County Elections and Bye-Election 4 June 2009

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Election Results

County Election Candidates

District Bye Election

Latest Stories

Election Results

Burwell

CON: 1321

WILLIAMS Hazel: 1290

LAB: 165

Cottenham, Histon and Impington

JENKINS David: 2419

GYMER Sue: 2202

CON: 2168

CON: 2074

GREEN: 698

LAB: 363

LAB: 281

Ely North East

BELL Nigel: 1414

CON: 1355

LAB: 233

Ely South West

AUSTEN Sue: 1374

CON: 1115

LAB: 153

Fulbourn

CON: 1064

IND: 906

WILLIAMS John: 785

LAB: 235

Haddenham

CON: 1642

WILSON Gareth: 1427

LAB: 131

Linton

BATCHELOR John: 1812

CON: 1737

LAB: 195

Soham and Fordham Villages

CON: 2331

CON:1919

WARNER Charles: 1347

ALLAN Michael: 1238

LAB: 280

LAB: 257

Waterbeach

WILLIAMSON Michael: 1618

CON: 1325

LAB: 152

Willingham

CON: 1485

FALLA Rob: 888

LAB: 185

Woodditton

CON: 1811

BRYANT Christine: 1288

LAB: 216

Balsham

CON: 988

JARVIS Pauline: 852

LAB: 111

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County Election Candidates

Burwell

Cllr Hazel Williams

Hazel Williams

Ely North & East

Cllr Nigel Bell was born in Cambridge in 1961 into a footballing family; his father having played for Cambridge United and his grandfather for Cambridge City.

After gaining a degree in Philosophy from Birmingham University he worked for the Inland Revenue for many years where he was active in the Trade Union, including being a TUC Delegate, and was Branch Secretary of a large Midlands Branch.

Nigel served as the East Cambridgeshire District Councillor for Ely East Ward from May 2003 until May 2007, and was elected Cambridgeshire County Councillor for Ely North and East Division in May 2005. He has been Vice-Chairman of the Environment & Community Services Scrutiny Committee for the last 4 years.

He lives in Stuntney with his partner Debbie and their two cats. Nigel's hobbies include writing music and brewing beer; though his Council duties unfortunately mean that these have become neglected of late.

Nigel is very keen on environmental issues and if re-elected would continue to work to try and improve the environment and quality of life of the people of Cambridgeshire.

Nigel Bell

Ely South & West

Cllr Sue Austen is originally from Kent, has lived in Ely for over 40 years and is married with a daughter. She has been actively involved in care and carers' support issues for many years, sitting on various committees for carers' and disability issues, managing the care package funding for her disabled son until his death last year, caring for her husband and supporting a friend living in sheltered accommodation.

As District Councillor for Ely West, Sue has campaigned on various local issues including against the destruction of the natural habitat at Roswell Pits, eventually seeing it classified as an SSSI.

Sue is very community focused and if elected as County Councillor, would like to use her experience of health and social care to improve the provision of services to carers and disabled people in Cambridgeshire.

Blog

Sue Austen

Fulbourn

John Williams and his family have lived in Fulbourn for 20 years. His children have been educated at the local state schools. A transport planner by profession, John has held senior management positions in both the public and private sectors in the UK and abroad.

He was for many years a Liberal councillor in a London borough, but upon moving to Fulbourn had to forego his political activity for employment reasons until 2004. Since then he has campaigned to improve the lives of Fulbourn residents and is currently battling to have a 20 mph speed limit in the Beechwoods estate, a better bus service between the village and Cambridge and controls on the heavy lorries that thunder through Fulbourn and the Wilbrahams. John has also been involved with the production of the Fulbourn Village Plan.

Blog

John Williams

Haddenham

Cllr Gareth Wilson lives in Haddenham Ward and is very involved in village life. He is leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the District Council and an active member of the Parish Council. Gareth, a Chartered Accountant, is Treasurer of the Arkenstall Village Centre and a Deacon and Treasurer of Haddenham Baptist Church. He helped set up Haddenham Youth Club and is their Chairman. He is financial advisor to the Friends of Haddenham Library and Treasurer of the Recreation Centre Charity. He was a founder member of the "Say No to Mereham" committee and is the Coordinator of Speedwatch for this area.

As Chairman of the Asset Management committee he managed to save thousands of pounds by using our internal maintenance team to refurbish the Grange, making it totally unnecessary to move to extravagant new offices as the Conservative group demanded.

Gareth led the project to partner with Forest Heath & Breckland councils to collect council tax and now represents East Cambs D.C. on the Anglia Revenue Partnership which saves East Cambs council tax payers £170,000 per year. This year he is Chairman of the Partnership management committee.

He is prepared to work hard to keep village facilities. He will try to get more affordable houses, so that our young people can stay in the villages they grew up in.

He chairs the Parish Road Safety working party and has been campaigning to prevent the increasing numbers of heavy lorries rat running through our villages.

"I keep in touch all year round, not just at election time."

"If you elect me as your County Councillor on June 4th I will continue to fight for restricting lorries driving through our villages, for better public transport, for improved services for the elderly and more facilities for youngsters."

Blog

Gareth Wilson

Histon & Impington (Two Candidates)

Sue Gymer is married to Richard and has lived in Cottenham for 19 years. She has three children who currently attend the Primary School and Village College in Cottenham and another one that travels to Hills Road Sixth Form College.

Sue works for Cambridge University part-time, on the West Cambridge Site. She says that her interests include studying with the Open University and meeting friends; and she has just started playing football!

If elected she says she would like to be the voice of local people regarding village issues including the roads, bus services and cycle routes on the one hand and support for young people on the other.

Website

Sue Gymer

Cllr David Jenkins has lived in Histon for 12 years. He is a governor at Impington Village College and has been a county councillor for 4 years.

During this time he has been active both within the council, firstly as Adult Social Care spoke and later as leader of the Lib Dem group, and in and on behalf of the villages which he represents.

He has actively supported several campaigns including those to retain local school buses for Rampton and Oakington, to save the Histon station building, to secure funding for the Ladybird Pre-school and to implement HCV parking controls in Impington.

His support for the community has not been limited by county council boundaries and he has worked with parish councils and district councillors.

David says: 'I've enjoyed the challenge of being a County Councillor and it's satisfying that I am able to make a contribution to the development of the community within which I live.'

Blog

Website

David Jenkins

Linton

Cllr John Batchelor has served our community for the last four years on the County Council.

John is a senior member of the Liberal Democrat team and chairs the important Children and Young Peoples Scrutiny Committee, the watchdog for all matters affecting 0-19 year olds.

His local connections remain as firm as ever, a resident of Linton for more than 20 years, his wife, Julie, teaches at a Community College in Cambridge, their son Henry attended the local schools and is at university. Local commitments include being a governor at Linton Village College, chairman of the BE Partnership responsible for delivering adult education and the Arts in the Linton and Sawston Village College catchment areas, chairman of Linton Action for Youth.

John has a wealth of local government experience having served for eleven years as a District Councillor and four years on the County Council. He has held Cabinet responsibility and currently chairs Scrutiny and is the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group at South Cambs District Council.

There is more to life than just local councils, John and his wife, Julie, are well known for there travels, including the first descent of the Congo River by kayak, and have written a number of books. John had a successful career in management consultancy before dedicating his time to local politics. They still find time for exploring the mountain areas of Europe.

John Batchelor

Soham & Fordham (Two Candidates)

Cllr Michael Allan has been a District Councillor for six years and is currently Chairman of Overview and Scrutiny that has a brief to scrutinise every policy of East Cambridgeshire District Council. In this role he led the move to investigate the effects of the Credit Crunch on the council and the ratepayers and his initiative served as a blue print for many other local authorities.

Part of this initiative was to secure over £2m of development funding to finance community services, taking special note of smaller villages. He is also keen for residents to know that if they do find themselves with financial problems help is at hand via ECDC and the Citizen Advice Bureau.

He is fully up to speed with the Soham Masterplan Vision and will be keeping a close eye on its progress, as it will affect not only Soham but also all the surrounding villages.

Michael is keenly aware of the important issues of County Council that have a bearing on the area such as transport, environment and the police. As an ex-teacher at Soham Village College he knows how much parents value a good educational system for their children and will work tirelessly to ensure standards in local schools are high.

Finally Michael pledges that if elected he will strive to represent all the residents of the villages in the division - Soham, Isleham, Wicken, Fordham, Snailwell, Kennett and Chippenham.

Michael Allan

Charles Warner

Charles Warner

Waterbeach

Cllr Michael Williamson was elected County Councillor for Waterbeach Division (which includes Landbeach, Milton and Chittering) in 2005. He has also been Chair of Waterbeach Parish Council (for two three-year terms). He is Chair of the Finance Committee at Waterbeach School Governors, and is also Treasurer of the Farmland Museum at Denny Abbey and of the Cambridge and County Folk Museum.

He moved to Waterbeach on his marriage to Jane in 1971, and has lived there ever since. They have two grown up children, Helen, who currently lives in Australia, and Richard who is a theatre production manager in London.

Michael worked in the computer industry from 1970 and still does some consultancy. In the late seventies he, with three colleagues, founded a Computer Aided Design company which was later sold to an American company, Computervision Corporation. He then went on to found a company specialising in Mapping software with some of his colleagues in the previous company which was again sold out to an American corporation.

Outside work, Michael is involved with Amateur Dramatics (he is an honorary vice-president of Waterbeach Community Players) and Family History. He also enjoys walking, especially in the more upland parts of Britain.

Blog

Michael Williamson

Willingham & Over

Rob Falla

Woodditton

Christine Bryant has been chosen as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the county council elections.

Christine was elected as an East Cambridgeshire Councillor in 2007 and lives in Bottisham where she has been a Parish Councillor for more than 20 years.

'I have worked to provide more affordable housing in our villages and believe that this need has increased due to the economic downturn. Young people, as well as older residents are feeling the effects of this recession. Local authorities have a part to play in providing affordable housing, as well as cost-effective, and efficient, local services while keeping Council Tax at an acceptable level.'

Liberal Democrats are keen to encourage walking and cycling, and work hard to encourage people to switch from the car to less-polluting public transport. Christine recently worked with other Lib Dem Councillors to keep vital evening bus services running out of Cambridge to local villages.

Christine Bryant

District Bye Election

Balsham

Pauline Jarvis lives in Nosterfield End, Castle Camps and married to Craig, a local builder. She has two children and two-step children.

Pauline has been in close contact with the local community since 1980 running her own business. Pauline's work gives her the opportunity to keep in touch with the views and expectations of all local people.

Living in Nosterfield, She was co-opted as a Parish Councillor in Castle Camps two years ago. She has really enjoyed being part of the team, gained valuable experience and an insight to the issues District Councillors have to deal with.

Pauline said "Village life is very precious to us all and I understand the value of sustaining our area for the benefit of future generations.

"I am so proud our children had the privilege to grow up and be educated here and I know it has given them, along with their achievements and respect they have gained, a sound grounding for their chosen careers and future lives.

"I am determined to help maintain our standards for future generations and make everyone as proud as I am today, and that your children too have opportunity and respect, arising from being brought up in a traditional, caring, rural community."

Pauline Jarvis

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Latest Stories

• Dec 8, 2011:
  • Lib Dems Move to Attract New Councillors to be Discussed Publicly
    A move by Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats to attract councillors from a wide range of backgrounds is to be discussed publicly with a view to forming a county council policy. The group has been invited by the Tory-led administration to produce a report increasing the diversity of elected members by holding a quarter of council meetings out of office hours and organising training in the evenings. Cambridgeshire County Council Cabinet Member for Resources and Performance, Steve Count agreed the idea was a positive one and promised that the report and its recommendations would be presented to a public forum. Cllr Ian Manning, who proposed a motion setting out the idea, said "I'm pleased that the Conservatives have agreed our idea is a positive one and have invited us to form the policy. "It is particularly important that the report and recommendations are presented to a public forum - meaning it will be transparent and open." Cllr Sue Gymer seconded the motion explaining her reasons for wanting training out of hours. "After the allowances debate, I thought long and hard about what would make it easier to get working mums like myself to become councillors. I voted against because it was the wrong amount at the wrong time. In addition a small pay rise would make no difference to me personally but being able to get training outside of working hours would make it a lot easier to mix my council duties with my employment. "I am pleased to see that a report would be coming back to a public meeting like Cabinet or council. Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Nov 15, 2011:
  • £375,000 of Developers' Cash to Promoted Guided Bus - "Scandalous"
    Angry Liberal Democrats have attacked Tory plans to spend £375,000 of developer's cash on promoting the Guided Bus while ignoring pedestrian safety and cycling improvements. They say the promotional campaign for a service that is out of reach for many residents is "scandalous". The move came in draft proposals for how to spend developer's contributions received by Cambridgeshire County Council for the Cambridge University North West site development. The Tory-controlled Cabinet gave its backing to the proposals which included just £5,000 to improve the junction at the city's Northampton Street and nothing to improve pedestrian safety at Lady Margaret Road. Councillor Belinda Brooks-Gordon, in whose Castle ward the development falls, and Councillor Lucy Nethsingha, member for Newnham, told Cabinet members today (Tuesday, November 15) that they need to rethink their plans. Cllr Brooks-Gordon said: "Spending over a third of a million pounds on a promotional campaign for the Guided Bus would scandalise residents." "It would be an insult to spend this money promoting a service out of reach of many residents when there are safety improvements badly needed in the city." Councillor Nethsingha said: "This development needs to be very heavily focused on cycling as the main transport option; yet there is nothing suggested under these proposals for improvements to cycle access across Magdelene Street, Silver Street or other points for crossing the river." Concerns were also expressed during the meeting that highway designs for the new development, which will include thousands of new homes, businesses and community facilities, will encourage high vehicle speeds. Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Nov 2, 2011:
  • Councillors' Allowances Rise Rejected as Process was Flawed
    A controversial decision to raise county councillors' allowances by 25 per cent has been thrown out after it was found that the process was flawed. Mistakes made by the Tory-run Cambridgeshire County Council have wasted over £5,000 of public money and means the whole process must go back to square one. The decision is a victory for Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats who had voted against the increase and campaigned to overturn the decision. It came after former Liberal Democrat councillor, Clare Blair, called the issue into the council's Standards Committee on 1 November 2011 claiming the process broke the rules of the council's constitution and government legislation. Committee members agreed after discovering that the council had made serious errors in the process of appointing members to the Independent Remuneration Panel which recommended the 25 per cent increase in members' allowances and failing to advertise its report for public comment. Mrs Blair, a former Cambridge City Executive Councillor who represented East Chesterton, spoke at the Standards Committee meeting calling the whole process into question. Later she said: "This whole process was flawed. The Conservative administration made one mistake after another by rushing this matter through the council. "This is has been a terrible waste of public money. Now the process must begin again. I hope ordinary residents will also consider joining the new Independent Panel and that the Conservatives will see that a 25 per cent increase at this time is totally inappropriate." In the meeting Lib Dem group leader Kilian Bourke said: "To retrospectively ratify this decision would almost certainly lead to a judicial review, which could end up costing the council as much as the 25 per cent pay rise itself. Later he added: "I welcome the fact that the 25 per cent increase will now be overturned, although the Tories should not have voted it through in the first place. The increase was totally inappropriate at a time of wage freezes, redundancies and cuts to frontline services and the public have made their anger at this decision clear. "I want to thank the 3,000 people who supported our campaign to have the increase reversed. I have no doubt that the weight of public opinion contributed to the decision to scrap the report." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Oct 31, 2011:
  • Councillors Allowance Petition Tops 3,0000
    Neil Morrison, Jonathan Chatfield and Kilian Bourke collect signatures for the noto25percent campaign in Ely Cambridgeshire Lib Dems' countywide campaign to overturn the increase in councillors' allowances is gathering pace and their petition has jumped from 1,000 to more than 3,000 signatures in just four days. A weekend of campaigning in Cambridge City and Ely as well as ongoing activity around the county has raised the number of signatures on paper alone to over 2,000. Signatures online had taken the total number over the 3,000 mark. The Lib Dems have put a motion to Cambridgeshire County Council on December 7 to reverse the controversial 25 per cent increase in councillor allowances before they become effective, and the petition is an opportunity for the public to pressure politicians to support it. Jonathan Chatfield who was leading the team in Ely which gathered over 500 signatures alone said: "This shows the real strength of feeling about this issue. People were saying loud and clear that now is not the right time for councillors to be awarding themselves a 25% increase in their allowances." Lib Dem Group Leader Kilian Bourke added: "This is not about party politics. It is about public servants being able to look the public they represent in the eye. I hope that Council Leader Nick Clarke will take heed of the public mood, admit he made a mistake and get it right second time round." Lib Dem spokesperson for localism, Sarah Whitebread said: "I urge those who have not already done so to sign the petition at www.noto25percent.com. If enough people sign up, there will be great pressure on politicians to scrap this increase." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Jun 26, 2011:
  • Lib Dems Welcome Stay of Execution for Buses
    An unexpected decision by county Tories to give bus services across the county a stay of execution has been welcomed by Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats. The decision is a significant victory for the Lib Dems, who opposed the move to axe 100 per cent of bus subsidies - the worst cuts in the country. They have criticised the Tories, however, for launching a consultation exercise months after the decision to axe bus subsidies was made. And they have attacked them for ignoring the results of their own budget consultation exercise earlier this year which showed protecting bus subsidies was named among the top three priorities by residents. Lib Dem Transport Spokesperson Susan van de Ven said: "We are delighted that the administration has listened to us and stepped back from its decision to axe 100 per cent of bus subsidies -- the very worst cuts in the country. "The fact that proper consultation is only now being undertaken is an admission that the Conservatives made a big mistake. If they had listened when local residents made protecting bus subsidies a top three priority, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place." Lib Dem Leader Kilian Bourke said: "This is a big win for the Lib Dems who have opposed this decision from day one. "These are socially necessary services which vulnerable groups rely on and maintaining them was the single biggest commitment in our alternative budget. It is incredible that the Conservatives are only now beginning to properly look at the impact these cuts will have. "Other councils undertook painstaking research to establish which bus services could not be cut without isolating people; the county Tories did no such work and simply decided to scrap the whole lot. "Now they need to accept that they made a mistake and reverse the cuts. Delaying them is not good enough." Lib Dem Spokesperson for Localism Sarah Whitebread said: "This will be a bitter pill to swallow for those whose buses were cut in the first round. What about the city shuttle? Is it going to be reinstated? Does the county council care about city residents at all?" Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• May 24, 2011:
  • County Tories Abandon Climate Change Committment
    Cambridgeshire's Tory-run county council has abandoned its commitment to tackling climate change. Its three main priorities for next year make no mention of the strategic objective set last year to "meet the challenges of climate change". Despite the omission, councillors had been told that the commitment to tackle climate change still stood. In an email dated Monday, May 23 to members of the council's Enterprise, Growth and Community Infrastructure Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Chief Executive Mark Lloyd confirmed that "former strategic objectives no longer apply and have been replaced". The new priorities make no mention of sustainability or tackling the council's huge carbon footprint. This decision follows a string of moves to limit the activity of the council on environmental issues including: removing climate change sections from all cabinet papers; cutting £500,000 from the environment team at Shire Hall; removing the word "environment" from any of the cabinet positions changing the relevant scrutiny committee name from "environment and sustainability" to "enterprise, growth and community infrastructure" Sarah Whitebread, Lib Dem climate change spokesperson said: "This is the final nail in the coffin for hopes of serious action on climate change from the Conservatives at Shire Hall. "The grim reality is that these councillors do not care about the environment or protecting this area for future generations. Cambridgeshire is a low lying county vulnerable to changes in temperature. We need to take serious action on CO2 now, before it's too late." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Lib Dems to Reject Management Plans to Cut Front-Line Fire Services
    Despite Cambridgeshire Fire Authority revealing potential cuts which meet the government's saving targets for the county without hitting front-line cover, the Lib Dems fear front-line emergency services are still at risk. They are worried by a management plan for cuts over and above government imposed targets which could see the closure of rural stations and the removal of fire appliances. This could result in an "unacceptably poor level of emergency response", they say. The management paper is to be presented for a decision at the next meeting of the Fire Authority on May 26. The paper, outlining potential cuts over the next four years, states that if the extra money saved from cutting front-line services were not needed to balance the books it could be reinvested in front-line services to bring overall improvements. But worried Liberal Democrats claim that they have seen no business case for this and that the level of detail provided is "wholly insufficient to make a judgement". They are calling on Cambridgeshire Fire Authority Chairman, Roy Pegram, to lobby government Fire Minister, Bob Neill for fairer funding for the county. Despite being 'the cheapest fire service per head of population in the country', Cambridgeshire has taken the maximum cut in central government funding. "We are encouraged by the fact that £4 million savings have been found which appear toleave frontline services largely untouched," said Nigel Bell, Liberal Democrat Leader on the Fire Authority, "but we are concerned that management is recommending savings over and above this, that directly impact on the front-line. "There is no place for the cutting of front-line services to be included in the savings proposals. It is vital that we maintain the highest level of emergency cover we can to protect our residents, particularly while there are other opportunities to save money such as closer working with other fire authorities, reducing the costs of senior management and procurement." The Lib Dems are concerned because the paper, outlining management's recommended savings in the county fire service, states that one of the main risks is that inflation will continue at four per cent or even higher leaving the county's fire service to find another £1 million worth of savings. "We cannot accept that a higher than predicted level of inflation should result in cuts to front line services," added Cllr Bell. "If inflation is above target, then the planned 2.5 per cent increases for the next four years, as set by this year's budget, will need revisiting and government imposed caps will require resetting. The 'cheapest fire service in the country' should at least be keeping its remaining service budget in line with inflation." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Lib Dem Leader Stands Down for Health Reasons
    Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrat Leader, Fiona Whelan has decided reluctantly to stand down following health problems. Councillor Whelan, who has led the group for the last year, suffered a slip disc in her back just after Christmas and has been in constant pain. Now, facing a possible operation in the near future, she has decided to step down to give herself time to recover. Members have appointed their Highways and Transport Spokesman, Kilian Bourke as the group's new leader. He will take over from Cllr Whelan on June 17. Cllr Whelan said: "I am disappointed at having to step down after only one term of office; but I have struggled with severe pain and found just getting about extremely difficult. "I am confident in handing over the leadership to Councillor Bourke. He is a very experienced councillor and politician who has worked extremely hard both in his Cambridge ward and for the county council as a whole. I wish him every success." Cllr Bourke said: "Fiona has been an excellent leader and I am honoured to follow in her footsteps. I look forward to continuing the group's role as a powerful and effective opposition, challenging decisions made by the Conservative administration and ensuring that we do the best for the people of Cambridgeshire at every opportunity." "This isn't going to be easy given the new Conservative Leadership's disregard for democratic accountability, but that makes the need for effective opposition even greater." "We will continue to oppose cuts to local services that go way beyond what the government says is necessary. These risk reinforcing the glaring inequalities in wellbeing and achievement that plague Cambridgeshire; this cannot be allowed to happen." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• May 18, 2011:
  • Gagged Lib Dems Protest Over Tory Silencing
    Gagged - Lib Dems (from back left) Peter Downes, Kilian Bourke, Fiona Whelan, Sarah Whitebread, Caroline Shepherd, Kevin Wilkins, Susan van de Ven, Belinda Brooks-Gordon, Lucy Nethsingha and Ian Manning stage their silent protest. Gagged Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats staged a silent protest on the steps of the county council HQ on Wednesday, May 17 2011 against Tory plans to shut them up. The furious councillors, wearing duct tape over their mouths gathered on the steps of Shire Hall to object to rule changes rushed through at Cambridgeshire County Council which will limit the amount of time they will have to question Tory decisions. They claim the move, introduced just days after new Tory Leader, Nick Clarke, took control, is "undemocratic". Lib Dem Leader, Fiona Whelan said: "The Tories are doing everything in their power to silence the opposition. We are democratically elected representatives for the people in our towns and villages and they have a right to be heard. The Tories talk about localism but they are just hollow words. "These new rules give us very little time to question the decisions being made by the ruling Tory group. That is not acceptable." The changes include abolishing all discussion and questions on Cabinet decisions. Instead, councillors will have just one hour for oral questions. Lib Dems could get as little as three oral questions. Written questions will be limited to 13 and Lib Dems will get as few as five. Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• May 17, 2011:
  • Tories' Major Council Changes will Gag Opposition Councillors
    Outraged Liberal Democrats have accused the ruling Tory group on Cambridgeshire County Council of "appalling double standards" after trying to rush through major constitutional changes with less than 24 hours notice. On the one hand the Tories are planning to abolish secret policy meetings - a significant victory for the Lib Dems - but on the other they are attempting to gag opposition councillors by curtailing questions in public. Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrat Leader, Fiona Whelan said: "The Tories are doing everything in their power to push through decisions without question. "They are trying to silence opposition councillors by restricting the amount of time they have in public to question their decisions. This is anti democratic and cannot be allowed to happen. "On the one hand they are trying to appear transparent by getting rid of secret meetings but on the other, they are restricting open discussion. These changes reflect appalling double standards." The changes have been drawn up by the Conservative County Council Leader, Nick Clarke without input from officers or members and will be pushed through at full council on Tuesday, May 17 within days of Mr Clarke taking up his new position. Opposition councillors have been given less than 24 hours notice of the changes which will be introduced at the council meeting as a matter of urgent business. Lib Dems claim, however, that they do not qualify on that basis and the law requires that public and councillors are given one week's notice of items for decision by council. The changes include abolishing all discussion and questions on Cabinet decisions. Instead, councillors will have just one hour for oral questions. Lib Dems could get as little as three oral questions. Written questions will be limited to 13 which will also be allocated proportionally; Lib Dems will be given just five. By contrast, the Tories are abolishing Policy Development Group meetings which the Lib Dems refused to attend because they were held in private. They will be replaced by Overview and Scrutiny Committees where on all but one, the chair and vice chair will be Tories. The Lib Dems plan to fight the move to introduce the constitutional changes at tomorrow's meeting. Cllr Whelan added: "It is completely outrageous that significant constitutional changes can be introduced with less than 24 hours notice and presented to council. The Tories have totally disregarded the views of opposition members in this decision. "We represent our residents in our wards and it is important that we can question decisions on their behalf. The Lib Dems believe in localism - clearly it means nothing to the Tories." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Lib Dems Celebrate Victory after U-Turn on Music Funding
    Delighted Liberal Democrats are celebrating after Cambridgeshire County Council backed down on plans to siphon off £670,000 of government money intended for music across the county. The sudden U-turn comes after Lib Dems organised a campaign to Save Our Music Service and collected signatures on a petition. The Lib Dems feared that the county's four music academies, Cambridgeshire Youth Orchestra and music lessons for thousands of youngsters could be at serious risk if the grant were scattered to various committees across the county. Lucy Nethsingha, Lib Dem spokesperson for Children and Young People said: "I am delighted that Cambridgeshire County Council has decided to listen to our campaign and pass the funding to the music service. "Cambridgeshire Music Service provides wonderful opportunities for children right across the county and deserves the full support of the county Council. There have been too many cuts to the service over the past years, so it is great news that this money at least is going to the right place. Earlier this year, the Tories voted to cut a £239,000 subsidy Cambridgeshire County Council gives to Cambridgeshire Music Service and Lib Dems feared that taking away the government money as well could silence the music for thousands of youngsters across the county. Cambridgeshire Lib Dem Deputy Leader, Peter Downes is a past chair of the Cambridgeshire Youth Orchestra. He said:"There is clear evidence for the beneficial effect of music-making on children's general development as well as their specific musical skills. Cutting money for music is short-sighted and counter-productive at a time when we are committed to raising standards for young people." Cambridgeshire Music Service has played a key role in giving all children the chance to learn a musical instrument. Area music academies run by the service also provide the opportunity for children of all ages and abilities to perform in groups. The four academies provided ensembles for players from Grade 1 - 8 in classical music, jazz, folk music and samba bands. These academies are free for children whose schools buy tuition from Cambridgeshire Music Service and available for all other children at a modest termly fee. Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• May 3, 2011:
  • Lib Dems Reveal Tory Plans to Phase Bus Cuts Around Election
    A new timetable of bus subsidy cuts have been worked out by the Tories to avoid potentially damaging their county council election campaign. Instead of cutting the buses year on year over a four year period, they have revealed that the next cuts will take place this autumn followed by a two year break to avoid the sensitive election period. Once the 2013 election is over, the Tories will cut the rest of the bus subsidies under their plan to save £2.7 million. The change of plan has been revealed by Cambridge Liberal Democrats and comes just weeks after the Tories' new leader, Nick Clarke took charge. The original plan was to cut the bus subsidies in four tranches, in 2011-12 (£654k), 2012-13 (£510k), 2013-14 (£900k), and 2014-15 (£900k). The Conservatives have so far cut only part of the first tranche, which mostly consisted of evening and weekend services, rural services in West Hunts, and the city shuttle bus. They now plan to combine the remainder of the first tranche with the whole second tranche most likely taking place this October. There will no bus cuts for the following year and a half until the Cambridgeshire County Council elections have taken place after which the remaining 60 per cent (£1,816,000) will get the chop. Lib Dem Transport Spokesman, Kilian Bourke said: "The cuts we have seen so far are nothing compared to what is coming. This October we will see roughly twice as much subsidy disappear, and that will still only be 40 per cent of the cuts to bus services. There will then be a year and a half gap until the county council elections are over before the remaining 60 per cent is cut." "Nick Clarke needs to stick to his manifesto promise and stop these cuts, instead of timing them so as to save his Conservative colleagues' skins." The national Save Our Buses campaign has singled out Cambridgeshire's bus cuts as the worst in the country and may even be subject to a judicial review. Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Apr 28, 2011:
  • Taxpayers Could Pay £71 million as Guided Bus Total Almost £187m
    The spiralling cost of building Cambridgeshire's Guided Busway is expected to reach almost £187 million and taxpayers cost be left to pick up a staggering £71 million. Liberal Democrats have revealed the final figures just days after contractor BAM Nuttall handed over the project to Cambridgeshire County Council two years late. The figure includes the cost of rectifying outstanding defects and fighting the case through the courts. It is broken down as follows: £151,154,389 for the Potential Final Account to the Employer - BAM Nuttall's settlement figure on handover. £29,680,331 for non-contractual costs including land and supervision. £5 million allowance for legal costs. £1 million plus for rectifying outstanding defects - although this is only a (cautious) Lib Dem estimate as the actual figure has not been calculated. The county council has £92.5 million from central government plus £23.5 million anticipated income from developer contributions making a total of £116M to pay for the busway. This leaves it almost £71 million short which could be left for the taxpayers to fund if the county council loses the court case. Although losing 100 per cent of the court case in unlikely, the figure shows the scale of risk which keeps growing. Lib Dem transport spokesman, Kilian Bourke said: "The cost of the busway just keeps creeping upward. When is it going to stop?" "The Conservatives promised the scheme would come in at £116M and that "not one penny of taxpayers' money" would be spent on it. Now we learn that the global cost of the project, including lawyers' fees, will come to £187 million and that the local taxpayer will be liable for up to £71M if the Tories lose the court case outright. "This is unlikely to happen but the scale of the risk is monumental and losing even part of the case could leave taxpayers massively out of pocket. i just hope the Conservatives' gamble pays off and they win the case hands down." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Apr 20, 2011:
  • Tories Select New Leader By AV But "Too Complex" for Voters
    Cambridgeshire Tories selected their new leader by a form of the Alternative Vote - but are adamant it is too complex and confusing for the average voter. They are saying NO to electoral reform which would see MPs voted into their seats using the AV system in the future. Despite their objections to AV, they decided it was the right way to go when selecting new leader, Nick Clarke. With four candidates in the running, they gradually eliminated them one by one as they polled the fewest votes in the contest. With just two left standing, they chose Nick Clarke. The system is, in essence, what would happen in a General Election under the AV system. Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats Group Leader, Fiona Whelan said: "The Conservatives are showing how illogical their opposition to AV really is. They use it for choosing their own leaders at county and at national level but claim that it is too confusing and complex to be used in parliamentary elections. They insult the intelligence of voters. "They make other outrageous claims such as that AV is much more expensive when the Treasury has confirmed that it would cost about the same as conventional general elections. "It is a sign of their desperation to get a NO vote when David Cameron says 'he feels it in his gut that AV is wrong'. What kind of rationale is that?' He should stop trusting his 'gut' and have the guts to accept that we are living in the 21st century, not the 19th!" Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Apr 15, 2011:
  • County Tories Ignore Own MPs' Concerns Over Fire Service Cuts
    Tory County Councillors have been accused of ignoring their own MPs concerns about fire service cuts after refusing to consider shared working with neighbouring fire authorities. They ruled out a call to consider the working relationship between Dorset Fire Services and Devon and Somerset Fire Services as a possible model for the future of Cambridgeshire. Under the plan the two fire services will save money through joint procurement and reducing senior management posts from 12 to seven, minimising cuts to frontline services. The Tories decision not to allow the issue to be debated came just days after North East Cambridgeshire MP, Stephen Barclay and Peterborough MP, Stewart Jackson expressed their concerns about the cost of back room operations in the county fire service. The idea for joint working was suggested by Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader, Councillor Nigel Bell, during a meeting of Cambridgeshire Fire Authority's Policy & Finance Committee on April 14 2011. Cllr Bell put forward the proposal in a motion with the intention of the Chief Fire Officer preparing a discussion paper for the authority's next meeting where cuts to frontline fire services are to be discussed. But, as the only Lib Dem member at the meeting, he was unable to secure a seconder from any Tory Member of the authority. Cllr Bell said: "It was clear from their complete refusal to even discuss my motion that they are prepared to let front line fire services take the hit rather than seriously examining reducing management costs. "They were not prepared to discuss a very modest proposal which could have seen Cambridgeshire share management and procurement costs with other authorities in the region to save money." Fire authority member, Lib Dem Councillor Geoff Heathcock said: "It is clear from the Conservative's reaction that they are not the least bit interested in finding alternatives to cutting front line services. The Tory MPs, who are trying to find another way, are being ignored by their own councillors. "It is imperative that we do everything in our power to protect our front line emergency crews; but a rescue plan won't come from a Tory-run fire authority which is not prepared to look at all the options." The full text of the motion reads: "This Committee notes the review underway to identify ways to meet the savings Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service needs to make over the next 4 years. We also note that Dorset Fire & Rescue Service and Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service are beginning closer working arrangements in order to save money and, according to one of the CFOs the focus is on "looking at how our senior management teams can work more closely to lessening any negative impact on front line service delivery. The ultimate aim will be for the teams to be working closely together and sharing officers' skills and expertise." This Committee believes that similar arrangements ought to be under investigation by Cambridgeshire Fire & Rescue Service as part of the spending review currently underway, and therefore instructs the CFO to bring a paper to the next full Fire Authority meeting in May 2011 so that this Fire Authority can consider approving such discussions with neighbouring Fire Services." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Mar 9, 2011:
  • Stop the Rot: Lib Dems Slams Tory Plan to Let Roads Detoriate
    Cllr Kilian Bourke is concerned about Tories not giving Cambridgeshire Roads the investment they need Drastic Tory spending cuts will lead to a catalogue of deterioration on the county's roads, an impact assessment has revealed. Over a 10 year period the neglect could lead to three times the number of roads - and 43 per cent of all unclassified roads - being urgently in need of repair. Without investment, taxpayers will be forking out for mounting driver insurance claims and soaring repair bills. Worried Liberal Democrats have criticised the Tory-run Cambridgeshire County Council for failing to invest in the county's road network and called for a highways maintenance review to establish the true cost of the continuing neglect. Lib Dem transport spokesman, Kilian Bourke said: "If the Tories maintain the current level of funding three times as many of our roads will be urgently in need of repair in 2021. Almost half of all unclassified roads will be in an advanced state of deterioration." "Financially, the implications are disastrous. The cost of pothole repairs and insurance claims will spiral as our roads degrade. Nor is this an isolated issue; eventually this will start to drain money from other council areas, including Young Persons' Services and Adult Care." "The county council urgently needs to conduct a highways maintenance review to look at the true cost of neglecting our roads." An impact assessment of the Tory budget reveals that the 10 per cent reduction in medium and long-term road work will have disastrous consequences for the county's roads. The document states: "Scenario planning suggests that the condition of carriageways will deteriorate as follows over the next 10 years based on this budget reduction percentage of network at intervention level: A roads: 3.4 per cent [urgently in need of repair] to 10.4 per cent; B roads: 6.2 per cent to 18.9 per cent; C roads: 6.7 per cent to 20.6 per cent; Unclassified roads: 20.2 per cent to 43.4 per cent." Worcestershire County Council undertook the kind of review the Lib Dems are calling for and found that preventative investment saved significant costs in pothole repairs and insurance claims. It subsequently pumped an extra £15 million into roads to transform the network. The Liberal Democrats' alternative budget proposed to invest an additional £10 million on roads over five years, but the Conservatives rejected it. Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Mar 7, 2011:
  • Tories in the Dark over Carbon despite Facing New Tax
    Cllr Sarah Whitebread is disappointed by local Tories commitment to tackling Climate Change Cambridgeshire Tories are in the dark as to how their decisions affect climate change despite facing a new tax on carbon usage. They have decided to remove all mention of climate change from their Cabinet reports and have cut almost £500,000 from the climate change team. These decisions come despite the fact that "meeting the challenges of climate change" is a strategic objective of the county council. And they followed a commitment made by Cabinet members Mac Maguire and Tony Orgee at a recent Environment Scrutiny Committee meeting that sustainability would be embedded through the council and considered as part of every decision. Liberal Democrat Climate Change Spokesperson, Sarah Whitebread said, "This is such a disappointing decision. The Conservatives are clearly not committed to tackling climate change locally at all. They talk of embedding sustainability through their organisation, but then cut the very means by which they might be aware of sustainability implications of their decisions. "Their commitment to tackling climate change is now surely exposed as the shallowest of political gestures. Not only is this move bad from an environmental perspective, it's bad for taxpayers too. From this year, the council is being taxed for its carbon usage but the Cabinet will be making decisions with no knowledge of their affect on carbon. It's madness." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Oct 23, 2010:
  • County Tories "Incompetent" Over Scrapped Budget Meeting
    Cllr Fiona Whelan has accused county Tories of being incompetent over council finances County Tories have been accused of "incompetence and secrecy" after cancelling cross party discussions on next year's budget. All councillors had been invited to an Integrated Policy Planning seminar on November 26 when they were due to find out how the county council's spending plans were shaping up for next year. But as the government was outlining its proposals for future funding the Tories on Cambridgeshire County Council cancelled the meeting. Instead the matter will be delayed for a week and councillors will lose a crucial week to consider options. The move has angered the Lib Dems who claim it is another example of the Tories losing control of the finances of the council following similar delays and postponements last year. County Lib Dem leader, Fiona Whelan said: "Yet again, the Conservatives have shown they are not in control of managing taxpayer's money. They are deliberately keeping councillors in the dark to hide the fact their plans are in a mess. "They gave no explanation of why this seminar was cancelled but buried the decision when we were focusing on the government's Spending Review. This is nothing short of incompetence once again." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
• Sep 27, 2010:
  • Lib Dems Attack Plan to Hand Power to Unelected Bureaucrats
    Cllr Fiona Whelan has criticised plans to turn the unaccountable Public Service Boards in the Commissioning Board for local Services A controversial plan to give unelected bureaucrats new powers over local services has angered Liberal Democrat councillors. They fear the move could weaken democracy by taking decisions away from elected politicians and giving them to local authority officers. A report written by officers at Cambridgeshire County Council suggests strengthening the role of the Public Service Board, whose members are council and public service chief executives, by "empowering it to take decisions". The report suggests that the board could become "the commissioning group for all locally delivered services, with its chair becoming the accountable individual for funding and commissioning decisions". The chair of the PSB is the county council's chief executive and it meets in private with no papers available to the public. No elected representatives attend meetings or have any input in the board's discussions. The report was presented to Cambridgeshire Together whose chair is the county council's Conservative Leader, Jill Tuck. Fiona Whelan, Cambridgeshire Lib Dem Leader said: "It is vitally important that Councillor Tuck puts a stop to this immediately. "This is an audacious attempt to grab power from the proper democratic process. This would involve decisions being made about local services by officers who were not elected to do so." Nichola Harrison, Lib Dem Environment Spokesperson said: "We will never accept the weakening of democracy. The county council's bureaucrats are there to assist elected politicians to make good decisions, not to take over the role themselves. "It is unthinkable that crucial decisions on funding local services should be taken by an unelected board in secret. This has serious implications and cannot be allowed to happen." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY
  • Tories Warned as Government Reveals Spiralling Cost of Bus Travel
    Cllr Killian Bourke said that the county council has no real negotiating power in relation to bus services Two government reports into the "Big Five" bus operators, including Stagecoach which runs 86 per cent of Cambridgeshire services, show passengers are paying over the odds for their tickets. The Department of Transport reports submitted to the Competition Commission for its investigation into local bus travel, show that prices rose by 53 per cent between 1985 and 2008, far more than the cost of train and air travel. Liberal Democrats claim Cambridgeshire's Tory-run county council, which subsidises many Stagecoach services, should learn a lesson from the reports. Highways spokesman Kilian Bourke said: "These reports confirm what people in Cambridgeshire already know, that cartels are good for profit margins, not paying customers. "The Conservatives running the county council have made a strategic error in allowing Stagecoach to dominate the region so completely. Despite paying it over a million pounds a year in subsidies and giving it the lucrative Park and Ride contract, the lack of competition means that the council no longer has any real negotiating power. "We saw this last winter when Stagecoach cut services across the city, blaming the recession; six months later it revealed it had a bumper year. Where was the county council when it was needed?" One of the reports states: "Greater transparency about the profitability and efficiency of bus operators might help determine when fare levels are competitive." And it adds that the absence of effective competition could result in "a lack of competition for tendered services resulting in higher prices for taxpayers". The report also states that if the market were fully competitive, returns on capital for operators should be between eight and 11 per cent but, in fact they are between 13 and 24 per cent for major operators. In Cambridgeshire, Stagecoach's nearest competitor Whippet runs just six per cent of services. Stagecoach also has an exclusive agreement with the county council to provide the Park and Ride service. Its chief executive, Brian Souter, once described Cambridge as the "jewel in the crown" of its regional operation. Newly-elected East Chesterton County Councillor, Ian Manning said: "During the election campaign in East Chesterton people on the doorstep were furious. They felt that the Conservatives shouldn't be subsidising this monopoly if they can't even get the Park and Ride bus to stop in our ward. "The county council should be working to extract social value from the operator, not just lining its pockets with taxpayers' money." Published and promoted by South East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats, 16 Signet Court, Swann's Road, Cambridge Printed (hosted) by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY