Ministers finally publish their Case for Cambridge – but still have not confirmed the boundaries of their proposed development corporation.
It all sounds very ‘Hand in Hand – German Allstars” 2020. Sing along!
Above – if only we had German pop music to listen to when learning the language as 1990s teenagers in Cambridge!
“So, what is the case for Cambridge?”
“Do we have the boundaries of the proposed development corporation?”
Nope – just confirmation of a long term funding which will be made available at the next spending review, assuming a general election doesn’t get in the way between now and then. Which indicates the Prime Minister is planning to leave the general election to the last possible moment, *or* plans on leaving the spending review for the next government to deal with. We did get a diagram of stuff that most local political watchers will be familiar with.
Above – The Case for Cambridge (2024) HMT p34
Lessons from Germany:
Contemporary German music is a bit of a niche thing I guess, but not many people know Cambridge has had people from Germany making our city their home for centuries – hence our then little settlement’s role as the cradle of the English Reformation.
Above – [Very]‘Little Germany in Cambridge – Cambridge Past, Present, & Future
20 years after I first went to Germany and told an audience of fellow students in Bremen that the UK could do with learning how to do public transport infrastructure from German towns & cities, ministers have finally gone and done exactly that.
“The results of Freiburg’s approach to transport planning are striking, with more options for residents and visitors to move around the city. The overwhelming majority of journeys in the city are by foot, bicycle or public transport.”
Above – The Case for Cambridge (2024) HMT p31
The source document quoted by HM Treasury is here – and from there you can see the huge difference between Freiburg and Cambridge. The irony of Freiburg’s origins as a ‘free city’ over Cambridge’s centuries of monarch-imposed oppression at the hands of successive vice-chancellors of the University of Cambridge isn’t lost on me! But then the British Governments of the 20th Century seemed to have a habit of helping bring in more liberal and progressive constitutions to Germany after the world wars than what they allowed their own citizens to have. (See articles 17, 22, and 109 of the Weimar constitution, in force 1919-33 that for example gave more voting rights, and working rights to women than what the British Parliament gave to women in the same era).
“That’s a nice bit of history – but what’s that got to do with today?”
This.
Above- the governance structure that ministers want to impose a development corporation onto.
In a nutshell, Germany’s constitution separates local, regional, and federal government – similar to the USA. In the case of Germany, there’s a lot of internal history behind it – one that England in the same period does not really have. Hence city government in Freiburg has far, far more freedoms than Cambridge City Council could ever hope to have under our current system. For example it does not have the powers to raise funding for pothole repairs. That involves emailing/phoning someone in Alconbury on the other side of Huntingdon to get a contractor to fill in the hole. Badly. In Freiburg on the other hand…
“Freiburg has an extensive pedestrian zone in the city centre where no motor cars are allowed. Freiburg also has an excellent public transport system, operated by the city-owned VAG Freiburg. The backbone of the system is the Freiburg tramway network, supplemented by feeder buses.”
Frieburg in Germany – where they can have nice things
Germany – publicly-owned public transport system. UK’s Stagecoach – privately owned by a German infrastructure investment company.
Cambs Unitaries Campaign
Some of you may recall the below:
“Cambs Unitaries Campaign calls for unitary authorities to replace maze of councils in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough”
Cambridge Independent 23 Sept 2023
The campaign (which I support) is arranging its first public meeting in April – so do have a browse on the website https://www.cambsunitaries.org.uk/ and sign up for updates if you support the objectives of the campaign.
No mention of busways, which compares with the mention of trams and light light rail as possibilities
If only the Greater Cambridge Partnership had listened to us back in the latter 2010s.
“To deliver this step-change in capacity and connectivity this ambition requires, the government envisages a transport system made up of several elements, which may range from improved walking and cycling routes to mass transit options, such as trams and light rail.”
Above – The Case for Cambridge (2024) HMT p30
If I were a GCP Officer I’d be alarmed given that the busways are still nothing more than expensive bits of paper. Which reminds me – the Greater Cambridge Partnership Board meets on 07 March 2024 at South Cambridgeshire Hall from 4pm – you can read the papers here. The following week, the Combined Authority hosts it Transport and Infrastructure Committee at The Guildhall in Cambridge on 13th March – you can read the papers here.
If you want to join up with sustainable transport campaigners so we can get something like what Freiburg has, there are a number of established groups:
- Living Streets Cambridge (walking, pedestrians, wheelchairs, streets, pavements, footpaths)
- CamCycle (cycling, e-bikes, scooters, cargo-bikes)
- Cambridge Area Bus Users Group – buses
- Cambridge Connect Light Rail – light rail plans
- Rail Future East – railways
Also, there’s the Cambridgeshire Sustainable Travel Alliance
Chances are I will follow this up further as I read through the detail of The Budget – along with the responses of others. But for now I shall leave this here.
If you are interested in the longer term future of Cambridge, and on what happens at the local democracy meetings where decisions are made, feel free to:
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Below – People and politics: Could you facilitate a local discussion on the future of transport in/around Cambridge for your neighbourhood? This wartime discussion guide from 1943 shows you how – see the link here.
The Cambridge Town Owl 