Soham & Fordham Villages

Introduction

Latest Stories

Introduction

The Branch covers the County Division of Soham and Fordham Villages which is Fordham, Chippenham, Kennett, Snailwell, Soham, Wicken and Isleham.

In 2007, there was an electorate of 12,353

Latest Stories

• Apr 10, 2011:
  • Lib Dems Unleash Women Power at the Polls
    Woman power is dominating East Cambridgeshire's elections as Liberal Democrats unleash their latest weapon in the battle for votes. They are fielding 18 strong female candidates throughout the district - more than double the number chosen by the Conservatives and Labour. If elected, when voters go to the polls on May 5, the women will alter the male dominated balance on East Cambridgeshire District Council and more closely reflect the electorate. Lib Dem sitting councilors, Hazel Williams, Sue Austen, Sheila Friend-Smith and Pauline Wilson are defending their seats and they are joined by a new line-up. Former Cambridge City Councillors, Jennifer Liddle and Jenny Bailey who have moved into the district, bring a wealth of experience to their fight for seats in East Cambs. Former East Cambridgeshire District Councillor and Lib Dem Leader, Charlotte Cane, who took a break from local politics due to pressure of work, is hoping to return. And they will be joined by Lorna Spencely, Elizabeth Mitchell, Gayner Griffiths, Dian Warman, Lindsey Harris, Ruth Palmer, Nicola Masters, Johanna Crighton, Anthea Maybury, Joanna Burnett, Brenda Wilson, Lesley Phillips and Sue Fentiman. Lib Dem Leader, Ian Allen said: "We are very proud of our female candidates and are confident they will put up a good election fight. "Although we have had strong female politicians on the council, the chamber has been very male dominated. We want to change that so that we get a more balanced viewpoint and reflect the electorate generally." 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 20, 2010:
  • Tories Make Sure Taxpayers Pay Up and Shut Up
    East Cambridgeshire residents fork out £60,000 a year for transport and safety improvements but have been robbed of the chance to say how the money should be spent. Tories on the district council have decided to axe a key committee which discussed the issues in public. They have given no reason for killing off the East Cambridgeshire Area Joint Traffic Management Committee which drew its members from both the district and county councils. Members meet to consider and approve schemes such as cycle paths, road safety improvements, pedestrian crossings, traffic calming and dropped kerbs to assist disabled residents. The committee's budget was made up of £60,000 from East Cambridgeshire District Council - including donations from the village parish councils - and £60,000 from Cambridgeshire County Council. Councillor Bob Stevens, who represents Bottisham on the district council said: "This decision is absurd. We have been given no explanation and it has robbed residents, parish councillors and district councillors of having any input in decisions on transport and safety. "This committee had a full and important agenda and it is ludicrous to kill it off." The decision to axe the committee comes at a time when the Tories on Cambridgeshire County Council are diverting government money from the Local Transport Plan into the fund for the guided bus. "Crucial decisions are being made by the Tories on the county council about transport and safety spending in East Cambridgeshire," said Lib Dem leader, Ian Allen; "yet residents will have little or no say. "We have already seen a number of projects axed to pay for the ill fated guided bus which brings no benefit to our residents. This is another example of the Tories ignoring the views of residents to pursue their own agenda." 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
• Aug 16, 2010:
  • Tories' Profit Making Scheme for Market could Backfire
    Cllr Pauline Wilson proposed an alternative pitch charge for the market that were rejected by the Tories Liberal Democrats have issued a stern warning to the Tories after they agreed a 58 per cent increase in charges for Saturday's market traders. They claim that forcing traders to pay East Cambridgeshire District Council £10 a week plus VAT to erect and dismantle stalls could be short sighted in the longer term. The Lib Dems claim that traders could eventually swap the council owned stalls for their own and bypass the charge. "This would leave the council back to square one and having to rethink its strategy all over again," said Councillor Pauline Wilson, Lib Dem spokesperson of the council's Community Services Committee. "This is a quick fix, short sighted solution which could backfire. The Tories see the market traders as an easy target and a way of making massive profit. But it could go badly wrong. "Some of the traders have already expressed concerns about the advance payment and are worried that they will have to give up." The Tories propose introducing the £10 charge plus VAT in transitional stages for existing traders. They will pay £5 a week for the first six months in advance, followed by £7.50 a week for the year 2011/2012 finally increasing to £10. New traders will be charged £10 a week plus VAT from day one. The increase with the other cost saving proposals will generate an extra £46,500 in profit from the Saturday Collectibles and Farmers' Markets, on top of the already budgeted £20,000. At the council's Community Services Committee meeting on Thursday (August 12) Cllr Pauline Wilson proposed a £5 increase on pitch charges across the board, which would have been VAT exempt and was supported by traders. It would have produced an additional £42,500. But her idea was defeated along with another from Lib Dem Cllr Hazel Williams who suggested introducing the £10 increase as a pitch charge, again free of VAT, and keeping the transitional arrangement. Cllr Pauline Wilson added: "The Tories may have shot themselves in the foot with this plan. No-one knows what will happen in a year or two and traders could decide to reject the council-owned stalls and buy their own. Eventually, the council may find it has priced itself out of the market. "Increasing the pitch fees by a small amount would have guaranteed increased profit for the market with the traders' backing." 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
• Jul 26, 2010:
  • Lib Dems' Victory for Local Democracy After Tory U-Turn
    Cllr Ian Allen welcomes the climbdown on Cabinet Government at East Cambs District Council Liberal Democrats are celebrating a victory for local democracy after a massive U-turn by the Tories on East Cambridgeshire District Council over changing the way the authority is governed. Council leader, Fred Brown, announced a move towards cabinet-style government has been scrapped. His decision comes despite the fact that the results of a consultation on the changes have not been made public. The decision is a victory for Lib Dems who had fought to stop the cabinet system being introduced claiming decisions would be made by around eight Tory members with little voice for the opposition. A cabinet system would have meant increased allowances for members putting increased burden on the taxpayer at a time when the district council is struggling to balance its books. Lib Dem leader, Ian Allen said: "I am delighted with this outcome. The Tories have admitted that this idea has been scrapped to avoid wasting any more money. "They were pressing ahead with a policy laid down by the Labour government which their own party does not support. It is highly likely that cabinet-style government will be changed by the new coalition. "We knew that the coalition did not support this policy but it has taken a while for the message to sink in for the Tories. They have wasted money and officer time on a policy which was never going to be supported by the new government." He praised residents who lobbied the press to express their concerns about the changes. "The public were instrumental in getting this climb down. Many of them felt they were unable to answer the questions on the consultation paper because of the way they were loaded in favour of getting the Tories' desired result," he added. "Having seen the consultation forms I would like to thank all those who took part in what was a more than 4-1 majority for the status quo." 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 7, 2010:
  • East Cambs Liberal Democrats Elect New Leader
    Ian Allen has been elected as Leader of the Lib Dem group on East Cambs District Council East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have elected Ian Allen as their new leader. Cllr Allen takes over from Gareth Wilson who held the position for five years. Sue Austen has been elected as Deputy Leader succeeding Ian Allen. The elections took place on Saturday (June 5) during the group's annual meeting in Burwell. Cllr Allen said: "I am delighted that the members have elected me to lead them over the coming year and towards the district council elections in 2011. "Gareth has been an extremely hard-working and inspirational leader over the last five years and he leaves an incredibly impressive legacy. "I want the group to continue to be an effective opposition during this administration and develop policies that carry public support for implementation after the next election." Cllr Wilson said: "I hand over the running of the group to Ian who has proved he is a highly effective councillor and committed member of the group. "I am confident that the group will go from strength to strength under his leadership and I look forward to working with him to face the challenges ahead." 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 23, 2010:
  • Falling Recycling Rates Prompt Call for Radical Overhaul
    Cllr Gareth Wilson has called for an overhaul of East Cambs recycling service Liberal Democrats are calling for a radical overhaul of East Cambridgeshire's household rubbish collection service as recycling rates start to fall. The figure started dropping after the Tory administration on the district council scrapped the household plastic bottle collection and removed the Tetrapak bottle banks. Now East Cambridgeshire's recycling rate is just 35 per cent - a fall of two per cent in recent months - making it by far, the worst in the county. Huntingdonshire and Cambridge City Council recycle well over 50 per cent of their rubbish. Lib Dems claim that if the Tories had adopted their preferred alternate week rubbish collection and three bin recycling scheme they could have increased the recycling rate and saved almost £300,000 in the last three years. Ian Allen, Lib Dem Spokesman for Environment and Transport said: "We are missing national and local targets. Ten years ago our district council was top of the league in Cambridgeshire, now the other districts have far outstripped our efforts. "We must sort out this situation as a matter of urgency; it cannot be allowed to go on. The only reason we are not facing huge landfill penalties is because the other districts are bailing us out. This is nothing short of a total embarrassment." Liberal Democrat leader, Gareth Wilson said: "We must change the service to address these issues. It is time the Tories accepted that they have made bad errors of judgment over the rubbish collection service and act quickly to put them right before we throw good money after bad." 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
  • Radical Changes to Council could Gag Lib Dems
    Gareth Wilson is opposing Cabinet-style government Liberal Democrats fear Tories on East Cambridgeshire District Council are to push through radical changes which could leave them without a voice. The move to introduce Cabinet-style government would mean up to eight leading Tories would make decisions on key issues without opposition. Although the meetings would be open to the public there would be no Lib Dem representation. And the reverse would apply if the Lib Dems were in control there would be no Conservative opposition. Members of the public are being asked their views on the Cabinet system until August 2. If it gains support it could be introduced next Spring and would be irreversible. Gareth Wilson, East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrat leader said: "I cannot understand why if the system is not broken, we need to fix it. "Cabinet member allowances will increase taking more money from the taxpayer and key decisions will be taken with input from just one party and rubber stamped. "I would urge everyone to have their say on this proposal and object on the basis that to operate effective, democratic local government we need to hear both sides of the argument." Lib Dems would be able to call in decisions to the council's overview and scrutiny committee but would not be involved in the initial decision-making process. Councillor Ian Allen said: "It is crucial that the Lib Dems have a chance to voice their opinions so that people can hear the alternative arguments otherwise I cannot see what we were elected for. "If we cannot discuss an issue how can we affect the outcome? The Tories would be given carte blanche to drive through their own agenda unchallenged. This is totally undemocratic." Cabinet-style government was discussed several years ago when the Lib Dems were in control of the council and rejected as "undemocratic" 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
• Feb 9, 2010:
  • Tories Hold Secret Meetings to Discuss Cuts
    Angry Liberal Democrats have accused the Tories on East Cambridgeshire District Council of making decisions behind closed doors and rubber stamping them at public meetings. They launched their attack after major issues affecting the district were brought to committee for decisions with little or no discussion. Lib Dems were furious when moves to axe arts provider, ADEC and force Ely Market traders to buy and erect their own stalls turned up without warning on committee agendas. They claim decisions are made at meetings involving the chairs of the committees and officers and then Conservative councilors are instructed to toe the party line when it comes to voting. But the chair of the council's overview and scrutiny committee, Lib Dem Michael Allen, is not invited to take part. Lib Dem leader Gareth Wilson said: "We are seeing time and time again the Tories voting en bloc after decisions have already been made in secret. These decisions, which affect major services across the district, are coming into the public domain for rubber stamping only after decisions have already been made. "The Tories are holding Cabinet-style meetings in private. This means there is little open discussion on issues which affect the taxpayers of this district. It flies in the face of the democratic process." The Lib Dems attack comes after Tory leader, Fred Brown, dismissed the mass protest over Ely Market saying the decision was "a done deal". "The Tories are not listening," added Cllr Wilson. "They are not listening to the councillors or the public. They make up their minds and everyone else is expected to fall into line. They have no time for anyone who disagrees with their plan of action." 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
• Feb 4, 2010:
  • Recycling Scheme Dumped as Tories Struggle with Debt
    East Cambridgeshire's kerbside plastic bottle recycling scheme has become the latest victim of Tory cuts. The scheme, launched two years ago at a projected cost of £88,000 per year, is being dumped by the Conservatives after actually costing £129,000 per year. The decision means that the district's recycling rate - which is the worst in the county at just 39 per cent, 11 per cent below all other districts - will fall even further. "The decision to launch this scheme was doomed to failure from the beginning," said Councillor Ian Allen, Lib Dem environment spokesman. "The Tories had the opportunity to introduce a waste contract that would give similar results to neighbouring districts, but they chose a contract based on minimal standards and price. "If the opportunity had been taken to introduce an organic collection bin instead of bags the collection weights would have been far higher and people could have recycled more. These bins could have been paid for from Section 106 money. "Our recycling rates are embarrassing. The Tories cannot get this right and the only reason we are not facing landfill penalties is because our figures are being bolstered by other authorities across the county." Cllr Allen said that instead of securing projects that would bring real benefits to the people of East Cambridgeshire, the Tories were intent on pressing ahead with schemes which they cannot afford. "They are undermining Ely Market and other community projects while trying to move ahead with the country park even though there is no money to implement it in the foreseeable future," he added. 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
• Jan 26, 2010:
  • Lib Dems Fury After Villagers Cut Off by Bus Service Changes
    Furious Liberal Democrats have hit out at recent cuts to village bus timetables, claiming rural communities are at the mercy of a company that has a monopoly on services. Cuts in county council bus subsidies over the years have compounded the problem leaving villagers with fewer and fewer buses, they claim. They have called for a total reform of how the bus services are regulated in a bid to give passengers a fairer deal. Ely County Councillor, Nigel Bell, a member of the East Cambridgeshire Environment and Transport Area Committee said: "These changes demonstrate just how the county's rural communities are at the mercy of a bus company that effectively has a monopoly on services. "With the county council cuts to bus subsidies over the last few years, the county council portfolio holder is already indicating that these changes are unlikely to be mitigated by extra subsidised services. It is an appalling situation that has been allowed to develop and a root and branch reform of how the counties' bus services are regulated and funded needs to be carried out." Lib Dems fear the villagers of Isleham, Burwell, Lode and Swaffham will be hardest hit. Changes being implemented by Stagecoach include: -A reduction in morning and evening peak services between Cambridge, Newmarket, Soham and Ely with journeys to and from Isleham withdrawn; -Reducing to hourly the number 10 service which runs from Newmarket through Burwell, the Swaffhams, Lode and Bottisham to Cambridge, with the morning peak no long serving Lode village; -The withdrawal of the 9A Ely town service and a reduction to Sunday services on the X9 between Cambridge and Ely; -The number 9 service between Cambridge, Ely and Littleport will be hourly with journeys between Ely and Cambridge withdrawn expect for two morning and one evening service. Lib Dem Councillor, Bob Stevens, who represents Bottisham said: "We have watched our village bus services being eroded over the past couple of years and the county council has sat back and let it happen. "Villagers in these rural communities are becoming more and more isolated and we have a county administration that doesn't seem to care. Action must be taken now to prevent companies like Stagecoach being able to have this amount of control over village life. Related Links Petition against the bus service cuts in East Cambridgeshire 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 20, 2009:
  • Businessman Welcomes Potential Re-Opening of Soham Rail Station
    Leading Soham businessman, Charles Warner, has welcomed the news that Soham railway station may re-open after a twenty-year campaign. The most recent survey held three years ago to preserve the old station site from encroaching development, showed a high level of support to reopen the station He claims the decision, part of a major Network Rail project to allow freight trains from Felixstowe to avoid the Olympic Games' site, will bring huge benefits for Soham. "This is excellent news," said Mr Warner, a Liberal Democrat activist. "It will put Soham firmly on the map and bring increased prosperity to the town well ahead of the Soham Master Plan. "This is the boost that Soham has needed for a long time. By reinstating this key commuter link, the town becomes a viable location for new businesses, and people who need to commute will see it as an attractive place to live. "This decision has the potential to bring major economic growth to Soham while at the same time reducing traffic congestion in and around Ely and Cambridge ." East Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrat Leader, Gareth Wilson, said: "We have campaigned for a long time to get this station reinstated and this decision is very welcome. "It gives the people of Soham a fast direct rail link to Ely and Cambridge and offers them a viable alternative to car travel. "Reopening the railway station will bring major advantages to the town and encourage enterprise." 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 8, 2007:
  • Black Hole in Guided Bus Finances
    Liberal Democrats today attacked the Conservative County Council administration for stumbling into a multi-million pound black hole through their failure properly to estimate the running costs of the unpopular Guided Bus scheme. The financial case for the Guided Bus assumed that no business rates would be payable on the busway. It now emerges that the business rates for the busway could cost the County Council up to £1m per annum - a sum for which no budget had been provided, and which had not been disclosed at the outset to the bus operators. With no County Council money available to pay these business rates, the money will have to be recovered through higher charges to the bus operators, which means higher fares for the passengers. Judy Broadway, Liberal Democrat spoke for Environment and Community Services, said: 'The Conservative County Council has rammed the Guided Bus scheme through, in the face of opposition from the Liberal Democrats, and from more than 3,000 objections from local people. Now it turns out that they got their sums wrong. This arrogant administration is also incompetent'. 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 1, 2007:
  • C-Charge Bid Must Take Climate Change Seriously
    Carbon reduction targets for the Cambridgeshire congestion charge scheme have been condemned as weak by Liberal Democrats on the County Council. During the full meeting of Cambridgeshire County Council today, Liberal Democrat opposition councillors described the Council's statements on carbon reduction as 'grossly misleading' and criticised the lack of information on new bus routes in the proposals. Councillor Alex Reid commented: "The County Council's carbon reduction claims in the congestion charge bid are grossly misleading. The County Council claims that the scheme will produce reductions in line with Kyoto targets, yet it will come in after Kyoto targets end in 2010. "The scheme's weak target of just 16% reduction in carbon emissions from transport in Cambridge by 2021 is only half of the target reduction in the Government's Climate Change Bill. For the Cambridge Sub-Region as a whole, the scheme's target of 1% reduction is less than a twentieth of the target reduction in the Climate Change Bill. It is nonsense to describe the County Council's target reductions as being in line with anything. "The County Council must produce a proper alternative that addresses climate change seriously. We need real incentives for low emission vehicles and higher charges for gas guzzlers." Lib Dem Transport, Environment and Climate Change spokesperson, Judy Broadway, added: "If this scheme is to do any good at all it should make a major contribution to reducing carbon emissions. The County Council needs to be much more ambitious in terms of emissions reduction; the current proposals are simply weak. "We also need to hear much more from the County Council about how public transport will be massively improved. The bid to Government included very little about new bus routes and so many areas will be left without a decent bus service. "The Park and Ride buses will apparently travel almost non-stop to the city centre which is of no help to those who work or shop elsewhere in Cambridge. Buses will only be attractive to users if they stop close to where they want to go and are regular, reliable and cheap to use." 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 26, 2007:
  • Lib Dems Back Local Charity
    Lib Dems on Cambridgeshire County Council are calling for the grant to charity for the blind Camread to be reinstated. Camread will be presenting a petition to the County Council on Tuesday at 9.45am outside Shire Hall. There will be opportunities for photographs and interviews. The charity did not receive their annual grant of £10,000 from the County Council this year. Despite telling the charity that they no longer meet the funding eligibility criteria, the Council has continued to refer visually impaired people to Camread to use their services. Lib Dem County Councillor Judy Broadway commented: "Camread offers a vital service for people with visual impairments, allowing them to keep up with the local news and follow personal correspondence. The County Council has continued to refer residents to Camread even though they have removed their funding. To take away most of a charity's annual funding with no notice at all is totally unacceptable. "Without this grant there's a strong possibility that Camread will not survive. I want the Cabinet to listen to the charity's concerns, restore their funding and allow Camread to continue to help visually impaired people in Cambridgeshire for many years to come." 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