Improvements To Cottenham To Histon Cycleway Complete

Improvements to Cottenham to Histon cycleway have now been completed at a cost of £450,000 funded through the Housing Growth Fund.

The work included purchasing extra land to allow the cycleway to be widened and piping a watercourse.

Local cyclists have also complimented been impressed the smooth asphalt surface and solar powered cats eyes which light the way at night and the route is already attracting extra commuter to cyclists helping to reduce traffic congestion in Cambridge.

To mark the official opening of the route a free Cyclists' Breakfast, sponsored by Station Cycles, will be held on Cottenham Village Green on Tuesday, May 8, between 7.30-8.30am, and staff from Station Cycles will be on hand to undertake free cycle safety checks.

Councillor Martin Curtis, the County Council's Cycling Champion, said: "This new improved, safer route provides an excellent, high quality cycle link, which will encourage more people to get pedalling. Cycling represents an affordable and enjoyable way to keep active whist contributing to reduced traffic congestion in and around Cambridge."

Councillor Sue Gymer, County Councillor for Cottenham, Histon and Impington said: "Residents have been eagerly awaiting the completion of the improvement works, and are keen to consider cycling as an option for commuting to Cambridge."

Councillor David Jenkins, Councillor Gymer's local colleague, said: "It is pleasing to see the completion of the improvements and there is already evidence of increased cycling along this route."

Liberal Democrats' Move To Attract New Councillors To Be Discussed Publicly

A move by Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrats to attract councillors from a wide range of backgrounds is to be discussed publicly with a view to forming a county council policy.

The group has been invited by the Tory-led administration to produce a report increasing the diversity of elected members by holding a quarter of council meetings out of office hours and organising training in the evenings.

Cambridgeshire County Council Cabinet Member for Resources and Performance, Steve Count agreed the idea was a positive one and promised that the report and its recommendations would be presented to a public forum.

Cllr Ian Manning, who proposed a motion setting out the idea, said “I'm pleased that the Conservatives have agreed our idea is a positive one and have invited us to form the policy.

“It is particularly important that the report and recommendations are presented to a public forum – meaning it will be transparent and open.”

Cllr Sue Gymer seconded the motion explaining her reasons for wanting training out of hours.

"After the allowances debate, I thought long and hard about what would make it easier to get working mums like myself to become councillors. I voted against because it was the wrong amount at the wrong time. In addition a small pay rise would make no difference to me personally but being able to get training outside of working hours would make it a lot easier to mix my council duties with my employment.

“I am pleased to see that a report would be coming back to a public meeting like Cabinet or council.

Lib Dems Call For Evening Meetings To Attract New Councillors

In a bid to attract a diverse range of people to stand for election to Cambridgeshire County Council, the Liberal Democrats are calling for some meetings to be held in the evenings.

They want to see a shift away from meetings being held exclusively in the daytime which are often difficult to attend for those in full-time work. And they believe holding some in the early evening would give more people the chance to stand for election as councillors.

A motion calling for support for the idea will be proposed to Cambridgeshire County Council members on December 7 by Councillor Ian Manning, who represents East Chesterton in Cambridge.

It calls for two of the full council meetings and 25 per cent of each of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings to be held outside standard working hours which are defined as 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

And it says councillors should be given the opportunity to take part in training outside standard working hours.

Cllr Manning said: “At the moment, it can be extremely difficult for anyone with a full-time job or other daytime responsibilities to commit to attending meetings during the day. I have to take unpaid leave on occasion from my job to do so.

“This means that we can only attract those people who don’t have to work full-time or have commitments that are extremely flexible. By switching some meetings to the evening I think we will be able to attract a wider range of people and our councillors will be a better reflection of society generally.”

Cllr Sue Gymer, who represents Cottenham, Histon and Impington said: “Many of our present councillors run their own businesses or have part-time jobs or flexible commitments allowing them to work round council business. But this is not the norm for the majority of working people. How can working people be expected to participate if the first step is to take the day off work?

 “We want to encourage people from all ages and all backgrounds who have an interest in representing their communities to stand for election and that is not going to happen unless we hold our meetings at a time when they are able to attend.”

Cambridgeshire Liberal Democrat Leader, Kilian Bourke said: "We fully accept the importance of attracting a wider range of people to stand to be councillors, but felt that the Conservative proposal to give councillors a 25 per cent pay rise was totally inappropriate at this time.

“We feel that the same could be achieved by shifting some of our daytime meetings to the evenings.  That is why we are putting forward this proposal and I hope the Conservatives will support it."