District councillor for Sutton, Mepal, Witcham, and Wentworth (East Cambridgeshire District Council) and county councillor for Coveney, Little Downham, Mepal, Pymoor, Sutton, Wardy Hill, Way Head, Witcham, and Witchford (Cambridgeshire County Council)
Mandatory housing measures for all poultry and captive birds have been introduced to all areas of England from today, 7 November.
The housing measures legally require all bird keepers to keep their birds indoors and to follow stringent biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from the disease, regardless of type or size.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), are working to spread awareness of the current England-wide housing order and biosecurity advice that all bird keepers should follow, to help stop the spread of the disease.
Cambridgeshire Schools Forum met on Friday amid rising concern about the practical impact of ‘desperate’ financial pressures on schools and Academy Trusts, and agreed the need to bring concrete examples to the attention of local MPs. Recording of meeting here particularly from 1:10:00 onwards.
East Cambridgeshire District Council has published the following related planning applications in the Sutton division.
22/01218/FUL Mepal Pond Farm 3 High Street Mepal Domestic out-buildings and curtilage alterations (part retrospective).
22/01219/LBC Mepal Pond Farm 3 High Street Mepal Domestic out-buildings and curtilage alterations (part retrospective).
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);
New legal changes laid in Parliament for approval mean that in future Mayoral elections will be carried out using the outdated First Past The Post election system currently used in English elections for Parliament and local councils.
This will prevent people exercising a second choice, which was how Cambridgeshire & Peterborough managed to oust its unpopular Conservative mayor James Palmer last year.
And starting with the council elections next May, voters will have to bring identification with them to the polling station.
According to the Electoral Reform Society, which has written about the Voter ID pilot schemes carried out in 2019, far more people were turned away from polling stations for not having ID than have been found to have committed voter fraud—the supposed reason for this change. And requiring voter ID can have a potentially disproportionate impact on certain groups.
The conclusion of the article studying the pilot schemes was that this change “poses a risk to democratic access and equality”.
There is no doubt why the Government is doing this.
The Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire is hosting a rural crime round table on Wednesday 30 November at Pidley Lakeside Lodge at 5:00PM.
This face to face event is an opportunity for local farmers, rural businesses, and residents to come together and find out what the Commissioner is doing with partners to help keep our communities safe.
Contributions by the Constabulary’s Rural Crime Action team (RCAT), Countryside Watch and National Farmers Union will provide the latest prevention advice, and offer the opportunity to raise any questions or concerns.
Please register your interest by emailing nicola.goddard@cambs.police.uk and a confirmation email including the agenda will be sent to you in due course.
Light refreshments and onsite parking will be available. Please note: this event is by invitation only.
The weekly email in my inbox from Peter Landshoff on behalf of Natural Cambridgeshire is always a worthwhile read.
Some particularly interesting links in this week’s email, from which I’d recommend these if I could choose only three.
(1) The UK’s critical national infrastructure is very vulnerable to extreme weather and other effects of climate change. We touched upon this at local level yesterday in discussions in Huntingdon with the National Infrastructure Commission, where I raised the issue of the sudden and profound effects of drought damage on so many of our local fen roads. But other critical infrastructure is also at risk. “Major power outages, landslides onto roads, buckling train lines and flooding of infrastructure sites: these are all realistic scenarios, and can lead to ‘cascading’ risks affecting other CNI [critical national infrastructure] sectors.”
(2) Environmental targets have been delayed, meaning the Government will breach the Environment Act and will not be ready to present its targets at COP27 this month. The ongoing reality TV show that passes for government in the UK at the moment has left many important issues hanging for months and more. We still don’t know what it’s intending to do about planning policy, for example. Or East West Rail or the Ely Area Capacity Enhancements for rail services, which have a national impact. But the climate crisis isn’t hanging around waiting for the government to get its act together.
(3) The economic consequences of man-made climate change fall most heavily on those nations least responsible for heating the planet. Cumulative 1992–2013 losses from anthropogenic extreme heat likely fall between $5 trillion and $29.3 trillion globally. Losses amount to 6.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product per capita per year for regions in the bottom income decile, but only 1.5 per cent for regions in the top income decile. Global inequality is both a cause and consequence of the unequal burden of climate change. (And of course much of the movement of millions of people around the world, decried by populist politicians and populist press, is about their need to escape the severe effects of climate change for which they are not responsible.)
An avian flu Order has been declared for Somersham, with a 3km Protection Zone and a 10km Surveillance Zone.
Sutton, Mepal, and Witcham all fall in the 10km surveillance zone.
In the 3km zone immediately around Somersham, all birds must be housed; poultry captive birds and mammals cannot be moved unless licensed (with an exception for pets with no risk of exposure to the disease); strict rules control the disposal of carcasses; litter, poultry manure and slurry can only be removed from a premises or spread under licence; there are extensive restrictions on movement of poultry, eggs, poultry meat and carcasses into, within and out of the zone; and requirements imposed of slaughterhouses receiving poultry from this zone. All bird gatherings and release of game birds are prohibited. Strict rules apply in terms of biosecurity and disinfecting.
In the 10km zone extending to Sutton, Mepal, and Witcham, lesser restrictions are in place. No housing is required (although note the forthcoming national housing order being introduced from Monday 7 November) but there is still a requirement to keep extensive records; movement restrictions are in place; strict biosecurity, cleansing and disinfection requirements apply; litter, poultry manure and slurry can only be removed from a premises or spread under licence, and all bird gatherings and release of game bird are prohibited.
The Order for Somersham and associated map can be accessed here.
An interactive map is also available which enables the user to enter their postcode to determine if their birds fall within the zone APHA Interactive Disease Map (arcgis.com)
Information is also available regarding the wider disease situation, guidance for bird keepers, guidance for the public, and health implications Avian influenza (bird flu) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
An appeal has been launched to find more foster carers in Cambridgeshire and Peterboroughfor unaccompanied children who are seeking asylum.
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fostering Service urgently needs carers to meet the needs of children and young people who are often forced to leave their family and country behind to seek protection from violence, persecution, war, detention, climate change, terrorism, or the disappearance of their family.
The Anglian (Great Ouse) Regional Flood & Coastal Committee, which covers our area, is looking for two new independent members.
Anglian (Great Ouse) RFCC stretches from Kings Lynn in the north to Stevenage in the south. It reaches as far east as Attleborough and as far west as Banbury. (See this on a map.)
The Committee is looking for people with the following experience.
An applicant from the academic community, with expertise in environment issues including climate change adaptation and mitigation.
An applicant from a water company background.
The roles will be available from January 2023. They are not paid, but are an amazing opportunity to get involved with issues that really matter, gain new skills and experience, and build networks. The RFCC covers reasonable out-of-pocket expenses and time off work. You will need to be able to join four meetings a year and prepare by reading papers in advance.
You can read more about the role of RFCCs in the candidate pack, and more information about the roles is available here. The closing date for applications is Sunday 27 November.
East Cambridgeshire District Council has published the following planning applications in the Sutton division.
22/01213/FUL Mepal 7A High Street Mepal CB6 2AW Extension and alterations to existing store at 7A High Street, creation of 2 bedroom flat above 7A High Street including access and alteration to the access of 7 High Street.
22/00982/FUL Sutton 3 Pound Lane Sutton CB6 2PR Single storey extension to rear and associated works.
22/01000/FUL Wentworth Victoria House Main Street Wentworth Loft conversion with dormer window.
22/01000/FUL Witcham The Bury Meadows Bury Road Witcham Clear back the emerging surface vegetation 1m either side of the current clear usable surface (2m currently). This vegetation is primarily bramble and young blackthorn suckers. In order to enable safe use of the route by horse riders any encroaching vegetation / branches within this clearance width will be cut back to a height of 4m.
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);
