Cambridge Liberal Democrats Elect New Leader And Front Line Team

Cllr Tim Bick
(LD, Market)

Cambridge Liberal Democrats have today (Monday, May 14) announced that Councillor Tim Bick will be taking over from Councillor Sian Reid as the group’s new leader.

Sian has decided to step down following surgery earlier this year and the need to take some time to fully recover.

The Lib Dems have also elected their front line team for the coming year with Cllr Catherine Smart continuing as the group’s deputy leader. They propose she will continue to have responsibility for housing, Cllr Tim Ward with the planning and sustainable transport portfolio,

Cllr Rod Cantrill with arts, sport and public places and Cllr Jean Swanson with the waste and recycling portfolio.

They will be joined by newly re-elected Cllr Mike Pitt who they propose to take responsibility for community development and health and Cllr Julie Smith for customer services and resources. Both have experience as executive councillors.

Tim will be proposed as Cambridge City Council Leader at the council’s annual meeting on May 24 when councillors will also vote on the nominations for executive councillors.

The Lib Dems will also be nominating Cllr Sheila Stuart as Mayor and Cllr Paul Saunders as Deputy Mayor for the coming year.

Tim said: “I am delighted to be given this opportunity but at the same time we are all sorry that Sian has decided not to re-stand. She has been a formidable leader of the group and the council and we are sorry that she wanted to step down."

Tim has represented Market Ward on Cambridge City Council for the past four years and served as Executive Councillor for Community Development for the last two. He has worked in human resources in the local technology sector for over 10 years and lives in the city centre. He brings experience of leading his party in local government in Warwickshire.
 
The Lib Dems are the largest party on the city council with half the seats and will propose a full Lib Dem administration at next week’s annual council meeting.

“We have a strong vision for this city and have far from run out of energy and ideas,” said Tim. “The council has work to do and needs to satisfy. There is no other party or collection of parties that is in a position to deliver sound, consistent government to the city.

“It is good for the city that the council's procedures envisage close results and help to avoid deadlock. The same procedures will give voice to the stronger Labour representation and we hope this will add richness to the council's decisions."

Sian’s two year leadership saw the city council through hard economic times. She faced tough decisions setting the council’s budget while at the same time making sure that basic services and those for the vulnerable were protected.

Before taking the leadership, she was Executive Councillor for Climate Change and Growth for four years.

During this time she worked hard to get the city council national recognition for its policy requiring developers of new homes to meet the highest levels of sustainable building.

One of her greatest achievements was the recognition for Cambridge in the Centre for Cities report which named it as one of the top cities in the UK to lead the country to economic recovery.

“I am delighted to hand over to Tim,” she said. “He brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role and I have every confidence that, together with his new front line team, the Liberal Democrats will continue to work hard for the people of Cambridge.

"I have been part of a fantastic team of people through extremely challenging times, and very much remain part of that team.”

Council Digs Deep To Invest £15,000 In New Allotments

Cambridge City Council has dug deep into its finances to provide £15,000 for new allotments in the city.

Seventeen allotments will be created off Kendal Way in East Chesterton and up to 50 plots will be provided by potentially extending Empty Common in Trumpington.

The plots will be allocated to people who have registered on the council’s 290 strong waiting list for allotments.

Cambridge City Executive Councillor for Art, Sport and Public Places, Rod Cantrill said: “We are committed to helping people who want to grow their own produce. This helps them maintain a healthy and sustainable lifestyle and I am delighted that we have been able to invest in creating these new plots.

“Our waiting list is testament to the fact that people are recognising the benefits of growing their own food.”

East Chesterton residents, Clare Blair, Lil Speed and Mike Pitt joined Cllr Cantrill at the site of the new allotments in Kendal Way.

Mrs Blair said: ““We have campaigned for this on behalf of local residents and I am delighted to see that the city council has acted on our request.

“With all the pressures on people’s incomes, it is a real bonus if they can grow their own fruit and vegetables rather than paying supermarket prices.

Mrs Speed added: “These new allotments are going to be really great for East Chesterton and I am very pleased that the council has found money in these difficult times to help some of the people on its waiting list here for allotments.”

Cllr Rod Cantrill (right) joins (from left) Clare Blair, Lil Speed and Mike Pitt to take a look at the site for the new allotments in Kendal Way

Corn Exchange To Get £200,000 Modern Sound System

A new modern sound system costing £200,000 is to be installed in Cambridge’s Corn Exchange to attract a wider range of performers and improve the venue’s profitability.

The Liberal Democrat-led Cambridge City Council has included the investment in its budget for the coming year.

The new system, which will improve the quality of the venue’s acoustics for audiences, will replace the present system which is over 20 years old.

Cllr Rod Cantrill Executive Councillor for Arts, Sports and Public Places said: “The Corn Exchange misses out on hosting a number of performers because our current sound system is out of date.

“This investment will not only improve the quality of the sound for audiences, but will enable the Corn Exchange to attract a broader range of performers, reduce the number of dark days at the venue and therefore contribute towards thecouncil’s goal of improving the financial performance of the Corn Exchange.”

The investment will be considered as part of the Budget proposals at the Community Services Scrutiny in January.

City Council Makes Youngsters A Top Priority For 2012

Cambridge City Council is making young people a top priority for 2012 with a range of projects to give them a head-start.

Plans just published include:

•  Expanding the impact of the Council's Children and Young People's Participation Service (ChYPPS) across the city's 9-13 year olds, through greater use of volunteers and closer working with schools, following a major all-party review.
• Budget proposals from the ruling Lib Dems  for a new Youth Officer post to strengthen the council's role in work with the older, teenage group
• A new scheme to engage young people at risk of exclusion in sport.

"We are committed to do things well that we have only one chance to get right, especially in this time of austerity,” said Tim Bick, Executive Councillor for Community Development.

“What more important, in this context than the experience of a whole generation of the city's young people who face so many risks and challenges?"

He welcomed the new strategy for ChYPPS adding: "This service in Cambridge is almost unique and something the whole council is proud of. Growing it further through the engagement and training of volunteers will enable it to amplify its impact. Transmitting and sharing the council's huge expertise in 'play' can build capacity in the wider community, which is a wholly healthy ambition".

Referring to the new Youth Officer post included in the Lib Dem budget proposals, he said: "Teenagers are typically not looking for the same structured activities which ChYPPS provides for the younger ones. Services for them have historically been provided more by the county council than the city council. The county council has drastically cut them back recently and it seems time for the city council to play more of a role.

“This post will support our investments in facilities for teenagers, such as last year's expansion of the cafe at The Junction and the project we are currently discussing with the YMCA on Gonville Place - and enabling activities that go with them."

Of the scheme to engage young people at risk of exclusion in sport, Rod Cantrill, Executive Councillor for Arts and Recreation, said: "Over the next 12 months the city will focus on participation in sport as part of the Olympic celebration. This project seeks to use sport as a means of involving those young people who feel on the edge of the community."

Play your part in Olympic Games urges councillor

A leading Cambridge City Councillor is urging people to put forward nominations for Olympic Torchbearers so that the city can play its part in the historic event.

Rod Cantrill, Executive Councillor for Arts, Sport and Public Places met up with young Olympic hopefuls, shooting champion, Anna Rehfisch and fencer, Kristjan Archer to encourage nominations.

The pair are hoping to compete in the 2016 games in Brazil and they joined Cllr Cantrill when the Olympic Torch visited Cambridge at the end of last week.

Residents can nominate anyone who supports them in their lives to carry the torch in the run up to the games next year.

Cllr Cantrill said: “It is really great to see so many people, old and young, getting involved. This event and the whole build-up to the games are important on many levels: it gets everyone interested in all types of sports; it encourages people to achieve their goals and it promotes healthy living and exercise. I would encourage people to nominate anybody that supports them in their life in what ever shape or form to carry the torch next year”

Nominations can be made via www.lloydstsb.com/carrytheflame until September 12.

This is a fantastic opportunity to raise the profile of King's Hedges across the City and highlight the good work that goes on in our community - if you have someone who you'd like to nominate then please make use of the URL, this really will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Residents urged join the Big Weekend and ignore EDL

A leading Cambridge City Councillor encourages residents to celebrate at the Big Weekend and turn their back on Saturday’s English Defence League march.

Rod Cantrill, Executive Councillor for Arts, Sport and Public Places has invited everyone from the community to join in with the family fun weekend and ignore the EDL.

“We have so much planned for the Big Weekend and I would urge everyone to go down to Parker’s Piece and join in,” he said. “It is this type of event that makes Cambridge a wonderful place in which to live. I would like to see everyone celebrating all that is good about our city together.”

Cllr Cantrill has joined MP Julian Huppert, Cambridge City Council Leader, Sian Reid, Mayor Ian Nimmo-Smith and Lib Dem city and county councillors in signing up to a statement which makes it clear that the EDL is not welcome this weekend.

They have been joined by others across the city keen to impress upon the EDL that they are proud of their city's "capacity peacefully to embrace people of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds and enable them to regard Cambridge as their home".

The Lib Dems have put their statement on their website at http://tinyurl.com/EDLStatement so that others can make their views clear and in just a week more than 100 people have signed.

Cllr Cantrill says: “This is a true indictment to what people really feel about the EDL coming into our city. I hope residents will ignore this planned march and come to the Big Weekend instead.