Category: Blog

I am delighted to say that the LibDems have won control of the County Council with 31 seats. As part of that, I have won the election for the Queen Edith’s division. The results for Queen Edith’s were: Karen Young Lib Dem 1258 Labour 633 Green 482 Conservative 472 Reform 315. There were also two…

Last week, I attended a Strategy and Resources Committee meeting where we had a much-anticipated update on the Cambridge Growth Company, presented by our Head of Planning. For some time now, it’s been difficult to get clarity on what this new entity is doing, so I was pleased to see it finally being given proper…

The council finalised its budget last Monday 24 February 2025 at a special meeting of the Full Council and so I thought I would talk a bit about the Council finances. The council spends money on services to the public that are funded by: The overall budget for this year ending 31 March 2025 is:…

John Meed has surveyed the wildlife in the fields outside the city for a for the last 13 years. This is his latest report which you can also find on his website https://johnmeed.net/ecology/nine-wells/

A draft of a new ‘Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the Biomedical Campus (CBC) has been published. I have notified you of the consultation previously. The deadline is 24 January and the link to respond is here: https://oc2.greatercambridgeplanning.org/document/1316 The document summarises the position of the CBC from a planning perspective and then outlines the 6…

The Liberal Democrats believe strongly that decisions should be taken at the lowest possible level of government so that the local issues are solved locally by people who know what they are talking about. So, the idea behind this White Paper is very welcome although in practice I think this will not achieve what it…

Many will have seen the cranes lifting the pods into place during construction. I attended the opening ceremony on Friday and had a chance to look around. Here are some photos of the inside. I am very impressed. They are very well designed and look fabulous. It Takes a City the homelessness charity who organised…

Civic Quarter Developments The new proposals for what is being called the ‘Civic Quarter’ were presented at the Strategy and Resources Committee on 21 November and came to Full Council on 28 November. These cover the: Although these were presented together, they represent three quite separate projects with different drivers and financial aims. Guildhall This…

After much deliberation I have decided to start posting on what is happening in local Cambridge politics. I have been elected for 18 months and in that time have had the opportunity to see how the council operates and get a grasp of the issues affecting residents. I hope this is informative and helpful. I…