Local wildlife will thrive along Cambridgeshire’s roads this spring as grass cutting is paused to support animals and plant life.

Cambridgeshire County Council will stop cutting grass on its road verges during May this year to support local biodiversity, with a particular focus on pollinators such as bees. 

‘No Mow May’ is run by Plantlife, an organisation that promotes the maintenance and growth of wildflowers, plants and fungi. According to Plantlife, more than 700 species of wildflowers grow on road verges in the UK. That’s almost 45 per cent of the total wildflower species found across the country.

The Council is committed to improving the environment and tackling climate change, and declared a climate and environment emergency in 2019. It has also set the target for Cambridgeshire to reach net zero emissions by 2045, and for the County Council to reach net zero by 2030.

Cutting the grass less often will help reduce carbon emissions, as well as providing habitats for pollinators, such as bees, to thrive. The Council is also encouraging all local parish councils that cut verges on its behalf to take part in No Mow May.

Road safety is a priority for Cambridgeshire County Council, so in agreement with Plantlife the Council will still cut grass where leaving it could cause danger, such as at junctions or bends.

The County Council worked closely with Plantlife to develop its current grass cutting protocol around highways and verges. These changes protect wildlife corridors, and help support wildflowers, bees and plant species to thrive.

For more information on its current verge maintenance policy, which came into place last year, visit the Council’s website here.

For more information on Plantlife see https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk or https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/discover-wild-plants-nature/no-mow-may

… except for Pymoor, Little Downham, and Way Head

The compulsory housing requirement for poultry and captive birds will come to an end tomorrow (Monday 2 May).

However, the remaining requirements of the national Avian Influenza Prevention Zone will remain in place for all captive birds, whether commercial or backyard flocks. There will be a continued onus on scrupulous biosecurity. Poultry gatherings will remain banned.

The exception is the current three-kilometre protection zone north of Ely – Pymoor, Little Downham, and Way Head in particular. This followed a confirmed case of bird flu last month. The extensive restrictions within the Declaratory Order will continue until further notice which includes the requirement to house birds.

Defra introduced the national measures on 29 November 2021 to control the spread of bird flu. The country has seen unprecedented numbers of cases this year, with over 100 cases confirmed, affecting much of the UK including Cambridgeshire.

Bird keepers in the rest of the county are being encouraged to start preparing outside areas now and Defra have produced guidance on preparatory steps How to prepare for when your free-range birds can be let outside again (publishing.service.gov.uk)

All bird keepers must:

• cleanse and disinfect clothing, footwear, equipment and vehicles before and after contact with poultry and captive birds – if practical, use disposable protective clothing
• reduce the movement of people, vehicles or equipment to and from areas where poultry and captive birds are kept, to minimise contamination from manure, slurry and other products, and use effective vermin control
• thoroughly cleanse and disinfect housing on a continuous basis
• keep fresh disinfectant at the right concentration at all farm and poultry housing entry and exit points
• minimise direct and indirect contact between poultry and captive birds and wild birds, including making sure all feed and water is not accessible to wild birds

Defra is also encouraging all keepers, even those with fewer than 50 birds, to register their flocks so that they can be notified if a disease outbreak happens near them. For keepers of 50 or more birds, registration is compulsory. To register visit Poultry (including game birds): registration rules and forms – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

For further information about any of the restrictions or for further guidance visit Avian influenza (bird flu) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The average family is facing a £5,550 tax hike over the next decade as a result of Conservative tax rises, new research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on Boris Johnson to scrap the tax hikes and bring in an emergency tax cut in the Queen’s Speech, to help families struggling with the cost of  living crisis. 

The research by the House of Commons Library finds that even after Rishi Sunak’s promised cut to income tax in 2024, families will still be left poorer by around £600 a year.

The analysis is based on a typical household with two earners on a median salary of £33,790. It looks at the total impact of the tax changes announced by the Conservatives since 2021, including the freezing of income tax thresholds and the National Insurance rise.

The research finds that this average household would face a £3,250 tax hike from the freezing of income tax thresholds, and another £2,300 from the National Insurance rise. The additional taxes paid per year would peak at £630 in 2024, then fall to £480 in 2025 when Rishi Sunak’s promised tax cut comes in. The additional tax burden will then increase again to £610 a year by 2030 as the freeze to income tax thresholds continues to bite.

The Liberal Democrats are demanding an emergency tax cut through slashing VAT from 20% to 17.5% for one year – a move that would save families an average of £600 this year. It has prepared legislation to implement this tax cut, which it says the Chancellor could bring into force ‘at the stroke of a pen’.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“Even after Rishi Sunak’s promised tax cut, the average family faces a staggering £5,500 tax hike over the next decade. It shows there is no light at the end of the tunnel under this Conservative government, just years of painful tax rises.

“This country is faced with a law-breaking Prime Minister and a tax-hiking Chancellor. We desperately need a change of leadership at the top and the local elections this week are a chance to say so.

“Now is not the time to be hiking people’s taxes, just as energy bills and inflation go through the roof. People are facing a cost-of-living crisis, and they need an emergency tax cut now.”

East Cambridgeshire District Council has published the following planning applications in the Sutton division.

22/00464/FUL
Sutton
39 Mill Field Sutton CB6 2QB
Proposed single storey side extension.

22/00421/LBC
Sutton
Rectory Farm 6 Station Road Sutton
Replacement windows (as indicated on drawings).

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

• 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

217 police stations and counters across England have closed since 2015, according to shocking new figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats.

That’s the equivalent of over one police station closing every two weeks in the past seven years under the Conservatives.

Liberal Democrats obtained the figures through Freedom Of Information requests to every police force in England and Wales.

Cambridgeshire alone has seen five police stations and counters, including Ely, close to the public since 2015. 

Liberal Democrats are urging a return to community policing. Their three-point plan aims to crack down on crime and anti-social behaviour and reverse years of Conservative neglect.

1. Restore proper community policing, where officers are more visible, trusted and known personally to local people.
2. Reverse Conservative cuts to youth services by investing an extra £500 million a year via a ring-fenced fund to Local Authorities.
3. Scrap Police and Crime Commissioners and use the £50 million savings to invest in frontline policing and solving crimes.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey MP said: 

“Shuttered police stations have become a symbol of the Conservatives’ failure on crime. Too many people feel unsafe on their own streets, and too many criminals are getting away with it.

“The Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted, and focused on cutting crime. 

“This May people will have a chance to send Boris Johnson’s Conservatives a message. A vote for the Liberal Democrats is a vote for more investment in our police and youth services to help make our communities safer.”

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

22/00457/FUL
Sutton
68 Bellairs Sutton CB6 2RW
Proposed ground floor rear and side extension.

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

National media reports state that fraudsters are cold-calling people and posing as government representatives and then requesting bank details to receive the government’s £150 energy rebate.

The one-off rebate is available to most properties in bands A-D, around four-fifths of homes in England.

All households with properties in the above bands which pay council tax by direct debit will receive the rebate directly into their bank account, while others will be sent a letter with details of how to claim.

Please DO NOT give out any of your bank details in response to a cold call including telephone, text, email, or social media platforms.

If you want genuine information and guidance on the rebate, visit the official government website www.gov.uk.

For the media article about the scam visit New scam warning as cold-callers pretend to offer £150 energy bill rebate | UK News | Sky News. If you suspect you are a victim of a scam, contact your bank first and then report to Action Fraud.

Tomorrow evening (21 April) I’ll be making the following proposal to East Cambridgeshire District Council. I very much hope it will be supported by the District Council’s ruling group.

There is actually a Changing Places toilet in The Hive sports centre on the A10 near Ely. But it’s not been added to the national Changing Places map. Nor is it signposted on the appropriate page of the district council’s website. And of course if you’re in the middle of Ely on a day out, then having to pack everything up, drive to the other side of the A10, and negotiate with the staff on the entrance to let you in without charging you a fee is hardly convenient.

It would be great if we could do better than this.

This Council notes that:

• Not every Council owned or managed public toilet in East Cambridgeshire is accessible for people with disabilities.
• The Government has decided that large accessible toilets for severely disabled people—known as Changing Places toilets—will be made compulsory for large new buildings, such as shopping centres, supermarkets, sports and arts venues. The Changing Places interactive map at https://www.changing-places.org/find indicates that there is not a single Changing Places toilet in the whole of East Cambridgeshire, and that the nearest Changing Places toilets for residents of the district are at Eddington, Bar Hill, and Mildenhall. Furthermore East Cambridgeshire is the only district in Cambridgeshire for which no Changing Places grant funding was awarded by Government in March this year.
• The charity Crohn’s and Colitis UK is encouraging venues providing accessible toilets to install new signage—two standing figures and a wheelchair user with the words Accessible Toilet and the logo ‘Not every disability is visible’. This is to help stop stigma and discrimination towards people with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis and other invisible conditions. There have been instances nationally where such individuals using an accessible toilet have been accused by staff members of being ineligible to use them.

This Council believes that:

• Provision of good quality, accessible, well-signed public toilets is important not only as a human right, but also for its potential to attract tourists to East Cambridgeshire and enable East Cambridgeshire residents to enjoy the amenities of the district.
• Every public toilet should be accessible for people with disabilities.
• Severely disabled people and their families or carers should be able to spend time in public places confident that a Changing Places toilet is available within a reasonable enough distance not to curtail their visit.
• People with invisible disabilities should be able to use accessible toilets without fear of stigma or discrimination.

This Council resolves to:

• Review disability access to every public toilet provision in East Cambridgeshire, and where this is not in place draw up a plan for installation of disability access arrangements, or make arrangements to replace the toilet with one which can be adapted and which is within a reasonable distance from the inaccessible toilet.
• Engage with businesses and partner organisations across East Cambridgeshire to identify premises, regardless of ownership, where a Changing Places toilet could be installed; work with them to access Government grant or other funding; and ensure that any Changing Places toilets so installed are properly signposted for visitors.
• Ensure that existing public toilets are signed in line with Crohn’s & Colitis UK guidance; ask town and district centre retailers and leisure outlets to do likewise with their accessible toilets; and seek advice from Crohn’s & Colitis UK on the information and training this Council should provide to council staff members to enable them to understand these conditions and to prevent potential embarrassment for those who suffer with them.

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

22/00365/FUL
Sutton
34 Garden Close Sutton CB6 2RF
Demolition of existing garage, porch and rear extension. Construction of larger porch and single storey rear and side extensions.

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

22/00018/FUL
Little Downham
Downham Feoffees School Main Street Little Downham
Retain existing mobile classroom.

22/00388/FUL
Little Downham
Land north west of Springfields Straight Furlong Pymoor
Extension to existing building for storage of drainage equipment.

22/00397/FUL
Little Downham
24 Pymoor Lane Pymoor CB6 2EE
Proposed access gate, brick piers and front fencing.

22/00340/FUL
Little Downham
The Common House 1A Second Drove Little Downham
Front porch infill, garage conversion and external alterations.

22/00314/FUL
Witchford
24 Sutton Road Witchford CB6 2HX
Loft conversion.

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