Monthly Archives: February 2025

Mr Pennycook said so in a written statement to Parliament Image – Central Gov’t guidance on the development planning system from 1968 – reflecting how long the present system has been in place. Although when that guide was written, such were the concerns about the lack of public participation that the Skeffington Report was commissionedContinue reading “The Minister for Housing wants local plan-making processes to be optimised for community participation”

The Campaign for Better Transport called out the omission on rail upgrades more generally Image – Team Bat, Team Newt (after the two creatures came in for blame on recent developments) Last year I wrote that the Climate and Nature Bill did not go far enough. Essentially it looks like a series of things thatContinue reading “Why did the Seventh Carbon Budget ignore trams and light rail?”

The House of Commons Committee on Housing, Communities, and Local Government pushed Jim McMahon MP further on empowering more revenue-raising powers and spending This follows the grilling that his ministerial counterpart received in the Lords Image – the logo from the Layfield Commission on Local Government Finance 1976 – if only because we could doContinue reading “Minister for local government cross-examined on local government funding”

When this “World in 2040” report was published back in April, I don’t think the authors could have imagined a scenario that has happened since the end of October 2024 actually happening. I wrote about that report here, noting what it suggested about the difference between a state and a private education. On the reportContinue reading “Is this a new geo-political faultline?”

Just before his death, US astronomer Carl Sagan made a profound comment about the need for a scientifically literate society in a democracy. His words apply more than ever today. Image: Basic science education for adults, (1981) Below: Have a watch of this clip. Above: “Carl Sagan in 1996 on why Americans need to beContinue reading “A top 20th Century astronomer helps make the case for lifelong learning for science and engineering”

Don’t read this blogpost from a mobile phone or on a device without wifi as it is full of pictures of book covers Image – four for £10.50 at World of Books (with free postage too) Coming to a charity bookshop in Cambridge sometime soon! I’m not entirely sure why I started this blogpost otherContinue reading “Books on democracy. Lots of them.”

A plea for people and groups across the county to start organising public events for the county council and mayoral elections – election day being 01 May 2025 Image: The struggle for democracy – digitised with a few more very old texts from previous eras here TL:DR? See Chris Rand’s guide from 2016 on howContinue reading “Hustings and public debates for Cambridgeshire elections 2025”

Come along to the event on 08 March 2025 at the Mill Road Community Centre and find out more about what the future holds for our city and county People of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, you are cordially invited by the Cambs Unitaries Campaign (founded by Chris, Martin, and Phil) – of which I am aContinue reading “Cambs Unitaries Campaign and the future of Cambridgeshire”

…which barely goes halfway to Haverhill – yet for reasons only they can explain, councillors from all three main parties approved the proposals at various stages from GCP officers to get to where we are – which is the submission of the application to the Department for Transport The Greater Cambridge Partnership Assembly meets atContinue reading “Campaigners meet to oppose the GCP’s proposed busway from Addenbrooke’s to the A11”

I moaned about the lack of funding of our libraries service for Cambridgeshire last month – and despite pleas and requests, there’s still next-to-nothing that introduces politics and democracy available to borrow for local residents. So I dropped a bag full of books including these three titles on their booksale shelf that helps raise fundsContinue reading “What hope for local democracy if local libraries won’t even stock the books?”