Please remember to wear your face covering on the bus! The 127 bus has been running all through lockdown. This really is a critical link for people who don’t have access to private transport. A scarf or bandana are acceptable as face coverings. The bus itself is equipped with hand sanitiser, and seats have been […]

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 know of someone not receiving this newsletter who would like to do so, please ask them to contact jose@josehales.me.uk, susanvandeven5@gmail.com or Peter.mcdonald@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. If you would prefer not to receive […]

Here’s the latest from Meldreth Coronavirus Community Support Meldreth Coronavirus Community Support – Yes we’re still here! Meldreth Friends Out of lockdown and into an uncertain new season, we’d like to find as many ways as possible of supporting those who are isolated or might be finding it hard to get out. Lots of new […]

Poor broadband speeds on the edge of the village? Cambridgeshire County Council ‘Connecting Cambridgeshire’ has launched a top-up scheme for rural gigabit vouchers – topping up the voucher value for those on the slowest broadband speeds. They write: “Residents and businesses in rural areas of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are being urged to apply for government […]

Energy saving offer for Cambridgeshire residents The County Council and District Councils have joined forces with Solar Together as part of the initiative to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.   From 1 September households and small and medium-sized enterprises can register for free and without obligation for the group-buying scheme, by visiting www.solartogether.co.uk/cambridgeshire  When […]

Brief Covid-19 update for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, 26 August 2020 Confirmed Covid-19 cases – overall and in care homes 63 new lab-confirmed Covid-19 cases were detected in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in the latest reporting period, 17-23 August (as at 26 August). This is 9 less than the previous week. The cumulative rate of Covid-19 cases […]

My district colleagues and I provided this report to Meldreth Parish Council in July, following clear concern from local residents and businesses about the inadequate state of current broadband provision and the need to capture any opportunities for improved infrastructure provision. County Broadband We delayed reporting on the offer from County Broadband as initially it […]

Advice from Great Northern  for students travelling by rail: Some students will need to use rail to get to and from college from September. As the government eases lockdown restrictions, train companies are doing all they can to keep passengers and staff safe. We are also asking passengers to adapt to a different way of […]

Following on from the success of Meldreth Community Screenbank, which has worked to get Melbourn Village College students properly set up with home computers, the project is now being replicated in Bassingbourn. To kick off, some sharing of kit between Bassingbourn and Melbourn Village Colleges – a true community-wide effort. If you have a decent […]

I’ve removed an earlier post on child malnutrition in Cambridgeshire, which had been prompted by a report I’d read in The Guardian that quoted an astonishing rate of children suffering malnutrition admitted to hospital at the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It’s now clear that those figures were overwhelmingly incorrect, and CUH has published […]

At this week’s full County Council meeting, I lodged the following question, which received a written reply: Question from Councillor Susan van de VenOn Monday 29th June 2020 in an online public meeting organised by the National Association of Headteachers, the NationalEducation Union and Early Education, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and […]