BHA: Holy Redundant! Remove Privilege In Parliament

Over 100 years on from the call for immediate reform of our second chamber in the House of Lords Act 1911, House of Lords reform continues to be a constant in our political landscape, defying every cliché about how quickly things change in politics.

However, as the Draft House of Lords Reform Bill makes its way through the early scrutiny stages, and is likely to be included prominently in the Government’s agenda for the next parliamentary session, we have a unique opportunity to remove one of the most archaic, unjust, and peculiar of parliamentary customs – the reserved places for Church of England Bishops in our legislature.

Unfortunately, both the government and the Joint Committee scrutinising the Draft Reform Bill have called for the retention of a number of Bishops.

This is why we’ve launched our new campaign ‘Holy Redundant’, as we think that automatically awarding seats in our legislature to senior clerics is antithetical to the principles of a democratic and just society. Not only is it unfair, it is unpopular, and entirely at odds with a culture which is both increasingly non-religious and religiously diverse at the same time.

Whatever direction this reform takes, we cannot miss this opportunity to push for the removal of the Bishops; we won’t get a chance like this again.

Please go to holyredundant.org.uk, read about what is happening, help with our campaign, and donate if you are able.

Huppert Secures Meeting With Minister Over Fire Service Funding

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert

A government minister is to meet Cambridge MP, Julian Huppert to discuss future funding for the county’s fire service.

Bob Neill, Minister for Communities and Local Government agreed to the meeting in the House of Commons today (Monday, April 30) after Julian called for greater clarity over the government’s funding plans for the service.

“Fire services, such as ours in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough which are already low cost and largely have retained fire-fighters, are extremely vulnerable to excessive funding reductions and have no alternative other than the withdrawal of some appliances and the closure of fire stations, beyond a certain point,” Julian told the minister.

“I do accept the need for some savings, but there is still a lack of clarity as to how much this service will have to save. Will he meet with me, staff from the Authority and Service, and other local MPs, who are also concerned, to discuss how much funding there will be available in the future?”

Mr Neill said: “In relation to funding overall, the reduction to funding in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is 1.5 per cent in terms of reduction of their spending power.

“I am glad to say that their joint bid for Suffolk to improve fire control room services was successful and they will receive £400,000 revenue and £180,000 capital funding.

“I am always happy to meet with Honorable Members to discuss the circumstances in their own constituencies.”

Later Julian said: “I am delighted that the minister has agreed to meet to discuss this issue.

“The Fire Authority cannot be expected to make decisions about the future of our fire service without having all the facts. The government has to be completely clear about the level of funding that the service can expect in the future so that our fire cover can be protected.

“Now l am hoping that we will be able to get the answers to our questions to give the fire authority a much more solid base from which to work.

"I spent an evening recently with the White Watch in Cambridge, and it was clear what a great job they do - they deserve to know what they will be able to do in the future"

Footpath flooding on Milton Road and Nun's Way

We've had reports from a number of residents that the north end of Milton Road has had the footpath completely flooded.
It seems that the grass verges are now blocking the drains, so I have written to the County Council to try and see what can be done to fix this issue. I'll let you know if I get any response!

In addition, officers from the County have been and visited Nun's way to look at various footpath flooding there. It seems that there may be some drainage channels blocked, but they can't tell until the water dissipates. If the drainage channel is too small for the waterway, or indeed doesn't exist, then officers have agreed to look at putting some in.

Let me know if you have any other tales of woe, either in the comments or by the usual methods.

Better Bus Area Fund (BBAF) Statement

As part of a request from Liberal Democrat County Councillor Sarah Whitebread a statement will be released to the West Central Area Committee shortly detailing the plans for spending the 1.7m allocated to the Cambridge City for bus improvements in Cambridge City.

The original statement is available here (via Google Docs).

The text is below;

"Written Statement for the West Central Area Committee meeting on 26.04.12 regarding the Better Bus Area Fund (BBAF)


Cambridgeshire County Council has been asked to prepare a statement for the West Central Area Committee for 26th April regarding the Better Bus Area Fund (or BBAF), providing some background information on the bid and our plans to consult on aspects of the programme once this is finalised.


The County Council has secured £1.7m funding from Government to invest in improving the reliability of bus services, particularly through Cambridge city centre. The overarching aim of the bid is to improve accessibility, bus journey times and reliability on key bus routes.


One of the proposals included in the bid is the possible removal of motorised traffic, except buses and emergency service vehicles, from St Andrews Street between Emmanuel Street and Hobson Street, during the day time. This would be accompanied by the proposed removal of the taxi rank on St Andrews Street, at least during the day time. If this proposal is taken forward, the current taxi rank in Drummer Street would become the primary taxi facility for the historic city centre.


Buses using the route currently experience delays associated with over ranking by taxis, deliveries to premises and unauthorised vehicles using the street. There are also conflicts between buses, cycles and pedestrians which need to be addressed. Our intention is to enhance the environment and safety in this area and improve accessibility, especially for bus services. In doing this we will consider all access requirements by all users including those with mobility impairments.


To help us in achieving this, we will be consulting widely with all sectors of the city centre community before designing any detailed proposals. We are keen to hear from all those who live in and use the area and we will shortly be publicising details of when and how the consultation will be undertaken and details will be made available on our website at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk.


We look forward to engaging further with the West Central Committee as part of this process.


Yours sincerely




Dearbhla Lawson
Head of Transport Infrastructure Policy & Funding
Cambridgeshire County Council


Background Information
Background:

• The bid was prepared in partnership with South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridge City Council, Stagecoach East and Whippet Coaches Ltd and is for a total of £1.724m of Department for Transport (DfT) funding. The total programme cost is £5.192m.
• The overarching aim of the bid is to improve accessibility, bus journey times and reliability on key bus routes in Cambridge.
• The programme will be implemented during 2012/13 and 2013/14.
• The full bid document is available here.

The BBAF programme area:

• The bid focuses on the core area of Cambridge City Centre and on four of the inner radial routes that are heavily used by buses (Hills Road, Milton Road, Histon Road and Mill Road). It also focuses on outer radial routes from the Trumpington Park & Ride Site and the villages of Sawston, Cambourne and Linton.

Benefits of the programme:

• The programme will improve journey times and reliability, and result in increased bus patronage (an estimated 508,000 more passenger journeys over the two years of the bid). It will improve access to employment, reduce carbon emissions (by reducing bus mileage in the bid area) and improve air quality in the core area (due to older vehicles being replaced with cleaner, newer vehicles).
• The programme will also result in wider economic benefits by reducing congestion and helping to enable planned growth to occur and that people can access employment and other key destinations.

Consultation:

• Cambridgeshire County Council is planning to consult on a number of the measures which are included in the BBAF programme. As we were only advised of the success of the bid in late March, detailed work on a programme including project plans/ options has yet to take place.
• County Council officers are currently working up a draft programme which will clarify how the various BBAF programme elements are proposed to be taken forward in the next two years. This will include consideration of how and when detailed scheme designs and proposals will be consulted upon. Our aim is to have a programme completed by June for publication and to share it with Members of the West Central Area Committee."

Dog Takes A Bite Out Of Local Election Candidate!

Cllr Neil McGovern
(LD, King's Hedges - Cambridge City)

Cambridge City Councillor, Neil McGovern discovered a dog’s bite is certainly worse than its bark while out election canvassing last night (Wednesday, April 25).

He was bitten on the hand as he tried to put a note through a door in the city’s Atkins Close to let the homeowners know he had called while they were out.

Suddenly, the dog leapt at the letterbox and took a bite out of Cllr McGovern, who is standing for re-election in the King’s Hedges ward.

Cllr McGovern abandoned his canvassing and went to the accident and emergency department at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

“It was quite a shock and totally unexpected,” said Cllr McGovern. “It was a minor bite but I decided I ought to get it checked out at the hospital.

“The staff were fantastic. They gave me a tetanus jab and a course of antibiotics and I was ready to go in just 15 minutes. My partner had gone to get some coffee because we expected to be there for a while, but by the time she got back I had been seen and patched up.

“I was so impressed with the service and can’t thank the staff enough.”

Huppert Quizzes Government On Ethical Pensions

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert has quizzed the government on the action it is taking to make sure pension holders have the chance to invest their retirement funds in ethical companies and not just those offering short-term returns.

He paid tribute to Cambridge Retrofit, who aim to retrofit Cambridge buildings by 2050. He spoke at their launch last week, welcoming the landmark energy efficiency initiative to make Cambridge the first UK city to reach national targets of an 80 per cent reduction in carbon emissions.

Julian told Parliament that he wants pension fund trustees to look closely at investing funds in companies such as this.

He asked Pensions Minister, Steve Webb in the House of Commons: “How will he make sure that trustees are aware that their fiduciary duties do not prevent them from doing this? How will he communicate this, as many of them seem to be unaware of this?”

Mr Webb assured Julian that trustees are allowed to look at wider social aspects of their investments, and that the pension regulator communicates regularly with trustees and provided a tool kit on his website setting out trustees’ duties.

He also highlighted that "auto enrolment does provide the opportunity for ethical investment, for example the National Employment Saving Trust, will specifically have an ethical fund for people who want to invest in that way,” he said, “ and I hope that his schemes will seek to find investments through that particular route.”

Julian said later: “We have a huge number of companies in this country working on programmes which aim to improve our environment, reduce inequality and generally make life better for us and future generations.

“These companies need investment to grow and flourish and pension fund trustees should be looking at them seriously. We should be looking to the companies of the future, those that have excellent ethical credentials and that are working towards what we want to achieve environmentally.”

Visually Impaired Student Becomes Latest Victim Of Tory Bus Cuts

Warren Wilson joins Lib Dem Councillors,
Susan van de Ven and Tim Stone
at the bus stop where the Citi 7 will no
longer stop

Cambridge student, Warren Wilson, whose sight is failing due to a rare genetic condition, has become the latest victim of Tory county council spending cuts.

The Citi 7 bus that takes him to Anglia Ruskin University will no longer call at Duxford leaving 21-year-old Warren stranded at home in Kingsway.

A decision by the Conservative-run Cambridgeshire County Council to withdraw the Citi 7 subsidy has led to bus company, Stagecoach terminating the service at Sawston Health Centre.

And Warren, who is in the second year of a history degree, has been left trying to find alternative transport to continue his course.

“This makes me really angry and very frustrated,” said Warren. “I am about to enter the third year of my degree; it a big dissertation year and I’ve been left with no transport. I won’t be able to go to any activities.

“I’m trying to put a contingency plan in place but I shouldn’t have to be worrying about this. The council needs to realise that they are messing with people’s lives and money must come second to that.”

Warren suffers from Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy which has led to his eyesight failing.  His whole field of vision is affected leaving it blurred although he can make out high contrast objects, large objects or those which are close and his condition has stabilised at that level.

His eyesight began failing while he was studying A Levels at Cambridge’s Long Road Sixth Form College and he now uses a long white mobility cane.

Despite his condition, Warren retains his independence and with the help of support workers has learnt his return route to university.

Withdrawing the Citi 7 service means Warren will have to learn a new journey which would involve crossing the M11 slip road with the A505 and walking to the station or relying on a bus from his girlfriend’s home in Stapleford.

“The last thing I want is to be a burden on them or anyone else,” said Warren. “I will have to learn a whole new route and new pathways which is totally unnecessary.”

Duxford’s neighbouring village, Whittlesford is also losing its bus service under the latest round of cuts.

The two villages used to share a bus until the route was split in recent years. Warren believes reinstating a shared bus could save money and increase passengers.

“The road layout between the villages makes it perfect for a shared bus,” he said. “This seems a sensible option to me rather than leaving these villages totally cut off.”

Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats have taken up Warren’s fight in a bid to get funding to save the bus.

And Warren has given his support to a petition launched by Shadow Cabinet Member for Transport: Susan van de Ven which can be found at:  http://epetition.cambridgeshire.public-i.tv/epetition_core/view/Buses

He will also be supporting a meeting on bus cuts and transport at the United Reform Church in Whittlesford at 7pm on Thursday (April 26) which is chaired by Lib Dem Councillor, Tim Stone who represents Duxford on the county council.

Cllr van de Ven said: “It is easy for the Tories to make spending cuts on a balance sheet without thinking about how those cuts are impacting on ordinary people in our villages.

“Warren has battled against all the odds to retain his independence and now that is in danger of being taken away because the Tories need to balance their books.

“I am absolutely appalled by these cuts which are leaving rural communities isolated and causing real hardship to people like Warren.”

Unlock Democracy: Elect The Lords

As you will have gathered from the news over the past 24 hours, the Joint Committee on the Draft House of Lords Reform Bill finally published its report yesterday[1].

This represents our best opportunity to hold elections for the House of Lords since Parliament first committed itself to holding them over 100 years ago.

With the light at the end of the tunnel now in sight, we can’t let this opportunity pass; will you write to your MP today and ask them where they stand?

Write to your MP

Overall, the Joint Committee has endorsed the government’s proposal to hold the first elections to the House of Lords in 2015, aiming for an 80% elected second chamber by 25 years.

This report is highly significant. A group of MPs and peers have come together on behalf of the main parties and crossbench lords and agreed a set of proposals. Some of the awkward squad on the committee have come up with their own “minority report” but it is a confused and rambling mess; most significantly, the authors of the minority report themselves couldn’t agree on whether to introduce elections to the Lords. It is clear that the only meaningful consensus is for reform.

We don’t agree with everything the report has to say but there is much in the report that we strongly endorse. What’s more, they appear to have agreed quite a lot with us. The report cites Unlock Democracy 46 times and adopts several of our recommendations. Thanks a lot to our thousands of supporters who took part in our consultation response and submitted their own evidence: you made a real difference.

But now the focus is squarely back on MPs: we have a workable consensus position now; will they stick to their manifesto commitments or not? The House of Lords Reform Bill will now almost certainly be included in the Queen’s Speech next month, with MPs set to debate it in the next few weeks. We’ve written to them already but we need you, as their constituents, to put pressure on them as well.

We’ve modified our tool so that if we have already received your MP’s response we won’t ask you to ask them again. Simply click on this link to get started:

Write to your MP

Ignore the nay-sayers; we have a golden opportunity here. It may not be the top issue on everyone’s agenda, but the public is overwhelmingly in support of reform. On Monday we published a poll showing that 69% want at least half the Lords elected (33% want fully elected) - just 5% want to stick with a fully appointed upper house[2]. What they really want is for politicians to stop making excuses and to get on with it. With your help we can help concentrate their minds.

Thank you,

Peter Facey
Director, Unlock Democracy

[1] See http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/joint-select/draft-house-of-lords-reform-bill/news/publication-of-report/
[2] See http://www.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/media/news/entry/clear-majority-want-lords-reform

E-Cops - Sixteen Arrested In Dawn Drugs Raids In Cambridgeshire

This morning saw one of the constabulary’s largest ever drugs operations, codenamed Operation Vanguard. Eighteen dawn raids at properties in areas including Sutton, Waterbeach, St Ives, Burwell, Needingworth, Cottenham, Fulbourn, Huntingdon, Milton and Cambridge resulted in 18 arrests. This was the culmination of a long-term investigation into the large scale supply of class A drugs in Cambridgeshire, mainly high purity cocaine.

Arrests were also made today by police in Northamptonshire and Hampshire in connection with the same conspiracy. Of the arrests by Cambridgeshire officers, one was made in Chelmsford, Essex, and another at a property in Red Lodge, Bury St Edmunds, where cannabis plants were also discovered.

Officers will be visiting properties in the vicinity of the raids to update local residents on the policing operation.

I’d like to reassure you that these raids are part of the force’s ongoing campaign to stop class A drugs being sold in Cambridgeshire. The use and supply of drugs in not only illegal, it also fuels other types of crime.

We take this type of offending very seriously and would urge anyone with information about drug dealing to contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111 or you can leave details online using their secure contact from – see link below.

Chief Inspector Darren Alderson,
Silver commander
Operation Vanguard

https://secure.crimestoppers-uk.org/ams.form.anonymous.asp - Crimestoppers online contact form

Rackham Close Environmental Improvement Works - Proposed Removal of Existing Tree

Rackham Close, Proposed Tree Removal

The following notification was sent to local Councillors in relation to a plan to remove a tree from Rackham Close;

"In accordance with the Tree Protocol for the Consultation and Determination of Tree Work Operations to Trees on City Council Owned Land I am e-mailing to advise that one of our Environmental Improvement schemes on Rackham close (in the North Area) includes the proposed removal of an existing tree. Please find attached a notice that will be attached to the tree effected which confirms its location and gives some background to the Environmental Improvement scheme generally. For awareness Public consultation has already been carried out for the scheme and did include details of the proposed removal of the tree and there has been no concerns raised by the local residents.

As per the Tree Protocol it would be appreciated if you could please advise me of any concerns you have in relation to the removal of the tree within 5 working days or indicate if you require an additional 5 working days to consider the proposal. If no concerns are raised, for awareness we are looking to arrange for the tree to be removed as soon as possible before we commence the main Environmental Improvement works.

Thank you in advance, if you have and questions then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Regards,

Gavin Card - Acting Project Team Leader
Cambridge City Council
Project Delivery and Environment Team"

The document is available here (as a Google Doc).

Bus Subsidies Roller Coaster

Cllr Susan van de Ven
(LD, Melbourn)

Stagecoach’s announcement of changes to its bus services comes in the wake of the county council’s timetable for comprehensive withdrawal of bus subsidies.

Cllr Susan van de Ven, Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson, said:  “While there is good news for some people there is very bad news for many others.

“The additional services announced by Stagecoach are welcome, but reflect just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the transport deficit that plagues rural Cambridgeshire. For those people who are losing services with absolutely no warning, the county council needs to step up its game and consider how it will help them.

“The earlier than expected withdrawal of some subsidised services means that the council’s flagship Cambridgeshire Future Transport project has even less time than expected to get in place its alternatives – which it has promised will be ‘as good or better.’”

Whittlesford County Cllr Tim Stone, said, "There are many very worried people in our villages. The county council needs to act rapidly to explain how it is going to re-arrange services in the face of the Citi 7 moves.”

“Whittlesford, Heathfield and Hinxton residents, as well as people who work there, will want to know how they are going to get to work, go shopping and visit doctors and medical centres."

Cllr van de Ven said, “The council has been caught-out because it has dictated to commercial operators a subsidy withdrawal schedule to suit itself.     If the council wants more leverage with commercial operators it should consider a Quality Bus Contracts scheme.”

Apprenticeships On The Increase In City

Apprenticeships in Cambridge are on the increase with 2,190* people joining a training programme between August 2011 and January 2012.

This new figure comes on top of record numbers of apprentices in the city last year – 1,630 apprentices were on a training programme in 2011/12 an increase of 53 per cent on the previous year.

The news has been welcomed by Cambridge MP Julian Huppert who says the programmes are vital if people are to be given the chance of full-time employment.

“Apprenticeships are extremely valuable in teaching our people the skills which employers are looking for in new recruits,” said Julian. “By working closely with education providers such as Cambridge Regional College, employers can help to train people to make a much-needed contribution to the workplace.

“In return, employers have people who are trained from the very beginning to meet their specific requirements and who can help to grow their businesses.”

Through the government’s Regional Growth Fund the Eastern region and the South East have benefited from a £92 million investment creating a total of 10,214 jobs.

“For this region to continue to be successful, people need the skills and experience to take advantage of new jobs being created in the area,” added Julian. “Apprenticeships offer these skills while at the same time helping companies to be more productive.”

To support more employers, especially small businesses, to take on apprentices, the Coalition Government has taken a number of measures: a) Offering employers with up to 50 employees an incentive payment of £1,500 to take on apprentices aged 16-24. This will encourage small employers to take on up to 20,000 apprentices, b) Streamlining processes so that it takes just a month for an employer to advertise for an apprentice, and c) Ensuring that the National Apprenticeship Service better supports the needs of small employers – through more effectively targeted advice and guidance and helping training providers work more effectively with local SMEs.

*- Figures for the period August 2011 – January 2012 are based on data from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and are provisional and provide an early view of the number of apprentices for the academic year 2011/12.

Huppert Launches Search For Paid Intern To Join His City Team

MP Julian Huppert has launched a search for a paid intern to join his team at his Cambridge constituency office.

The new recruit will work up to 30 hours a week on casework and will be paid the national minimum wage.

Responsibilities will include drafting responses to constituents’ enquiries, conducting research, attending meetings and surgeries and answering the phone.

The ideal candidate will have a good understanding of the political system and a good grasp of the issues affecting Cambridge residents.

Full training will be provided and the internship is offered for a period of three months.

Julian said: “I am delighted to be able to offer this paid internship. This is an excellent opportunity for someone to get first-hand experience of constituency casework and be at the centre of issues that are important to the people of our city.

“It is also a chance for someone to take the first step on a career in politics while learning every aspect of constituency work which is one of the most important elements of an MP’s role.”

Applications close on Wednesday, May 9 at 5pm with interviews taking place on May 14 in Cambridge. Ideally, the internship will begin on Monday, May 21.

Lower Energy Bills And A Green Recovery In Cambridge And The East Of England

Thousands of households across Cambridge and the East of England are set to benefit from lower energy bills, new jobs and the basis of a green recovery.
Liberal Democrat Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, has announced a landmark deal with the major energy suppliers. From now on, energy suppliers will have to inform their customer if they are paying too much, and help move them on to a cheaper tariff.

In addition, over 3,300 homes in Cambridge have benefitted from home insulation, with plans for much more. From autumn this year the Government's Green Deal, headed by Ed Davey, Liberal Democrat Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, will implement the most ambitious home insulation scheme the UK has ever seen.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat commitment to a green economy has paved the way for over £300 million of private sector investment in the East of England, with a further £30 million in the pipeline. Overall, this would create nearly 500 jobs in the green economy.

Julian Huppert, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Cambridge, said "rising energy prices and a boom in the number of tariffs have left people confused and paying more than they should. That is why Liberal Democrats have made the energy companies take responsibility and let people know how to knock the bills down.”

"As a Liberal Democrat, I know this is only the first step. Our reliance on dwindling supplies of oil and gas, mostly from volatile regions, is bad for consumers and bad for our energy security.”

"We are therefore absolutely wedded to a green recovery. We've fought hard to generate investment in a sustainable economy, so I'm delighted to see over £300 million of new investment in green industries in our region."

"These measures will help put our country on to a sustainable economic and environmental footing once and for all."


NOTES
The Green Deal - a Liberal Democrat manifesto commitment - will come into force across Britain later this year. It is the most ambitious home insulation scheme the UK has ever seen and eliminates the need to pay upfront for energy efficiency measures and instead ensures that the cost of the measures will be covered by savings on bills.

Currently, energy companies are obliged under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) to help households in Great Britain reduce their use of electricity and gas to lower their carbon emissions. CERT will end when the Green Deal takes over.

Huppert Urges City’s Manufacturers To Bid For Uk-Wide Awards

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert

Cambridge’s businesses could win up to £20,000 free consultancy advice in a competition to celebrate manufacturing excellence across the UK.

MP Julian Huppert has urged the city’s manufacturing businesses to get involved and showcase their work.

The Manufacturing Excellence 2012 awards are run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Julian said: “This is an excellent opportunity to put Cambridge on the map for manufacturing.

“I would encourage all manufacturing businesses to apply not only to win one of these prestigious awards but also to take advantage of the chance to win thousands of pounds worth of free consultancy advice.

“Manufacturing is crucial to the UK economy and we have excellent companies here in Cambridge. This is their chance to publicise their work through a UK-wide competition and show what our city has to offer.”

Entry to the awards programme is free and applications must be submitted by June 1, 2012. The Manufacturing Excellence Awards will take place in November.

Categories for this year are: Best Manufacturer; and Best SME; Business Development and Change Management; Customer Focus; Financial Management; Innovation in Products and Processes; Logistics and Operational Efficiency; Partnership with Education; People Effectiveness; Sustainable Manufacturing and Most Improved Company.

10:10 Remade Month (aka How Superglue Solves Climate Change)

We've all been there.

When your favourite pair of jeans loses a button, your computer slows to a crawl or your bike gears start rattling, it can feel like the end of the line – time to get a new one.

Everyone knows it's possible to repair stuff like this, but most of us don't know where to start. Now all that's about to change.

Introducing Remade

April 2012 is Remade month, when 10:10ers around the world share the skills and build the confidence to fix their clothes, bikes, computers and anything else that we can keep alive with a few basic repairs.

One of the biggest barriers to a truly low-carbon world is the energy used to make the things we buy and use every day, especially when we need to replace them every time something goes wrong.

By sharing the skills and resources to keep our stuff going for longer, we're giving ourselves choices, saving money and laying the groundwork for a smarter approach to making and owning things.

But we can't take any credit for the idea. Remade is inspired by Remade in Edinburgh, a community repair and reuse project that walked away with the public vote at last October's Pitch Pledge Party event.

Get involved

To spread the Remade magic as far as possible, we’ve teamed up with a whole host of experts, 10:10 hubs and volunteer groups to run repair events and workshops around the world.

If there's no 10:10 event happening near you, this is a great time to find and get involved with similar projects in your area. We've listed a few in right-hand column of this newsletter for starters – let us know if there's any gems we've missed.

Or if you're already a bit of a repair expert already, why not share your Remade tips and success stories on Facebook or Twitter (@1010) or even organise your own Remade workshop? It could be anything from a sewing session in your living room to a computer fixing workshop in a local community centre.

Let's get repairing!

Julika Niehaus
Global campaign manager

Lib Dems Act To Defeat Move To Restrict Shared Homes

Cllr Catherine Smart
(LD, Romsey)

Liberal Democrats will tonight (Thursday, April 19) call on their city council colleagues to reject a Labour move to restrict the number of shared houses in Cambridge.

They will also ask for rejection of Labour’s demands to look at options for regulating houses in multiple occupation.

And they will advise the council that smaller shared houses, where three or more people live in two or more unrelated households, cannot be licensed because conditions required to meet the legislation are not present in Cambridge at the moment; the situation will continue to be monitored.

The Lib Dems have raised an amendment to a Labour motion calling for the restriction and will ask the city council to “recognise the vital contribution that well-run houses make in providing homes for family, students, professionals and migrant workers”.

Catherine Smart, Romsey Councillor and Deputy Leader of Cambridge City Councillor said: “Without shared housing many people living and working in our city would not be able to do so. Property prices make home ownership unaffordable for many in Cambridge but they can live in the city by sharing the cost of renting.

“We are fortunate that we have a diverse mix of people in our city and we don’t want to discourage that. This could be bad for our economy and our community in general.

“It is vital, therefore, that we make sure we support the contribution made by these properties and the people who live there. But at the same time, we do acknowledge that not all of them are run as well as they could be and sometimes there are problems as there are with all types of housing. We have procedures in place to deal with this.”

Lib Dems will ask for an annual report to be brought to the council’s Community Services Committee detailing the number and type of complaints received by the Environmental Health Department in all types of housing in the city and how they have been dealt with, including the number of prosecutions.

The full wording of the Lib Dem amendment is as follows:

'The Council recognises the vital contribution that shared rented housing makes in providing homes for students, professionals, migrant workers and many people on low incomes.   It acknowledges that housing is expensive in Cambridge and that this is the only way many people can afford to live in the city.

Council therefore rejects the idea of limiting the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in the city or part of the city.  If restrictions are put in place, rents would rise and people would quickly be priced out of the city.   Making it difficult for people to access shared housing in the city, could have a disastrous effect on the economy of the area.  

Council notes the desire of some to “extend the current HMO definition to include all properties with 3 or more people in two or more unrelated households, regardless of the building layout”  but also notes that the conditions required in the legislation are not present in Cambridge to extend the licensing system in this way and agrees that it should be kept under review.    However, Council also recognises that the implementation of the licensing of smaller properties can be deeply intrusive and lead to complex enquiries about details of people's relationships and domestic arrangements which are no business of the council.  Any extension of the licensing system would need to be framed to avoid this.

The Council also notes that, while the majority of landlords are responsible and manage their houses in a satisfactory way, a minority are not, causing severe problems both to their tenants and to the neighbours.   It further notes that while the majority of residents are responsible people, some are not and are inconsiderate, irresponsible and cause considerable problems to their neighbours

The Council therefore endorses the actions of the Environmental Health Officers in responding to complaints and working towards changing the behaviour of the irresponsible minority in all types of tenure whether landlords, tenants or home-owners.     It notes that advice, warnings, enforcement letters, injunctions, confiscations and full prosecution are all used to this end. 

However, Council requests that an annual report is brought to Community Services Scrutiny Committee detailing the number and type of complaints received by the Environmental Health Department and how they have been dealt with, including the number of prosecutions."

Huppert Welcomes Extra £12.5M For County’s Schools

Cllr Peter Downes

An extra £12.5 million of government funding for Cambridgeshire schools has been welcomed by Cambridge MP Julian Huppert.

The money is designed to relieve the pressure on school places and comes after Julian joined MPs from across the county to campaign for extra funding, raising the issue in the House of Commons.

He received a promise from Education Minister, Michael Gove to review the county’s grant funding and the latest investment is part of an additional £600 million for schools across England this year. It comes on top of the £800 million already announced for 2012-13 to address the shortage in pupil places.

Julian said “This extra money is good news and will so some way to addressing the massive shortfall in funding for schools across Cambridge and the county as a whole.

“I am pleased that we are putting money into schools; they have been neglected by previous governments for far too long. Educating our children must be one of our top priorities but we cannot give them the schooling they need and deserve without investment.

“Our schools have been near the bottom of the pile compared to other local authorities across the country and while this payment helps with school buildings, we are still millions of pounds short of the national average for what we can spend on our pupils. There is no room for complacency here.”

Liberal Democrat Peter Downes, Cambridgeshire County Council's Shadow Cabinet Member for Education said: "I am pleased that Cambridgeshire's plight is finally being recognised by the government.

“There is a growing demand for school places across the country and this county in particular, but until now there has never been the money to address this problem. Finally we have a government which is taking this issue seriously and I hope the coalition will continue to build on this and give Cambridgeshire schools the money they need.”

MP Hopes Indian Restaurant Will Curry Favour In National Contest

MP Julian Huppert has nominated Cambridge’s Saffron Brasserie for a national competition to find the country’s best South Asian restaurant.

Saffron Brasserie in Hills Road serves Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine and will compete for the Tiffin Cup.

The competition is an annual event organised by a cross-party group of Members of Parliament known as the Tiffin Club.

Each MP is invited to nominate on South Asian restaurant from his or her constituency to go through to a regional final.

The competition raises money for charity and this year it is supporting World Vision which aims to combat poverty and its causes especially as they affect children across the world.

Winners of the regional finals will be among 10 restaurants to cook in the Bellamy’s Restaurant in Parliament to compete for the overall title and the cup.

Saffron Brasserie director, Hannah Begum said: "We are delighted to be nominated by Julian for the Tiffin Cup.

“To be chosen as the best South Asian restaurant in Cambridge is a wonderful compliment for the Saffron Brasserie restaurant. We work hard to provide great food and flavours for our customers to enjoy authentic Indian & Bangladeshi cuisine in the heart of Cambridge.

“To win the Tiffin Cup would mean fantastic recognition of our commitment to bring great food, flavours and customer service to the residents of Cambridge and beyond. We have our fingers crossed that we win!"

Julian said: “I am delighted to be able to nominate the Saffron Brasserie for this award.

“The Tiffin Cup aims to seek out the finest South Asian restaurant and along the way we uncover some excellent restaurants across the country, which are bringing fabulous South Asian food and regional specialties to their customers.”

Julian Huppert joins the team at the Saffron Brasserie. Pictured (from left) is Abdul Matin founder of the restaurant which is now run by his daughters, Hannah Begum and Shelina Miah and son, Shahidu Jaman.

Travel Plan Plus Get Cycling Event on Cambridge Science Park ** TODAY **

Just a quick reminder that today there is an event at the Napp Building (196) on the Cambridge Science Park promoting cycling and allowing you to try out various different kinds of bikes 11am-3pm.

See you there!

Children Across The City Get Cycling Boost

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert

4,000 children across Cambridgeshire are to get free cycle training over the next academic year as part of Transport Minister Norman Baker MPs boost to cycling. The Government will hand £160,000 to Cambridgeshire County Council to fund training in 2012/13 as part of an national strategy that will deliver £11 million as part of a national fund.

In addition, Norman Baker has increased the funding for the following two academic years by £2 million. This means that the Government will spend over £35 million on teaching children to cycle safely, competently and confidently on the road over the next 3 years.

Julian Huppert, Member of Parliament for Cambridge, said “this is a fantastic boost for cycling. It is absolutely vital that children are shown the benefits of cycling at an early age, and are taught to travel safely”.

“Cycling is the most efficient form of transport we have. It’s cheap, reliable, healthy and, with the proper training, completely safe. I am delighted that Liberal Democrats in Government are delivering the right kind of transport investment for children across Cambridgeshire.”

NOTES:

Details of the announcement can be found here
A breakdown of funding can be found here http://content.bikeability.org.uk/publications/

Huge Boost for King's Hedges Schools!

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert

The government has today announced an extra £12.5 million to fund extra school places across Cambridgeshire. This is part of a £600 million fund to ensure that all children have access to a school place.

Julian Huppert, Member of Parliament for Cambridge, said "this new money represents a massive win for schools across Cambridgeshire. For too long central government has ignored the need for new places in growing regions such as ours.

Today's announcement, along with the Liberal Democrat pupil premium, will give schools the funding they so desperately need to make sure that every child in Cambridgeshire, no matter what their circumstances, will be given a fair start in life."

Travel Plan Plus Get Cycling Event on Cambridge Science Park 18 April 2012

Got nothing  much  to do at lunch time?  Come along to the Travel Plan Plus (TP+) Get Cycling Event on Wednesday 18 April 2012, from 11am-3pm at 196 Cambridge Science Park (NAPP).

 Free to attend , this year's event is bigger than ever and is guaranteed to be interesting, informative and fun!  

Our main attractions include:

• A wide range of conventional commuter bikes (mountain ,folding, hybrid, road bikes etc) to try out 
• Fun and novelty bikes including 'car' and 'rickshaw' bikes, plus tandems, recumbents and much more!
• Electric bikes from the Electric Transport  Shop , including the TP+ pool bikes 
• Blendavenda make-your-own smoothie bike
• Calorie Gallery bike
• Dr Bike - free bike service, provided by Outspoken 
• Ben Hayward Cycles stall
• Sign up to the Big Bike Ride

Join us on the day to enter our prize draw to win a cycling commuter bag.

For more information, visit www.travelplanplus.org.uk  or click here to download the poster (http://www.travelplanplus.org.uk/files/get-cycling-flyer_final.pdf)

Kind regards,
Tammy

 Tammy Liu
Travel Plan Plus Project
A Travel for Work Partnership Project for Cambridgeshire County Council
 
Suite 13, Unit 23
Cambridge Science Park Innovation Centre
Cambridge Science Park
Milton Road
Cambridge
CB4 0EY
01223 437052
tammy.liu@cambridgeshire.gov.uk
Visit our new website www.travelplanplus.org.uk to find better and healthier ways to commute and travel

E-Cops - Vehicle Crime

Unfortunately there has been an increase in vehicle crime across the north of the city.

DON’T LEAVE ANY VALUABLES IN YOUR CAR. This includes SAT NAVs and their holders. When you remove the holders, please wipe off any marks that may be on the windscreen from the holder – if there are marks on the windscreen it is fairly obvious that you have a Sat Nav and the offender may think you have left it in the glove box.

DON'T LEAVE ANY MONEY, including coins and cash in your vehicle. Even a small amount of loose change will tempt a thief. Do not leave clothing on the seats as this could possibly be hiding something underneath it.

Also remember to CLOSE ALL WINDOWS, including any sunroof and lock all the doors, not forgetting the boot. It only takes a minute to break into your vehicle, so close all the windows even if you have only popped to the shops and are only leaving your vehicle for a few minutes.

If you have any queries or want further general crime reduction advice please contact us and we will be happy to help.

Please also remain vigilant and keep a look out for any suspicious activity. If you see anything out of the ordinary, or people looking into vehicles, please do dial 999.

Many thanks.

Your North Police Team

Liberal Democrats: Local Election Broadcast

Did you know - unlike those Councils run by Labour or the Conservatives, every single Liberal Democrat council in England has frozen it's council tax? 

Here in King's Hedges Conservative-controlled Cambridgeshire County Council has chosen to raise their share of Council Tax for everyone so even though some Parish and District Councils (including your local Liberal Democrat Controlled Cambridge City Council) have not opted to raise Council Tax the bills for every single household in Cambridgeshire will rise.

Also, according to the Local Government Chronicle, Liberal Democrat councils are twice as likely to give pay rises to low paid workers compared to those that are run by Labour and a staggering five times more likely than those with Conservatives in charge.

And finally as you're casting your vote in the local elections you might like to bear in mind that this month Liberal Democrats in Government have delivered tax cuts for 25m working people.

Watch this video online, and keep an eye out for the full version on BBC and ITV on Thursday evening.

New Reforms Will Stop Town Hall Corruption And Culture Of Malicious Complaints

Local Government Minister Bob Neill today called on councils to use their new found freedom from the recently axed Standards Board to prevent corruption and ensure high standards in local public life.

The Standards Board Regime has now been abolished for good - freeing up councils to put in place locally drawn up codes of conduct for their elected members. Ministers hope these new codes will enable local authorities to ensure the highest standards of conduct are maintained while avoiding them becoming a vehicle for malicious complaints that dragged down the reputation of local government in recent years.

Today Mr Neill published an illustrative text that councils can, if they choose, use as a basis for their new local code of conduct. He has also written to council leaders to remind them of this new opportunity to raise the bar on local standards.

The new code is a matter for local determination, but the Department is publishing an example code illustrating what a new code might look like. By releasing councils from the old regime of prescriptive uniform codes councils will be able to ensure that their own codes encourage freedom of speech and can not be used to silence or discourage conscientious councillors from whistle blowing on misconduct.

The new freedoms to draw up local codes will come as a particularly welcome relief to smaller authorities and parish councils, where the burden of investigating unnecessary and frivolous complaints weighed heavily on resources.

Ministers believe that the previous Standards Board regime, which was axed as part of the Government's flagship Localism Act 2011, had become a vehicle for petty and sometimes vexatious complaints about councillor conduct that drained time and resources and damaged local confidence in democracy. For example, one authority had to fork out £160,000 after receiving more than 170 complaints from the same person. Each one had to be examined, but only three were considered worth investigating and after investigation all were dismissed.

Ministers are determined to ensure local councillors are held to the highest standards of conduct. To ensure that corruption in local life is prevented, the Government is bringing in tough new legislation that makes serious misconduct for personal gain a criminal offence, dealt with by the courts. Councillors will also have to register certain personal interests on a publicly available register.

Local Government Minister Bob Neill said:

"As the death knell tolls for the unpopular and unelected Standards Board regime, councils and communities can look forward to a new era of locally set codes of conduct that will prevent corruption, ensure high standards in public life, and put an end to petty, partisan and malicious complaints that have dragged down the reputation of local government.

"Instead of having hundreds of expensive and frivolous investigations hanging over their heads local councillors will be free to get on with the job of getting the best for their local area. But far from letting councillors off the hook without any checks we are ensuring that they conform to the highest standards and anyone who abuses their position for personal gain can expect to face the full force of the law."

NOTES:

1. The Standards Board for England ceased its regulatory functions on 31 January 2012, and was formally abolished on 31 March 2012.

2. The illustrative example of what a local code of conduct could look like can be found here: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/localcodeconduct.

3. From 1 July 2012, all standards matters - including consideration and determination of outstanding complaints made during the period the Standards Board regime was operating - will be the responsibility of local authorities, to be handled under the new arrangements. This date will also see the new standards arrangements, which include a 'Nolan-based' code, the involvement of an independent person in allegations of misconduct, and a new criminal offence for failing to declare or register interests, coming into force.

4. The abolition of the Standards Board was included in the Localism Act. The Localism Act received Royal Assent on 15 November 2011.

5. A plain English guide to the Localism Act is available at: www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/localismplainenglishupdate.

Unlock Democracy: Sign The Open Up Lobbying Joint Letter!

The Guardian reports today that lobbyists gave MPs and peers over £1.8m in 'perks' to all-party parliamentary groups last year[1]. With just 5% of lobbying activity aimed at Parliament likely to be covered by the government's proposals for a new lobbying register [2], we will still have very little idea how much in total is being spent to influence our politicians or for what purpose.

We have just 48 hours to submit our responses to the government's official consultation on their proposals to clean up lobbying. Will you sign our joint letter?

http://action.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/lobbying-letter

Lobbying affects everything we do, from our health service to the television we watch. The new Guardian report shows that the Associate All Party Health group received £117,000 in “membership fees” from 14 companies, funded trips to 27 countries, and free membership for peers and MPs to Weight Watchers.

It is crucial that we are given the full picture about who is trying to influence what policy decision. At the moment we have no idea. And the government's proposed new rules would only affect the practices of 1 in 4 lobbyists. Bizarrely, they would cover a group of small shops objecting to a new Tesco opening nearby if they hire a public affairs company to put their case to government but not Tesco’s own in-house lobbyists.

A partial register will do nothing to combat the perception that money talks in Westminster.  Too many loopholes will simply mean that the more disreputable side of lobbying will thrive.  We can’t allow this to continue.

More than 6,000 people have signed our open letter to Mark Harper, the minister in charge of regulating the lobbying industry.  Will you add your name?

http://action.unlockdemocracy.org.uk/lobbying-letter

We have just 48 hours left to take part in this consultation - it ends on Friday!  Let’s send a clear signal to the government and demand more transparency.

With best wishes,


Peter Facey
Director, Unlock Democracy

Notes:
[1] Guardian: MPs' £1.8m in perks revealed
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/10/mps-lords-perks-revealed-parliament

[2] Independent: Lobbyists' register to leave Parliament awash with cash from big business
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lobbyists-register-to-leave-parliament-awash-with-cash-from-big-business-7609018.html

Jenny Wren franchise opportunity

The Jenny Wren, on the corner of St Kilda's Avenue and Campkin Road has recently shut down.

With the closure of the Grove, and a fairly high chance that it won't return as a pub, this would leave only the Ship and the Golden Hind as Kings Hedges pubs.

I've commented before that I'm a member of the Campaign for Real Ale, and I agree that pubs can serve a very important part of a local community. April is also CAMRA's Community Pubs Month, so it's especially worrying to see another pub potentially close down for a final time.

However, it's not all bad news! It seems that Greene King are looking for a new franchisee. If you're interested, you can see more info about the opportunity at http://www.greenekingpubs.co.uk/show-franchise-pub.php?site=14090/Jenny+Wren+Cambridgeshire.

Tax Cut For Over 275,000 People In Cambridgeshire

On 6 April 2012 the Personal Allowance will be raised for the second year in a row, meaning that 276,900 people in Cambridgeshire will get a £130 Income Tax cut and the number people in the area who have been lifted out of paying any Income Tax will reach 8,200.

Julian Huppert, Member of Parliament for Cambridge, said “when the Liberal Democrats first came into office, millions of low-paid workers were paying a higher proportion of their income in tax than the richest were. This was clearly unfair.

“We have made reducing the tax burden on the very poorest a priority, a promise that was on the front page of our manifesto.   Over 20m basic-rate taxpayers have received a £330 tax cut since the Coalition Government came into power. We will continue to increase the Personal Allowance, the threshold at which people start paying Income Tax, until it reaches £10,000. This means that someone working full-time on the minimum wage will have had their Income Tax bill halved.

“At the same time, the Liberal Democrats are making sure the rich pay their fair share, by closing loopholes, introducing a tycoon tax and cracking down on tax avoidance. All of this will mean that the richest pay five times more than they did under the 50p tax rate. As we clean up the economic mess Labour left behind, it is right that the broadest shoulders bear the heaviest burdens.”

The Personal Allowance, also known as the Income Tax threshold, will rise to £8,105 on 6 April 2012, up from £6,475 under Labour.

In the early 1970s, the Personal Allowance was worth around 28% of average earnings. By 2010 that had dropped to around 20% as wages had outpaced the increase in the Allowance.

Cambridge Liberal Democrats Launch Petition Against Web Surveillance Plans

Cambridge Liberal Democrat MP Julian Huppert has today launched a petition to stop any plans to create a snoopers charter. This petition follows a public letter in The Independent from 17 Lib Dem MPs, lead by Julian Huppert. The letter called for openness from the Government about controversial proposals to monitor emails, telephone calls and social media.

The new petition demands a guarantee from the Government that no-one will be allowed to read the content of internet communications, phone calls or texts without a warrant. The petition also calls for “substantially stronger safeguards for civil liberties”.

Julian said “Local Liberal Democrats will always fight for the basic right of every single Cambridge resident to have a private life. I’ve already helped force the Government to publish the new bill in draft form, so it can be scrutinized and amended. This petition, launched by Liberal Democrats across the City, will push the Government to create new safeguards to protect against state surveillance. Lib Dems in Cambridge will do whatever it takes to protect our fundamental civil liberties.”


NOTES:
The online petition can be found here;
http://cambridgelibdems.org.uk/en/petition/the-big-brother-state-won-t-happen-on-the-liberal-democrat-watch

Julian Huppert’s letter to The Independent can be found here;
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/letters/letters-the-state-must-not-have-power-to-snoop-at-will-7615453.html?origin=internalSearch

Huppert Takes The Lead In Fight To Protect Privacy

Cambridge MP, Julian Huppert has led his Lib Dem colleagues in sending a strong message to the government that they will do everything in their power to protect privacy.

Julian and 16 other MPs signed a letter to The Independent warning that the state must not be given power to “snoop on its citizens”.

“Liberal Democrats in Government will not follow the last Labour Government by sounding the retreat on the protection of civil liberties in the United Kingdom,” the letter says. “It continues to be essential that our civil liberties are safeguarded and that the state is not given the powers to snoop on its citizens at will.

“It is absolutely vital that the public get a chance to see and debate the details of any proposals to extend state surveillance, not just being presented with a Home Office fait accompli. It is also essential that the initial plans include adequate safeguards - which should be stronger than the current weak controls.”

The letter draws on the Lib Dems’ “proud history of defending civil liberties, both in opposition and more recently in Coalition Government”.

Since joining the coalition in 2010 the Lib Dems have destroyed the ID cards database, stopped the indefinite retention of innocent people’s DNA, shut down the ContactPoint database, stopped mass fingerprinting of children without parental permission and ended child detention for immigration purposes.

At its Spring Conference in Gateshead, the party called for stronger safeguards on existing surveillance measures and asserted the Lib Dems’ long-standing tradition of protecting human rights.

The letter added: “Following worrying reports of possible government proposals to collect real time information on people's activity online, including from social media sites, we are pleased to hear yesterday the Deputy Prime Minister making clear his commitment to civil liberties and protecting privacy, and confirming that the Government will publish draft legislation with sufficient time for consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny.”

Julian said later: “We will not stand by and allow this government to introduce legislation which puts in jeopardy such a vital issue which is at the heart of everything we stand for.

“Since joining the coalition, we have made huge strides in protecting civil liberties and we will continue to do so at every level. We must have stronger safeguards to protect our citizens’ right to privacy. That is a basic right of a democratic society and we will not let this government erode it.”

Residents Back Campaign For New Post Office

Cllr Neil McGovern
(LD, King's Hedges)

Cambridge residents have backed a campaign for a new post office in the King’s Hedges area of the city.

More than 75 per cent of people surveyed by ward councillor, Neil McGovern said they wanted a new post office to replace the one on Cameron Road which was demolished to make way for housing.

After the post office was closed - under a Labour government-run programme which saw more than 7,100 post offices lost including almost a third in Cambridge – residents have been using post offices in Arbury Court, King’s Hedges Road and even Milton.

Now the Liberal Democrats in government are changing the rules to make it easier to open new post offices.

Cllr McGovern said: “Post offices are a vital part of our community and it is clear from my survey, that residents need them, use them and value them. Labour failed to take this into account when they embarked on their massive closure programme which resulted in the loss of the Cameron Road post office.

“I want to see a new post office to replace the one that was lost. The Post Office is the social centre of many communities and it is important that it is easily accessible particularly for the elderly and disabled who cannot travel long distances.

“My survey has demonstrated how much residents have missed their post office and want it back.”

The government has committed £1.34 billion of funding over four years to the Post Office to help modernise and develop the network.

Cambridge North Newsletter Spring 2012

The newsletter is available here (via Google Docs).

Cambridge North Newsletter - Spring 2012

Residents back campaign for new post office

Cambridge residents have backed a campaign for a new post office in the King’s Hedges area of the city.

More than 75 per cent of people surveyed by ward councillor, Neil McGovern said they wanted a new post office to replace the one on Cameron Road which was demolished to make way for housing.

After the post office was closed - under a Labour government-run programme which saw more than 7,100 post offices lost including almost a third in Cambridge – residents have been using post offices in Arbury Court, King’s Hedges Road and even Milton.

Now the Liberal Democrats in government are changing the rules to make it easier to open new post offices.

Cllr McGovern said: “Post offices are a vital part of our community and it is clear from my survey, that residents need them, use them and value them. Labour failed to take this into account when they embarked on their massive closure programme which resulted in the loss of the Cameron Road post office.

“I want to see a new post office to replace the one that was lost. The Post Office is the social centre of many communities and it is important that it is easily accessible particularly for the elderly and disabled who cannot travel long distances.

“My survey has demonstrated how much residents have missed their post office and want it back.”

The government has committed £1.34 billion of funding over four years to the Post Office to help modernise and develop the network.

Huppert Calls For Home Secretary To Give Evidence On Surveillance

Cambridge MP Julian Huppert has called for Home Secretary, Theresa May and the Head of Security and Counter Terrorism to give public evidence after fears about the extension of state surveillance.

He has received backing for the pair to be called to address the issue and answer questions at the Parliamentary Home Affairs Select Committee.

“I will not support any plans which allow the state to view the content of private emails, telephone calls, text messages or any electronic communications without a warrant,” he said. “It would be completely wrong for the Government to revive Labour’s authoritarian plans for a centralised database to enable intelligence officers to access our personal lives.

“Government and the security services should not be given a free pass to snoop on the private lives of my constituents.

“Just last month I proposed a motion which would help guarantee our right to individual privacy on and off the internet. It detailed the five key requirements we have to protect ourselves from excessive snooping.

“What I would like to see is strong safeguards – better than we currently have under RIPA (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) and other legislation. It is currently far too easy for people – eg at DWP – to access data on who and when we ring or text, and this has to stop.

“The Home Office wants to have access to information about not just who we text but who we tweet, who we skype to as well as who we ring. Now, this may seem to be no more objectionable than the current position but, technically, it is a complete mess. Your Internet Service Provider doesn't have a clue who you facebook, and doesn't want to either.

“No expert I've ever spoken to can see how this could possibly be done without great expense and without allowing access to the actual message that was sent - which is not legal without a warrant from the Home Secretary.

“I haven't seen the details of these proposals – not for want of asking – but it's clear to me that what we want is more safeguards, not more powers for the state to keep data.”

Julian’s concerns have been echoed by Liberal Democrats across Cambridge and the county as a whole.

Cambridge City Council Leader, Sian Reid said: "There must be no question of any Lib Dem in parliament supporting any ill-considered proposal failing to assure the public that civil liberties and citizens' privacy are genuinely protected."

"It is vital that this government doesn’t go anywhere near the path that Labour trod, with their ID cards, DNA database and Jacqui Smith's centralised communications database."

Cllr Kilian Bourke
(LD, Romsey)

Cambridgeshire Lib Dem Leader, Kilian Bourke said: "The rumours that have emerged about this proposed legislation are deeply worrying, particularly the suggestion that police would be able to access private communications without a warrant.

"The government should only ever be allowed to snoop if it has a warrant.  If the rumours are true and Theresa May wants to remove that requirement then this would clearly not be something any right-thinking Liberal Democrat could support.

"The Coalition Agreement states clearly that 'we need to restore the rights of individuals in the face of encroaching state power.'  We are sending a message to the Liberal Democrats in government that we expect them to stick unflinchingly to that principle."

Note to editors:

Julian’s amendment to his civil liberties policy at the Lib Dems’ Autumn Conference stated that the right to privacy should be supported by:

'a) ensuring that there shall be no interception of telephone calls, SMS messages, social media, internet or any other communications without named, specific and time-limited warrants;

b) guaranteeing that any communications data kept by service providers in accordance with the EU Data Retention Directive are kept securely by the service providers, and that they be only released to government bodies with strict and strengthened safeguards;

c) ensuring that service providers are not mandated by law to collect communications data by any method that would also provide access to content information, unless specifically authorised by a warrant;

d) ensuring that service providers are not mandated by law to collect third-party communications data for non-business purposes by any method;

e) renegotiating the EU Data Retention Directive and changing how it is implemented into UK law, to provide a better balance towards privacy.'

What Have The Liberal Democrats Achieved In Government?