At last night’s parish council meeting, parish councillor Graham Redman drew my attention to this piece of news, about a reported fraudulent email claiming to come from Anglia Revenues Partnership.

Anglia Revenues Partnership collects council tax and other monies from residents in East Cambridgeshire on behalf of the district council.

The advice from the council is very sensible.  Treat any email, however official looking, that asks for any personal information with deep suspicion.  The council (and Anglia Revenues Partnership) will never ask you to supply personal data by email.

This year, following changes to the law, local councils up and down the country have moved to a new system of individual electoral registration. This means that instead of the old system or the ‘head of household’ (cue debate about who that is!) filling in one form for everyone living at that address, each person now has to register to vote individually.  For most people, their data has been matched with national databases and their voting rights have just transferred across to the new register.  But for many people, this national matching has not been possible and they need to apply for their vote.

2,500 people in East Cambs have not registered

Across East Cambridgeshire, about 2,500 people who were on the electoral register last year have not had their data matched, and have not yet registered to vote. They will still be able to vote in this May’s election, though after that they may be removed from the register.  If you haven’t yet registered to vote, you can do so online here, or by post. You will need your National Insurance number.  Remember: not only can you be liable for a fine for not responding to a request to register, it can also play havoc with your credit rating!

If you had a permanent postal or proxy vote, however, and haven’t yet registered to vote individually, you will lose it – and though you will still be on the register until May, you will not get a postal or proxy vote and will have to vote at a polling station.  You will need to complete your individual electoral registration and a fresh postal or proxy vote application to get your postal or proxy vote back.

900 people in East Cambs have been removed from the register altogether

Meanwhile, around 900 people in East Cambridgeshire have already been removed from the electoral register.  These are people who have not responded to each autumn’s electoral canvass for three years in a row.  Again, they will need to complete the individual electoral registration process to get their vote back.

Don’t forget 16 and 17 year olds need to register!

Over 18’s who are already on the register will have their registration carried across until May, as stated above. But if you’re 16 or 17, and haven’t registered individually under the new system, you’ll lose your right to vote when you reach your 18th birthday. So if you are 16 or 17 years old, or know someone who is, make sure you – or they – are registered.

Cambridgeshire is 24th out of 207 local councils in the UK for the number of claims by motorists in 2013/14 resulting from damage by potholes, the RAC reports.

485 claims were made against Cambridgeshire County Council for pothole damage, and half of them (242) were successful, resulting in payouts totalling £104,263.66.

This represents an increase of 177 per cent in the number of claims on the previous year, when 37 out of 175 claims (only one in five) were successful and £55,080.04 was paid out to motorists.

The success rate for claims in Cambridgeshire was more than double the national average of 23 per cent.

According to the annual ALARM survey of local authorities, the current backlog of road maintenance work on local roads in England and Wales is £12 billion.

A full statistical table can be viewed here.

An amendment to the design has been received for the planning application for a new property on land next to 16 Tower Road (reference 14/01245/FUL).  Representations can be made to East Cambs District Council’s planning department until Monday 9 February.

As I reported recently, the Conservative Club in the High Street has submitted a premises licence application (reference 15/00088/LIQ_02) to the District Council. Details of the application are on the district council’s website with a deadline of 18 February for residents to make representations to the district council (by email or in writing to the district council’s Licensing department at The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely CB7 4EE).

The changes to the licence in the application mean that the club would remain as a club premises but also be able to provide

• all regulated entertainment provided under the Licensing Act 2003 (except boxing & wrestling entertainment)
• late night refreshment (hot food and drink after 11:00pm)
• sale of alcohol on and off the premises.

It would also be able to allow members of the public to access the club for events, something which is not possible under a club premises certificate as only bona fide club members and signed in guests are allowed access in qualifying clubs.

The Conservative Club in the High Street in Sutton has submitted a premises licence application to the District Council.

Details of the application will shortly be available on the district council’s website – you can search on the postcode (CB6 2NW) or on the licensing application reference number, which is 15/00088/LIQ_02.

If you wish to make representations to the district council about this application, you can do so until 18 February, by email or in writing to the district council’s Licensing department at The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely CB7 4EE.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary are currently recruiting special constables, who provide vital support to a whole range of policing activities.  They say:

“Special Constables are volunteer police officers who play a vital role in Cambridgeshire
Constabulary. You will get the chance to work alongside regular police officers, using skills and experiences from your day job to give something back to the community.

It’s demanding. After all, you’ll have to give up at least 16 hours of your spare time each month. But helping to protect and support Cambridgeshire and the people who live, work and visit here is really satisfying too.

Being flexible is essential as we cover all of the cities, towns and villages. Specials wear the same uniform and carry the same powers and responsibilities as regular police officers. They’re involved in all aspects of policing Cambridgeshire, enjoying a variety of roles and duties such as:

• Foot and vehicle patrols
• Roads policing
• Assisting in the event of accidents, fights and fires
• Road safety initiatives
• Rural crime Initiatives
• House-to-house enquiries
• Plain clothes enquiries
• Public safeguarding
• Helping ensure public safety and security at both local and major events
• Presenting evidence in court

As a Special, you’ll make a real difference and gain unique experiences, you simply can’t get anywhere else. If this sounds like something you could do then why not visit our website?”

Last night (8 January) saw the first East Cambridgeshire District Council full council meeting of 2015. Of particular interest to Sutton were the two items on Neighbourhood Plans: one to agree Sutton Parish Council’s application to be considered a neighbourhood plan area, the other to agree the process by which the District Council will play the part it must play by law in supporting the parish council through the process.

This means that the parish can now proceed to the next stage of drawing up its plan and consulting local residents on it. We will shortly receive a questionnaire from the parish council as the next stage in this process.

I welcomed the application, and congratulated the parish council on being the first one in East Cambridgeshire to start this process.

The council unanimously supported a motion from my group to support Ely & Soham Dial a Ride, which had said it would wind down in March due to financial difficulties, and ensure a sustainable community transport service for the future. The council also agreed a separate report proposing to provide one-off financial support of £15,000 to Ely & Soham Dial a Ride and offer in-kind support to the organisation in a complete review of its operation.

Following the announcement by Tesco yesterday morning that it would not be proceeding with its proposal to develop a new superstore at a new location on Angel Drove in Ely, I asked the council leader an urgent question about what this meant for his strategy including for the Station Gateway project and the Ely Southern Bypass.

The Leader replied that he and the council’s Chief Executive were informed of Tesco’s decision by brief letter yesterday morning and had held a number of meetings. He said Tesco’s decision would not stop him in his determination to build the Ely Southern Bypass (though it’s not clear on what financial basis, now that there is no Government money this coming year either), but that he had always seen the Station Gateway project as ‘long term’ – which is somewhat surprising as the Supplementary Planning Document was due to be finalised in the next few months.  I will be seeking further information about the effect of the announcement on the finances and the timetable of this project.

An application has been received by the District Council for a single storey rear extension at 10 Sutton Court.  You can see the application details online: click View the weekly list, and choose the Simple tab. The reference number of this application is 14/01427/FUL.

The application can also be viewed at the District Council offices during office hours, or at the parish council offices at The Glebe by arrangement with the Parish Clerk.

If you wish to comment on this application, you need to do so by Friday 30 January.

A planning application has been received by East Cambridgeshire District Council for an additional four-bedroomed property at 3 Ely Road, on the corner of Churchill Close.

The application is online on the district council’s website – search for reference number 14/01392/FUL.  Alternatively it can be viewed at the Council’s offices in Ely during office hours, or the Parish Council holds a copy of the application which can be viewed by arrangement with the Parish Clerk.

Comments on the application may be received by the district council until 23 January 2015 – and of course as your district councillor I would be interested in any views you may have.