Liberal Democrat, Labour, and Independent Groups on Cambridgeshire County Council have hammered out an agreement for a Joint Administration to run the Council.

More information, and a copy of the agreement, at https://www.cambridgeshirelibdems.org.uk/joint_administration_agreement

As a member of the negotiating team which produced the agreement, I’m really pleased that three groups of councillors on Cambridgeshire County Council have been able to put aside their differences and seek to work for the common good of residents in Cambridgeshire.

These will be testing times, and the road won’t always be smooth, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. Cllr Lucy Nethsingha is a longstanding county councillor and I have every confidence in her as the next Leader of the Council.

Over the weekend the Liberal Democrat and Labour groups will be meeting (separately!) to decide on the appointments they will propose to the various committees, including Chairs and Vice Chairs. The appointments will be finalised by the Full Council meeting of the County Council, which will take place on Tuesday (18 May) in the Conservation Hall at the Imperial War Museum at Duxford*.

*The safest place that can accommodate an in-person meeting of 61 councillors, plus council officers, press, and public, during a pandemic, thanks to the Government’s refusal to make the small amount of time needed to extend the COVID rules allowing councils to meet on Zoom. Helpful, not.

As COVID restrictions take the next step towards lifting next week, the Foodbank will be opening up some centres for clients to collect their food. 

It will not be possible to offer clients any refreshment, and food parcels including household items and toiletries will be pre-packed ready to take away.

Opening dates

• March: Tuesday 18 May, 1:00-2:30PM, Centenary Baptist Church, High Street, March
• Ely: Friday 21 May, 1:00-2:30PM, Countess Free Church, Chapel Street, Ely
• Haddenham: Monday 7 June, 1:00-2:00PM, Holy Trinity Church, Haddenham

• If you find yourself unable to afford food due to your circumstances and need some help, find out how Ely Foodbank can assist https://ely.foodbank.org.uk/get-help/foodbank-vouchers/

Firstly, a huge Thank You to the residents of Sutton Division for re-electing me as your County Councillor for a further four years. It is a privilege to represent such wonderful communities in such a lovely part of the country.

Results

The result in Sutton was

• Lorna Dupré (Lib Dem): 2155 (65.3 per cent)
• Jonathan Farmer (Con): 972 (29.4 per cent)
• Carlos Toranzos (Lab): 175 (5.3 per cent)

Elsewhere in East Cambridgeshire, the two Ely seats changed hands from Conservative to Liberal Democrat, and the two new councillors are Alison Whelan (Ely North) and Piers Coutts (Ely South).

On the County Council as a whole, the Conservatives lost overall control, and now have 28 out of the 61 seats. The Liberal Democrats have 20, Labour nine, and the Independents four. The Annual Meeting of the Council will take place on Tuesday 18 May, when a Leader of the Council should be elected. (The meeting must take place in person, as the law allowing online meetings has expired, and the Government has not extended it. The venue will be the Imperial War Museum at Duxford.)

In what was probably the most significant result of the election, the Mayor of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, James Palmer (Conservative), lost his seat to Nik Johnson (Labour). The Mayor and his Combined Authority have considerable powers over transport, housing, business funding and skills, and this result will inevitably lead to a major change of direction for some very major projects.

And finally, the new Police & Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough is Darryl Preston (Conservative).

A day of huge significance for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, as James Palmer’s Mayoral empire comes crashing down.

With a new (Labour) Mayor, and Liberal Democrat gains in South and East Cambridgeshire helping tip the County Council into No Overall Control, the political dynamics of the next four years in Cambridgeshire will be very different.

The County Council’s annual council meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 18 May. It’s not yet known who will lead the County Council. It’s also not yet known who will represent the Council on the new Mayor’s Combined Authority Board. Some decisions of the Mayor require the support of a two-thirds majority of Board members. That could be difficult for a Labour Mayor, who will need to get at least one Conservative Board member on side for each of those decisions, as – whatever happens at the County Council – three other member Councils (East Cambridgeshire, Fenland, and Huntingdonshire) will continue to send a Conservative representative to the Combined Authority.

A new Mayor will no doubt mean a change of direction in a number of key policy areas. Mayor Johnson is already on record as seeking to scrap his predecessor’s much-vaunted CAM metro. And it appears that he may be more interested than his predecessor in working with registered housing providers, and perhaps less interested in promoting ‘Community Land Trusts’.

There will also undoubtedly be implications for East Cambridgeshire District Council. The District Council and its Trading Company have enthusiastically pushed for loans from the Combined Authority for their ‘Community Land Trust’ schemes, and the Combined Authority has eagerly reciprocated with funding for these and for their favoured developer Laragh Homes. Will the new Mayor be so supportive of the District Council’s approach?

Much change ahead.

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

21/00555/FUL
Little Downham
Land south east of Guildacre Mill Hill Little Downham
Change of use of land to equestrian use – including manège, stable block, hay barn and muck heap area with parking area.

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.

Plans to create new surgical facilities at Hinchingbrooke Hospital have reached a significant milestone following national approval of an Outline Business Case to construct a new, purpose-built operating theatres block on the site.

This means the Trust that runs Hinchingbrooke can now develop the Full Business Case, and, subject to planning permission from the local authority, commence construction on site this year.

The theatres block construction forms Phase 2 of the redevelopment plans for Hinchingbrooke. Phase 1, the urgent care improvement works, has been completed. Phase 3 will see the replacement of the old hospital building to fully modernise Hinchingbrooke.

More information here.

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

21/00623/FUL
Coveney
39A Main Street Coveney CB6 2DJ
Alteration to existing bungalow windows and roof over entrance. Conversion of garage to bedroom and construction of detached double garage.

21/00498/FUL
Little Downham
39 Main Street Pymoor CB6 2ED
Proposed outbuilding and log store.

21/00586/FUL
Mepal
11 River Close Mepal CB6 2AN
Proposed single storey rear 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.

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

21/00588/LBC
Coveney
Manor House 2 Main Street Coveney
Proposed new access gates, re-aligned access and boundary wall fronting Main Street, porch re-build and new front door, change of use of land and boundary, treatment to rear/side.

21/00618/FUL
Little Downham
20 Bury Green Little Downham CB6 2UH
Two storey rear extension.

21/00417/FUL
Mepal
Low Bank Farm Low Bank Mepal
Construction of one four-bedroom, two-storey detached dwelling and garage.

21/00609/FUL
Sutton
164 High Street Sutton CB6 2NR
Single storey rear extension, two-storey side extension and a new front entrance porch with a canopy.

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.

21/00525/FUL
Coveney
Manor House 2 Main Street Coveney
Change of use of land and boundary treatment to rear/side.  New access gates, re-aligned access and boundary wall fronting Main Street. Porch re-build and new front door.

21/00461/FUL
Little Downham
6A Third Drove Little Downham CB6 2UE
Construction of one four-bedroom, single-storey detached dwelling (removal of agricultural conversion building).

21/00532/FUL
Little Downham
Land behind 20-24 Straight Furlong Pymoor
Construction of two three-bedroom, single-storey detached dwellings (plots 6 and 8).

21/00562/FUL
Little Downham
43 Lawn Lane Little Downham CB6 2TS
Existing garage and store to be demolished and relocated. Internal alterations, first floor side extension, and two-storey rear extension.

21/00518/LBC
Sutton
The Burystead Bury Lane Sutton
Alterations to three existing modern ground floor windows to provide double glazed units, including replacement of modern concrete sills with new lead sills.

21/00580/FUL
Witchford
8 Elm Close Witchford CB6 2JH
Shed/outbuilding at the bottom of the garden to be used as a golf simulator studio (retrospective).

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.

Arrangements are now in place for residents who wish to mark the death of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Condolences

An online book of condolence has been set up by Cambridgeshire County Council https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/news/book-of-condolence-his-royal-highness-the-duke-of-edinburgh. This will remain open until 6:00PM on Saturday 17 April for any resident wishing to sign it.

For residents who are not able to participate in the online book of condolence, arrangements are currently being made for councils to accept postal condolence messages, which will then be collected and placed together. East Cambridgeshire District Council will be taking part in this, so residents can choose to send condolence messages to the Council at The Grange, Nutholt Lane, Ely CB7 4EE clearly marked ‘condolence book’.

From Monday 12 April, residents will also be able to drop off written  condolence messages at their nearest Cambridgeshire library. They can do this by placing condolences in the clearly marked boxes. 

Donations

The Royal Family has requested that members of the public consider making a donation to a charity of their choice instead of leaving floral tributes. See https://www.royal.uk/floral-tributes for the official announcement.