Network Rail is proposing to close or change the use of 33 level crossings across Cambridgeshire by altering the public Rights of Way network.  These include crossings at

• West River Bridge, Little Thetford
• Ely North Junction
• Second Drove, Ely
• Prickwillow 1, Ely
• Prickwillow 2, Ely
• Munceys, Fordham
• Wicken Road, Soham
• Leonards, Soham
• Newmarket Bridge, Ely
• Wells Engine, Ely
• Adelaide, Ely
• Cross Keys, Ely
• Furlong Drove, Little Downham
• Black Horse Drove, Littleport
• Clayway, Littleport
• Coffue Drove, Little Downham
• Littleport Station, Littleport
• Poplar Drove, Littleport
• Willow Row/Willow Road, Littleport

East Cambridgeshire District Council has vacancies for canvassers to help compile the register of electors for this year.  The job involves delivering household enquiry forms (Stage One: 28 July to 10 August), and visiting properties that have not responded to collect information about the occupants and their eligibility to vote (Stage Two: 6 October to 31 October).

The council has vacancies in various areas including Ely, Littleport and Witcham. The work is part-time and can be done from home.

You should not be politically active to take on any aspect of this work, and you should not be a county, district or parish councillor.

You should:

• Be able to deal with members of the public
• Be conscientious
• Have clear handwriting
• Be able to work to deadlines
• Be available to canvass properties during the day, in the evenings and at weekends as required.

The fees are based on the two stages of employment and are paid per property within a village or area.  Holiday pay and any bonuses earned will be paid at the end of the canvass. Full instructions, details of pay and full training will be given.

Payment for Stage One is 17p per property.  Payment for Stage Two is 70p per property and a one off fee to cover mileage of £50 or alternatively you can record your mileage and be paid 40p per mile.  You will also need to complete detailed canvass working sheets during Stage Two.

The closing date for completed applications is Thursday 21 July 2016. If you are interested or would like to know more, please contact the council’s Electoral Services Section on 01353 616460 or 01353 616459.

East Cambridgeshire District Council has received a planning application to build nine two-storey dwellings with garages on the site of the empty bungalow at 123 High Street, Sutton.  Details of the application are online on the council’s planning pages.

The application (reference number 16/00655/OUT) is open for consultation until Friday 17 June 2016.  If you would like to respond formally to the council about the application, any comments should be addressed to the district council and not to me.  Comments may be made

• Online using the council’s public access webpage (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 part of the process of reviewing its Local Plan for the next 20 years, East Cambridgeshire District Council recently issued a ‘call for sites’.  This is an invitation to landowners, developers and others to suggest sites which may be suitable for development – for housing, employment or any other uses.

A full list of the sites which were submitted has now been published on the council’s local plan review webpage (see under Call For Sites Report).

Important note: this list is simply a list of the sites that have been submitted by landowners and developers. It does not in any way suggest that the council supports development on these sites, or would give permission for this to happen.

The next stage is for council officers to review all these suggested sites, and to make recommendations about which should be considered for development and which should not. This will happen over the coming months, and a further round of public consultation on the next draft of the local plan will take place in November and December.

Dementia Awareness Week, 15 – 21 May, encourages people to confront their worries about dementia. Dementia Friends will be giving information sessions as part of the initiative and will be at Ely Library on Wednesday 18 May from 2.30pm to 3.30pm. More information about Dementia Friends can be found on the Dementia Friends website.

An application (15/01477/FUL) for the continued use of Rose Barn on Ely Road as a wedding venue was recommended by East Cambs planning officers to be rejected at tomorrow’s meeting of the Planning Committee.

But the applicants have now withdrawn the application for further discussions with the highways authority, who have objected. It’s expected that a revised application will be submitted shortly.

Cambridgeshire Community Fair takes place on the afternoon of Tuesday 7 June from 2:00pm to 6:00pm at Burgess Hall, Westwood Road, St Ives PE27 6WU.  The event will include stalls, workshops, and the opportunity to share ideas and experiences.  If you are involved in community projects locally, or have a project in mind, this event will help you fund, build and do more in your community, by putting you in touch with those who can help. Find out more and view the programme here.

The Care Quality Commission will be inspecting Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust on 10-12 May. They are inviting public comments on experiences of care at the hospital, which will help them to know which aspects of the hospital to look at during the inspection. Details of how to give your feedback are on the poster.

Tomorrow (Saturday 23 April) the Friends of Ely Library are holding a morning ‘cuppa and cake for £1’ event from 10:00am at the library to celebrate the 90th birthday of HM the Queen.

A reminder that the first bank holiday of May is only a couple of weeks away, and that for both of the May bank holidays and the August one, bin collection dates in East Cambridgeshire will be a day later than usual.