We are writing to you, as councillors and campaigners for our interlinked cluster of villages, to keep you informed of local issues involving the District and County Councils. If you would prefer not to receive this email newsletter, please reply asking to be removed from the distribution list. If you know of someone not receiving this newsletter who would like to do so, please ask them to contact philippajhart@btinternet.com, susanvandeven5@gmail.com, or jose@josehales.me.uk.

LET 2017 BE THE YEAR OF EVIDENCE

Thanks for this clarion call, expressed at last week’s City Deal Assembly meeting by Claire Ruskin of the Cambridge Network.

WHAT IS ‘AFFORDABLE HOUSING’?

We thought it would be useful to focus in more depth on recurring issues of public concern.

This month we have decided to tackle the subject of affordable housing, because house prices are out of reach for many on even average incomes in our region. A common rule of thumb to measure ‘affordability’ is that house prices of 3 to 3.5 times income are considered ‘affordable’. In South Cambs, for housing at the cheaper end of the price range it is currently at 12.4 times income. This, added to the fact that private rentals at the lower end of the market are in short supply and for those relying on housing benefit to pay their rent, the difference between the Local Housing Allowance Rate and the rent payable on average there is a shortfall of £260 per month.

There are currently over 1,700 people waiting on the South Cambs District Council’s housing register. The council owns and manages just over 5,200 rented homes and 460 leasehold/equity share homes. Across the UK, whereas nearly half (46%) of all 25 year-olds owned their home 20 years ago, only a fifth are on the housing ladder today. Just 6,550 social rented homes UK wide were built in 2015/16 representing a drop of 88% from 20 years ago, when 56,950 were built in 1995/6.

This is a societal problem in our region: professions which formerly would have paid well enough in a less over-heated housing market to be able to fund the purchase of a dwelling are now dropping out of eligibility to do so. We need teachers, nurses and other vital service providers to be able to afford to live near to where they work. One of the exacerbating factors is that councils have had their house building programmes decimated by government cuts and a social rent freeze such that social housing build projects are now few and far between. Another is that although to be policy compliant development schemes of three homes or more should be at least 40% affordable, developers often seek and manage to avoid this requirement – especially now during the suspension of the Local Plan.

You might also have heard about Rural Exception Sites which are defined as outside the Local Plan, but which are permitted to be brought forward for housing provided they deliver 100% affordable housing. There should be a local lettings policy in place on these sites requiring the homes to be offered to local people in the first instance. The perception has sometimes been that this is not in fact what happens; in practice what can happen is that there a mismatch between local people who register an interest when a scheme is in the pipeline and then still able to take up the housing when it is built. It then cascades out geographically to others on the housing wait list.

Next month we will provide an in-depth focus on the suspension of the Local Plan.

NEW SPECULATIVE PLANNING APPLICATION: LAND TO THE EAST OF THE MOOR

A public consultation with just a few days’ notice took place on Thursday evening at the Melbourn Hub, for a private development of 23 dwellings on land to the east of The Moor, Melbourn, which is outside the village envelope. Jose attended the consultation and would be happy to answer questions.

Concern is mounting over the number of speculative planning applications continuing to pop up everywhere, in the never-ending suspension of the Local Plan development framework – because outside of a Local Plan, speculative developments are by definition never aligned to a public infrastructure plan. So, there is no protected formula for ensuring the necessary increases in capacity at schools, GP surgeries and on the roads; nor is there any guarantee of affordable housing provision. Therefore exceptional scrutiny is required.

WHADDON ROAD MELDRETH: SPECULATIVE PLANNING APPLICATION UPDATE

We understand that this speculative planning application for 150 homes (which falls severely short of the standard 40% affordable housing requirement) on part of the Marley Eternit site will not be ready to submit in time for the February meeting of the South Cambs District Council Planning Committee. Any queries, please contact Philippa.

MAYOR: ON THE BALLOT PAPER, HELD TO ACCOUNT

As we reported before Christmas, councils in this region have now voted through a devolution package which will lead to mayoral candidates for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough appearing alongside Cambridgeshire County Council candidates on the ballot papers in May.

The constituent councils will be called the ‘Combined Authority’ and one (perhaps the only) of the checks and balances on the power of the mayoralty will be its Scrutiny and Overview Committee. This will be a committee composed by proportional representation across the whole mayoral region and it is currently being assembled.

SO WHY SHOULD WE PARTICIPATE IN THE MAYORAL CONTEST?

Like many other aspects of our democratic system with which we disagree and want to see fundamental reform – including the first-past-the-post electoral system for electing Parliament, which leaves huge swathes of opinion unrepresented in national government – we believe it is not an option to disengage. Rather, we believe in working to create the best outcomes, and working for change, from within the system we have.

The Liberal Democrats have selected a respected councillor and campaigner, Rod Cantrill, to be their candidate for Mayor, on the premise that the Mayoral office should seek to deploy power back to local people. The new mayor will have power to shape the nature of the office. We think this must be someone dedicated to local knowledge and decision-making, dispersing power rather than acting as a spokesperson for national government in a manner that consolidates overarching power.

HOW TO CLAIM A CARER’S ALLOWANCE: ARE YOU A CARER?

Many people fulfil the role of carer to a friend or family member, but do not realize that they may be entitled to a ‘Carer’s Allowance.’

The Carer’s Allowance scheme is managed by central government, not the local council, and information is clearly set out here.

Please do check as to your rights, and should you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us.

GRITTING ROUTES REINSTATED, STREET LIGHTS SWITCHED BACK ON

Last February’s controversial decision by the County Council’s Conservative/UKIP majority to freeze council tax meant that cuts to public services have been harsher than necessary. The reduction in the winter gritting network was one example. A Liberal Democrat proposal to reinstate the network was unanimously supported at the December meeting, and as of January 13 the pre-cuts network is up and running again. This has meant hiring new staff and acquiring additional vehicles – changing back and forth in the space of one year to get back to restore the original service.

For this one-off reinstatement of service, funding has needed to be taken from reserves. A long-term funding solution for essential public services is needed.

Similarly, street light switch-off was a result of the Conservative/UKIP council tax freeze policy. Lib Dem councillors supported a motion to switch the lights back on; this too was supported unanimously. The lights are back on.

A505: WHITE LINES REFRESH

A plethora of complaints about poor visibility on the A505, especially due to faded white lines, have been conveyed to County Highways – who have now ordered a refresh of white lines around Flint Cross and the Melbourn junction. This should be carried out very soon.

THERESA MAY’S SINGLE-HANDED SINGLE MARKET EXIT: LEADERSHIP NEEDED FROM HEIDI ALLEN

Following Theresa May’s January 16 announcement of intent to leave the EU single market, a policy for which she has no mandate, we await the reaction of our MP.

Leaving the single market would have profound implications for the wellbeing of the South Cambridgeshire economy and its residents. As housing associations, care homes, GP surgeries and others have pointed out, all areas of our health and social care system are heavily reliant on the free movement of people – one of the ‘Four Freedoms’ of the Single Market. The same is true for a whole range of small and medium sized businesses, all sectors of Cambridge University, and the district’s considerable biotech industry.

Of equal concern is the future of many British/EU mixed nationality families long-settled in South Cambridgeshire – and those young people and retirees from our area who are living long-term in places like Germany, France, Spain and Portugal, with the expectation of seamless arrangements on pensions, employment rights and health care. It is the duty of national leaders to protect and support the public interest.

‘BREXIT AND TRADE DEALS: WHERE ARE WE NOW?’

In a continuing series of local information talks on ‘Brexit on Trade Deals’, Shepreth resident and Royal Holloway Professor Chris Grey will be our guest at Foxton Village Hall on 11 February, 7 for 7:30. A homemade supper and dessert will be followed by a talk and question time. Tickets are £15 or £10 for students – please contact any of us.

Professor Grey has published widely on the subject, most recently as a contributor to The Oxford Socio-Economic Review – ‘Brexit: Understanding the socio-economic origins and consequences’, now available on line.

REDUCING INEQUALITIES IN HEALTH OUTCOMES

A recently published paper on the causes and consequences of inequalities in health outcomes in Cambridgeshire presents a compelling county-wide picture. Key behaviours that determine health outcomes are smoking, physical exercise, alcohol consumption and diet (specifically Vitamin C content).

The headline figures: 10% premature deaths are down to poor health care or poor access to health care, while 40% of premature deaths result from lifestyle. The paper compares the five districts of Cambridgeshire (including Cambridge, East Cambs, Huntingdonshire and Fenland). South Cambs and Fenland present the most extreme outcomes and are almost mirror images of each other, with South Cambs displaying the best outcomes. The one consistent barrier across the whole county is access to housing.

The paper can be viewed here, clicking Item 7: https://cmis.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ccc_live/Meetings/tabid/70/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/192/Committee/6/Default.aspx

OIL CLUB: DONATION TO HOMESTART

Every year, the Melbourn Division Oil Club receives a rebate from its supplier Agricole Oil, which is donated to a local community group that provides key support to local people. This year’s rebate of £115 is being donated to Home-Start Royston and South Cambridgeshire, which provides key support at home for young families experiencing crisis.

The idea of the Oil Club is to enable households to access lowest prices on household heating oil, through bulk buying. There is no joining fee, and no obligation for repeat orders. You simply make a call to the supplier when you want to place an order. If you are interested please ring Agricole Oil on Tel 01954 719 452 / 07860 904 045. (We have spoken to Agricole about a similar arrangement for Whaddon and Bassingbourn-cum-Kneesworth – please contact us if you would be interested.)

Our local Home-Start says that the most commonly identified needs are parent isolation and parental mental health problems. Most of its work is carried out by volunteers, and the overall service is recognised in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire County Council’s care plan – but central government cuts to local authorities mean that the councils are no longer able to give the same financial support to Home-Start. For more information on how to support Home-Start, or if you’d like to access its services, please ring 01763 262262.

Home-Start’s next fundraiser is the About Love concert with the Foxton Singers, at St. John’s Church Royston on 11 February, 7:30 – for tickets and further information ring 01763 262262.

OUT-OF-HOURS GP SERVICE: CHANGE FROM CHESTERTON HOSPITAL TO ADDENBROOKE’S?

The GP surgery out-of-hours service that has been based at Chesterton Hospital for so many years is now considering moving to the Addenbrooke’s site, in order to situate the service where relevant specialist help will be available – including back-up GP coverage. About 10-15% of people who arrive at A & E don’t require A & E services and are asked to head to the GP out-of-hours service instead. Out-of-hours is normally accessed by dialling 111.

This proposal would mean a £3.50 parking charge, standard at Addenbrooke’s – whereas the Chersterton site parking is free.

Bassingbourn Surgery is outside the Cambridgeshire/Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group and sometimes there are anomalies in terms of specialist services. The CCG have confirmed that patients registered at Bassingbourn would be subject to the same move from Chesterton to Addenbrooke’s and are therefore urged to take part in the consultation.

All consultation information is here.

FOXTON CROSSING, BARRINGTON ROAD PEDESTRIAN GATE PROPOSED CLOSURE

Network Rail’s abandonment of its own detailed Feasibility Study for a comprehensive redesign of Foxton Level Crossing, which it had commissioned for the very reason of multiple insoluble safety and mobility constraints in an environment that has evolved piecemeal over time, is now considering a one-off expensive adjustments to a road/rail junction that is no longer fit for purpose.

The proposal to close the Barrington Road pedestrian gate would mean financial savings for Network Rail, due to enabling the removal of the manned signal box. However, their proposed alternative arrangements, which would see moving the A10 road eastward by three metres, in order to accommodate a new pedestrian cycle path directly alongside the road over the level crossing, would not make pedestrians and cyclists safer than they are now, with a passage that is completely segregated from vehicle traffic.

While confident adults might be prepared to traverse the crossing over the proposed new path, the fact that users would no longer be separated from heavy road traffic means that unaccompanied children and anyone less confident or with mobility constraints would be placed in an environment more risky for them, and indeed one which would compound risk for drivers too. It is, all in all, a transferal of risk to pedestrians, cyclists and motorists and a removal of risk and expense for Network Rail.

This point of view has been overwhelmingly expressed by Foxton residents who use the present arrangement on a daily basis. There is also concern that by going ahead with this costly proposal Network Rail would be dis-incentivised to grasp the nettle and move forward with a comprehensive solution for Foxton Level Crossing. Therefore, Susan will not be supporting the proposal, but pressing ahead for a comprehensive solution as expressed through the Feasibility Study. The County Council has taken the same view, and the Highways and Community Infrastructure Committee will shortly vote on whether or not to accept the officer recommendation.

LITTER PICKS: DOCUMENTING THE EVIDENCE AND TAKING ACTION

Litter is a growing problem in our villages, and at this time of year when foliage has disappeared from our hedgerows, every item is an eyesore which lowers both pride in our communities and expectations of collective responsibility for our surroundings. Parishes fund regular village clean-ups but cannot reach the wider areas, and cuts to council budgets mean that our country lanes are increasingly clogged with debris thrown from vehicles. The government has recently announced its intention to raise the fines for litter disposed of from vehicles, but we all know that rural areas lack enforcement because of sparse police presence.

We would like to receive your photographs of offending rubbish with a view to raising consciousness and perhaps requiring some corporate responsibility from the sources of the worst offenders. If anyone would like to join a litter picking team, please let us know – or if we can help to publicize a litter pick you know has been planned, we’d be glad to.

26 BUS SERVICE REDUCTION

Together with representatives of Harston and Hauxton, Susan visited Stagecoach manager Andy Campbell to ask whether the company would consider bringing back the hourly service – which reduced to two-hourly off-peak on January 3rd. He explained that for passengers travelling on a free bus pass, the bus company is reimbursed only 50% of the fare – down from 75% previously. We asked what level of ridership increase would be necessary to make an hourly service commercially viable; the answer was about 300 extra passengers per day. Stagecoach says it costs £150K per year to run one bus; the 26 service on an hourly service required three buses. This is a commercial service that receives no council subsidy.

Then, other options were discussed, including altering the route to terminate at Trumpington Park and Ride and running on an hourly basis. Passengers could transfer to the Guided Bus for Addenbrookes or the station, or the Park and Ride bus into the city centre. Stagecoach will consider this, probably running a questionnaire to gauge support. If so, we will help to disseminate the questionnaire.

BASSINGBOURN 127 BUS, SHEPRETH AND MELDRETH 128 BUS, HEYDON AND CHISHILL 31 BUS

With every expectation that bus subsidies would be removed once and for all in the forthcoming County Council budget, painstaking cross-party work by the small County Council ‘Total Transport Steering Group’, chaired by Susan, has looked forensically at the impact of subsidized transport on local communities and new ways of deploying valuable and scarce funds. As a result there is no proposal in the budget coming to the Council on 14 February to remove bus subsidies affecting the 127, 128 and 31 buses. This is not to say that the battle is over, because it is being fought every year.

Please do feel free to write to us to express your views so that we can take them forward.

MELBOURN-SHEPRETH PEDESTRIAN/CYLE PATH: NEARLY FINISHED

This new path connecting the A10 Frog End junction and Melbourn is due for completion in February. An inaugural ride, followed by a gathering hosted by Wyevale Garden Centre, will take place in March – details to be announced. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any queries.

MELBOURN-ROYSTON CYCLE LINK

Together with Royston Cllrs Fiona Hill and Tony Hunter, South Cambs Cllr Aidan Van de Weyer and Susan visited the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Local Enterprise Partnership to argue the case for a safe pedestrian/cycle link between Melbourn and Royston, including a bridge over the A505. This would provide pedestrians and cyclists with a route to Royston that is completely separate from road traffic. A report presented to the LEP Board is posted at a10corridorcycle.com.

Royston falls outside the Cambridgeshire county border, but within the LEP economic zone boundary. The LEP Board has now formally indicated its willingness to be asked for financial support, on a collaborative basis with other partners, and this significant step forward will be taken to the City Deal for consideration on January 25.

A10 CORRIDOR CYCLING CAMPAIGN 26 JANUARY: UPSTAIRS AT THE SHEPRETH PLOUGH

All welcome to the forthcoming meeting of the A10 Corridor Cycling Campaign, starting at 7 for 7:30 upstairs at the Shepreth Plough. All papers for the meeting are here.

MELDRETH STATION BOOKING OFFICE AND TICKET MACHINE

Many complaints have come in over the past several weeks about random closures of the Meldreth Station booking office and failure of the ticket machine. Hopefully the ticket machine should be working now – but if you find yourself unable to buy a ticket at any of our stations due to a ticket machine fault, the Rail User Group has been told by Govia Thameslink Railway that you should go ahead and board the train, and purchase your ticket at your destination. Any problems, please let us know. As for the ticket office, please do continue to let us know if you find the office closed, as the Rail User Group is pressuring Govia Thameslink to hire a permanent member of staff – and to advertise the post within the local community.

BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE

BTP attended the December Rail User Group and said that Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Stations experience about a quarter the level of reported crime and anti-social behaviour compared with stations with similar footfall. BTP attribute this in large part to the station gardens – because well-tended environments are generally better respected.

GRANT FOR NEW STATION TUBS

A grant of £1K has now been received from the Association of Community Rail Partnerships for the purpose of refreshing the station platform gardens at all three local stations. This will include replacement of tubs with a synthetic weather-proof variety. The plan is to launch the new gardens following completion of platform lengthening work.

We would welcome more people to take part in station gardening. If you’d like to help out, and learn more about our Rail User Group at the same time, please come along to the Shepreth Plough on 11 February, 11AM, or the British Queen Meldreth on 7 February, 7:45PM.

CELEBRATING AGES AFTERNOON TEA, MELBOURN VILLAGE COLLEGE

This well-established event for older residents of our community, hosted at Melbourn Village College, will take place on 14 February in the afternoon. Please contact Jose if you’d like to attend, or help support the event in any way.

DROP-IN ADVICE SURGERY

We are at the Melbourn Hub every first Monday of the month between 2:30-3:30 – the next session will be Monday 6 February 2:30-3:30. No need to book – just come along. We can always arrange to meet you at a time that is more convenient for you, or closer to home.

ANY ITEMS WE CAN HELP TO RAISE?

We would be delighted to address any concerns you may have, or help raise awareness of issues affecting our community via this newsletter.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. We aim to disperse power, to foster diversity and to nurture creativity. You can learn more about or join the Liberal Democrats.

Sincerely yours,

Susan, Philippa and Jose

Susan van de Ven, County Councillor for Foxton, Heydon, Melbourn, Meldreth, Shepreth and the Chishills
susanvandeven5@gmail.com, www.susanvandeven.com
Tel 07905325574
Twitter: @susanvandeven

Philippa Hart, District Councillor for Meldreth and Shepreth
philippajhart@btinternet.com
Tel 01763 261255

Jose Hales, District Councillor for Melbourn, Heydon and the Chishills
jose@josehales.me.uk
Tel 01763 221058

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