MP's Expenses

The ongoing row over MP’s expenses does nothing for the reputation of politicians of whatever party and unfortunately at every level. It is unfortunate that, yet again, a small minority of politicians have given the vast majority a bad name. I have a very simple solution – MP’s should be bound by the same rules as local politicians and by the standards that they insist (rightly) that we should abide by. At the County Council (and at District level) our allowances and any expenses we claim are a matter of public record and are published annually. Anyone can ask and be told what I have claimed for travel or subsistence. And as last year, once the figures are available, I will publish my own expenses on my blog. You can be assured that they do not include the now infamous bathplug, or horse manure!

New Buses

Yesterday I travelled on one of the new buses that Stagecoach has bought to run on the guided busway. The busway itself is making slow progress, which is unfortunate, but in the meantime Stagecoach are running their new fleet on a number of routes around Cambridge, including the 15. It was a great improvement on the old buses that we are used to. It has air conditioning and free wi-fi (not that I had my laptop with me), but I did see someone making use of it. The seats are also This goes towards making Cambridge one the the greenest public transport cities in the country.

Over Pharmacy

One of the first letters waiting for me when I came home after a recent spell in hospital was a letter from the Primary Care Trust advising that an appeal against their decision to refuse permission for a pharmacy had been allowed by the NHS Litigation Authority. I have been in touch with Over Surgery to offer any support that I can. In the meantime I wrote to the said Litigation Authority asking a number of questions. Specifically I wanted to know why nobody apart from the surgery appeared to have been advised of the appeal and therefore given no opportunity to comment. I also wanted to know whether anyone had visited Over before making a decision. I received a reply this morning. Apparently once the Litigation Authority has made a decision, it refuses to enter into any further correspondence and they therefore merely enclosed a copy of the decision, which is less than helpful. It appears that profit carries more weight than people when it comes to deciding whether we need a pharmacy or not. The cynic in me says that this is hardly the caring Labour government that we are continually promised.
I fear that there is very little that we, as local residents, or I, as an elected representative can do, but I will raise the prinicple of the way this decision was reached with Jim Paice, our MP, and ask that he speaks to the Department of Health.

Longstanton Bypass

It sometimes seems that in sorting one problem another is created. the Longstanton bypass has brought a welcome relief from the many thousands of cars that used to travel through the village, but it has created a problem for cyclists, who have lost a direct route from Over to Longstanton. As part of the Home Farm Development a cycleway will be created through the estate, but that now seems a long way off.

So as a temporary solution a new footpath has been created adjacent to the bypass and which links in to the Over Road in Longstanton. It is very much a temporary measure and has only been created from road planings, but it is much better than nothing and will enable cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders to have a safer and more pleasant journey between the two villages.

Swingers Club Mark 2

Just as we thought that we had heard the last of the Swingers Club, I heard otherwise at the end of last week. Having lost their planning application and subsequent appeal, I am told that the site is now advertising that a pole/lap dancing club will shortly be opening.

I have been in touch with the Planning Department at South Cambs District Council and they have reassured me that they are investigating.

My position remains as before; I make no comment on what people wish to do in private, but I do not believe that an Industrial Estate with little access to good public transport late at night is a suitable location.

Cycling to Longsstanton

Since the new Longstanton bypass opened at the beginning of December complaints about the diversion of National Cycle Route 51 from Ramper Road along the new bypass into Station Road and then through the village to the existing route.
It will be obvious to most that because of the recession, housebuilders in the area, including Longstanton, have shut up shop and the provision of the permanent link through the proposed housing development (which would have been funded by the developers) has been delayed. The County Council is not able to provide an alternative cycle route. However, we will be constructing a temporary footpath with planings along the eastern verge from roundabout 2 (the central roundabout) south to and over the new bridge to join the old Over Road. This will enable cyclists to walk this route as an alternative until the developers provide the permanent link.
Once the guided busway opens later this year the cycleway being constructed alongside will become the new NCN51 route and provide a more direct and safer route for cyclists.

Winter Gritting

Now that the weather has returned to a more familiar pattern and salt supplies have been restored, I have been told that the normal gritting routes have been resumed. There are also gangs of workers travelling the county repairing the many potholes that have sprung up in the bad weather.Some of these will be temporary repairs until the weather has improved sufficiently to carry out a permanent repair. If you spot a pothole, please call 0345 045 5212 or click onto www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/transport/roads/potholes/ to report it.