);
• by email to plservices@eastcambs.gov.uk;
• or by post to the Planning Department, The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely, CB7 4EE.

As a local councillor I’ve signed the cross-party letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson MP asking for:

• assurances that all families with children eligible for free school meals will receive vouchers for the full period of school closure, including school holidays. This may need to be in retrospect for families who have not yet been able to access their vouchers;
• assurances that families eligible for free school meals will be given food vouchers to sustain them during the summer holidays;
• the Government to continue to work with local authorities and schools to ensure vulnerable children do not ‘slip through the net’ and the necessary financial support is available to councils to support families fleeing domestic violence;
• schools only to be reopened when it is safe to do so, for both teachers and students;
• local authorities be given a role in coordinating with schools, trade unions and the Department for Education on a safe end to school closures.

The text of the letter is here for information, but is for signature only by councillors with gov.uk addresses https://actionnetwork.org/forms/local-councillors-letter-to-gavin-williamson-mp