British Gas has confirmed that it has increased gas prices by 35% and electricity prices by 9% with immediate effect. The increase will see average bills for people living in and around South Cambridgeshire rise very substantially.Sebastian Kindersley, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for South Cambridgeshire, has said that energy companies should be compelled to use the money from a £9 billion European windfall to help protect some of the most vulnerable people from the effects of fuel poverty.The energy firms received the multi-billion-pound windfall thanks to the giveaway of free permits to emit Carbon Dioxide under the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme. Previous estimates have put the proceeds of that windfall at £9bn, although Ofgem estimates the true figure could be even higher.

Sebastian commented: “We are all suffering from the rise in basic household costs; for food, for travel and of course for  fuel. Why is it that that energy companies can enjoy a massive subsidy at a time when many families are facing an increasingly desperate struggle to pay their energy bills?

“This multi-billion pound windfall should be used to protect the most vulnerable people from the effects of fuel poverty. If action is not taken now then many families are going to face an increasingly tough time paying their bills this winter and those who suffer most are young families and the elderly.

“Of course we are all worried about rising prices. People want to see action from Gordon Brown, but nothing seems to be happening. Why not?”

The increase in prices by British Gas comes just a few days after EDF Energy put up gas prices by 22% and electricity prices by 17%, with other firms expected to follow suit. Consumer watchdog Energywatch said it believed the 35% gas bill rise was the biggest single increase inthe price of a utility seen to date.

Communication with your District Council is a matter of frequent concern, as articles on this website testify.

In sending out ballot papers to Council tenants across the district, for the purpose of electing tenant and leaseholder representatives to the new Shadow Board (to be in place in the event of a housing stock transfer to a housing association), an outdated data base was used. 

The result was that hundreds of ballots papers were sent to Council tenants who had either moved away or died.  Many, many questions arise, not least the big question of public confidence in the Council to carry out a credible process of consultation, and then a ballot, on housing stock transfer or retention. 

New ballot papers are to be sent out, using different coloured paper to differentiate from the original, invalidated version.

Liberal Democrat councillors have urged the Council’s leadership at least to step back and pause for breath, in the wake of so many questions and confusion over the housing stock transfer issue.

Government’s decision as to which post offices are scheduled for closure in Cambridgeshire was leaked to the local press on July 6, two days before a public announcement was expected.

While Melbourn ward’s post offices are safe (including Melbourn, Foxton, Meldreth and Shepreth),  post offices in other parts of South Cambridgeshire have not fared so well.  Post offices in Grantchester, Fen Drayton, Impington, Arrington, Elsworth and Over are scheduled for closure.  Three more are to be closed  in Cambridge City;  a total of 26 are to be closed in the county as a whole.

What next?

Battle now begins with a six-week consultation period.  We could get Government to change its mind.  All local authorities in Cambridgeshire are working together to minimize the impact. 

Planning ahead

The Liberal Democrats are the only party to have prepared fully costed plans to modernise Royal Mail and safeguard the Post Office network for the long term.

The Conservatives’ policy consists of a list of potential additional services that can be offered by or through the Post Office.  They have no proposals on the future structure of Royal Mail and Post Office Ltd, and haven’t said where investment funds will come from.

During the 1992-97 Conservative government, when there were similar funding pressures, over 1,000 post offices were closed - more than four every week.

Residents living in Cambridge Housing Society (CHS) homes in Shepreth and Meldreth have been in touch with Susan to express frustration over poor communication with their landlord.  Unfortunately, the CHS housing officer for our area has been on long-term sick leave, and communication has suffered.   Susan contacted CHS to register the importance of re-establishing good communication.

 A new officer, Sharon Willis, has been assigned to cover Shepreth and Meldreth.  Recently Susan met with her in both villages to look at a range of residents’ concerns that have built up over the past several months.

South Cambs District Council is spending a great deal of money on a consultation exercise concerning the possibility of Council housing stock transfer, known as ”Housing Futures.”  

In spite of the vast resources put into the exercise, many residents feel in the dark.  A number have contacted Susan to express disappointment with two drop-in sessions recently organised by the Council  in Histon and Sawston - impossible to get to for those without a car.  Susan has requested a drop-in information session for Council tenants in Meldreth and Shepreth, to be held at a convenient venue.  The Independent Tenant Advisor will be visiting to answer questions on September 30th from 4:30-6:00 in the Elin Way, Meldreth, Community Room.  If you would like to attend but have transport difficulties, the Council has said it can help with this - please let Susan know.  Equally, a home visit can be arranged.

 The other concern expressed by residents is the perception that stock transfer is a ‘done deal.’  At Cambourne, Lib Dem councillors have critised the Tory administration for helping to promote this perception in their choice of wording in literature going out to tenants.  In fact, we are told, stock transfer cannot happen unless tenants vote in favour of it.  Lib Dem councillors have pressed the administration to ensure that tenants know they have a choice: to transfer stock, or to retain it.

This spring, Susan went to call on the Shepreth Wildlife Park management team to talk about forging better channels of communication between the park and village, for the future.  She was delighted to be able to engage in a frank and constructive discussion about safety and noise concerns, public perception and retrospective planning applications, and the role of business ventures in small communities.

Rebecca Willers, Animal Collection Manager, expressed a keen interest in better communication with the village, and the chance to inform residents about some of the park’s voluntary and educational projects.  This resulted in the first of a series of newsletters from the Park and distributed to all households,  an open evening for residents on May 13th, and the issuing of residents’ discount cards for future visits.  The open evening was a great success, seeing some visitors who had lived in the village for decades but had never stepped inside the park, and providing residents with a glimpse of some of the work the park is engaged in, including enhancing wilflife habitats on the River Shep right here at home.  

Rebeccas Willers hopes that if residents have any questions or concerns about any aspect of the park’s work, they will get in touch: rebecca.willers@btconnect.com or
rebecca@sheprethwildlifepark.co.uk.  Alternatively, please get in touch with Susan and she will relay questions or concerns as appropriate.  If for any reason the park’s newsletter did not reach you, or you were not able to attend the open evening but would have liked to, please get in touch.

In villages all over South Cambridgeshire, widespread development in recent years has meant a deterioration in natural drainage systems, and strain on an aging drainage network. Severe weather brought about by climate change means that flooding has become more than just a high risk. Residents in the Chishills, Melbourn and Meldreth who were flooded last year and the year before discovered that the County Council lacks the resources to carry out preventative work to its Highways surface water drainage system. Rather, it is a case of responding too little, too late. No single authority has responsibility for drainage. The District Council is responsible for maintaining an ancient system of watercourses, called ‘award ditches,’ dating to nineteenth century legal arrangements. Anglian Water is responsible for some, but not all, foul sewage drainage. Residents are often responsible for more than they realize, especially if their property borders ditches or watercourses. In many villages in the north of the district, longstanding internal drainage boards play a significant role.

A shining light in an otherwise worrying system of no overall responsibility is the expertise and local knowledge on the part of the District Council’s drainage team – these are professionals with intimate knowledge of how the water works in our villages.  It is vital that this service be valued and protected, for the benefit of all residents.

Cambridgeshire County Council Lib Dem group leader, David Jenkins, has called for action on overnight HGV parking.

The recent closure of lay-bys on the A14 and the closure of the truck stop at Alconbury have resulted in more and more lorry drivers looking to stay overnight in the County and very often parking in residential areas. Cllr Jenkins said that the government and councils do not realise that they must provide facilities for drivers to lay over when they impose limits on HGV driver time.

Councillor Jenkins commented:

“It’s tough on the drivers, they have to park somewhere but when they park in residential areas they unfortunately become a nuisance. They come and go during night time and early morning, they run refrigeration units, they make a noise when they’re reversing and they contribute to local light pollution. And of course there are no local bathroom facilities.

“I’ve asked both the County Council and South Cambs District Council and they seem disinclined to do anything even though there are grounds for action. What we need is for the different layers of government to recognise the problem and to work together and come up with a solution. The situation is not going to get better of its own accord.”