Appointments of new commissioners by CPCA Mayor called in

Posted byCambridge Town OwlPosted inUncategorized

…by the Combined Authority’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee

This sort of follows on from the CPCA’s first meeting under the new mayor Paul Bristow, the former Conservative MP for Peterborough

The Devolution Bill creates powers for Combined Authority Mayors to appoint commissioners

I wrote about this following publication of the bill here. The problem is that the new legislation has not yet completed its passage through Parliament – it has not been enacted. And this is the issue that Cllr Bridget Smith (Lib Dems, Gamlingay), Leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council.

“The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which would formally enable
Mayors to appoint commissioners, is still under parliamentary scrutiny and has not yet
become law. The Mayor has instead relied on the General Power of Competence under
Article 12 of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority Order 2017. This
provision requires the Mayor to consult the Combined Authority before exercising such
powers. I am not satisfied that this consultation has taken place, either in principle or in
relation to the specific appointments made.”

Above – CPCA O&S Cttee Papers 13 Nov 2025 Item 5 App E

So this is a due process issue rather than questioning the competency or calibre of the nominated commissioners for planning and for light rail. The Mayor of the CPCA responded:

“It is reasonable for me to anticipate the framework in the Bill, provided this is done
compatibly with my current powers. For that reason, I have chosen to use the term
‘commissioner’, while recognising that I cannot appoint commissioners in the sense
of the Bill until it becomes law.”

Above – CPCA O&S Cttee Papers 13 Nov 2025 Item 5 App F

“Can’t we just get on and build the light rail for Cambridge?”

I’m in that camp too – although my preference was to have a unitary council overseeing a Passenger Transport Executive getting it done – similar to what Manchester (GMPTE) and London (TFL) have.

It has been nearly a quarter of a century since the SuperCam logo was created – I might put it on a t-shirt or something.

Above – “The wheels on the high quality rapid transit vehicle go round-and-round…” from November 2021.

Above – Personally I think the Mayor of the CPCA should start building a network of supporters of the light rail concept for Cambridge, and start by encouraging people to subscribe to the LRTA Campaign which comes with magazines like this!

“What is the Light Rail Commissioner meant to do?”

The remit document says:

“To advise the Mayor on all matters relating to the assessment, planning, implementation and delivery of light rail and light rail networks within the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) area, within the context of the Local Transport plan, the emerging Greater Cambridge Transport Strategy (GCTS) and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) multi-modal solutions.”

Above – CPCA O&S Cttee Papers 13 Nov 2025 Item 5 App C

It goes into more detail – although there’s nothing about engaging with members of the public.

“When can we expect the next light rail update?”

We sort of know the timetable from the September 2025 meeting.

Above from late agenda item in the Transport Committee papers here

CPCA Transport Committee Meeting – Monday 17 November 2025

The next CPCA Transport Committee papers will be release in the next few days. The only hint from the forward work plan via the last meeting is that we’ll get an update on the emerging policies. The only hint we had of further progress was a lukewarm mention of ‘exploring mass transit solutions’ in the recent ministerial statement and press release from the Cambridge Growth Company. Which tells me that The Treasury have issues with funding and revenue raising powers. We’ll find out whether anything is going to emerge on this front in the near future at The Budget in three weeks time.

“Inclusive growth” replacing “Sustainable development” as the new buzz-phrase

The latest news update from the Cambridge Growth Company has the title:

“How do ensure that growth inclusive?”

…before not answering the question

This was picked up by Sophy Ridge and a colleague on Sky News following a TV interview with the new Green Party leader Zack Polanski. The discussion between the former two in light of the New York mayoral elections in the US got straight to the point.

“If you stick to these PR-prepared comms answers…it’s not helping. It’s hurting politicians. People can see through this”

Above – Sophy Ridge via Bold Politics

You can watch the full interview by Ms Ridge with Mr Polanski of 05 Nov 2025 here.

“Coming back to the commissioner appointments, do you think they’ll go through?”

Yes – and in the grand scheme of things it’s not a huge issue. Cllrs Lucy Nethsingha and Cllr Bridget Smith are doing their job by calling out the issues of due process which are there for a very good reason. The Mayor is doing his by responding. I don’t think much will come from it because in the grand scheme of things the Combined Authority is still the delivery mechanism for central government. Much as I want a new light rail built (Cambridge Connect is still going!) the CPCA Mayor cannot do anything substantial unless the Treasury approve it or if Parliament choose to grant him powers under a new Act of Parliament. Which would require Treasury approval anyway.

I refer you back to the article by Sir Geoff Mulgan, the former director of Tony Blair’s Strategy Unit during the latter’s government. The current way of doing politics through commissioning and contracting out makes the whole thing boring. We end up with situations like today where so many people and institutions are waiting for something and then we get a feeding frenzy like 05 November 2025 when several huge announcements were made – only to be swept off the agenda by another lost prisoner scandal. Turns out the statistical digest published in July 2025 shows that lots of prisoners were being released early in error by contracted out companies moving prisoners amongst other things.

Above – from His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) Annual Digest 2024/25 HMPPS is an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice, so responsibility resides with their board who are listed here – expect some to appear at future select committee hearings on this.

In the meantime I’ll save the long awaited Curriculum Review Report for another blogpost

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: