We've worked with residents of the Fen Estate (roads off of Fen Road) to collate reports of crime and harassment on Fen Road recently, and with the Police to get some detailed feedback on what happened in each case.  It's important that resident see a reason for reporting to the Police, and we hope this detail will help support that!

Tivoli plans sent back to the drawing board

Unpopular plans to convert the Tivoli on Mitcham’s Corner, former cinema and pub, into luxury apartments overlooking the river have today been rejected by City Council planning officers.

Jamie Dalzell and Cheney Payne, pictured alongside the now derelict cinema with former City Mayor Ian Nimmo-Smith, who they have been working with to campaign for better plans.

Following the research I (Owen Dunn) did late last year into the operation of the Fen Road level crossing I sent a letter to the Rail Minister, Jo Johnson, asking whether anything could be done to improve the situation.  I've now had a reply from the DfT's policy lead on level crossings.

It has emerged that the governors of Shirley School on Nuffield Road were not properly consulted about Labour's revised plans for cycling on Nuffield Road.  The Liberal Democrats had won public support for the City Deal providing a proper segregated cycle path but Labour councillors vetoed that in favour of dangerous on-road advisory lanes.

Last year’s County Council parking consultation has resulted in a narrow majority for a residents’ parking scheme in Romsey and Coleridge, although the response rate was low. In spite of this, the Council has decided to move to the next stage, which is to advertise a Traffic Regulation Order for the scheme in the local paper and in the street (look out for notices on lamp posts). The notices will invite comments from anyone, whether resident in the area or elsewhere.

Councillors Tim Bick of Cambridge City Council and Nichola Harrison of Cambridgeshire County Council have published the results of their enquiry into rough sleeping and street life issues in Cambridge.

The Greater Cambridge Partnership (the City Deal) will be introducing some form of residents’ parking scheme in the Castle area.  The consultation for this will open in Autumn 2018, with a view to making the changes in 2019. 

Lib Dems campaign for reinstatement of popular Citi 8 Service

Rod Cantrill commented on the UCU industrial action taking place today in Cambridge:

“Higher education and research-based businesses which serve this sector, are all vital for the success of Cambridge.  It is crucial that people who work across the Cambridge knowledge economy are paid on a fair basis including salary, pension and other benefits.

Many academics have chosen their career path on the basis that although their salary may not be the highest, they could otherwise achieve, their pension would at least be sufficient and secure.

Fairness is the reason why I am a passionate proponent of the real living wage – having introduced it in the city council in 2013 – and I welcome Cambridge University’s recent decision to seek real living wage accreditation.

​The proposed changes to the pensions of academics here in Cambridge and across the university sector appears not to be fair.  I am sure Cambridge academics are reluctant to take strike action that may adversely affect students’ education.  I understand why they have taken this step, given that the security of their pension provision has already been eroded by changes made in 2014.

The challenge for Cambridge University and the other pre 1992 universities is whether introducing these further changes will result in academics leaving the sector and therefore damage its long term success, versus exploring increases in contributions that will be sufficient to retain the existing scheme intact, given the impact that this may have on the already very tight budgets that universities face.

I hope that Cambridge University will make their overriding priority fairness to their employees on this important issue.”

Cambridge Liberal Democrats are bringing a motion to Cambridge City Council's meeting on Thursday seeking for the Leader of the Council to write to Lucy Frazer MP, the responsible minister at the Ministry of Justice, objecting to the proposed closure.

Rod Cantrill, The Lib Dem Shadow MP for Cambridge commented

"If the closure happens, this will result in Cambridge a rapidly growing city having no Magistrates' Court to serve residents from the city and the surrounding area.  As a result people from Cambridge will be forced to travel to Huntingdon or Peterborough to attend a hearing.  For the majority of people this will result in an increase in travel costs, particularly when public transport connections are limited. 

The step will also dilute the sense of place and the mutual community responsibility valuable in underpinning the most local level of the justice system.

I also believe that the process is flawed as the impact assessment used in the evaluation fails to monetise the costs to be imposed on the court users."