Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl

All of the 2015 General Election candidates representing political parties in Cambridge agreed that Cambridge needed to become a unitary council. Where they disagreed was where the boundaries should be drawn. I’m posting a few more things about the local elections in May 2022 because what the electorate in South Cambridgeshire decide could have aContinue reading “Will any local political parties talk about extending Cambridge City Council’s boundary &/or making it a unitary council?”

My dental costs have doubled as a result of my dentist going private. Listening to staff on how ministers have treated the sector before and during the Pandemic, I can understand why – in the face of such shortages, some have either gone private or have quit the profession altogether. If you’ve never emailed yourContinue reading “We know our political system is broken not just in Westminster but locally. Local election debates must address this so national parties can include solutions in future manifestos”

Backed by the Combined Authority, Anglia Ruskin University opens its new Peterborough Campus in September 2022 with courses aimed at skills shortages in the local economy. Given its proximity to the railway station, could ministers direct further investment in both accommodation and regional public transport to increase the numbers of students it trains up, andContinue reading “Could the new ARU Peterborough host a new School of Dentistry?”

How might these affect the South Cambridgeshire District Council elections in 2022? I had a look at some of the data in the House of Commons Library following the outcry at Stoke-on-Trent Council (Unitary – Cons) announcing it is gutting a core part of its heritage function. It currently has a minority-led Conservative administration, withContinue reading “Tory ministers cut ***how much???*** from local council budgets?”

…in the context of non-medicinal treatment for a variety of illnesses & conditions I won’t take too long with this one. It stems from this post: The article above is here, and the “[Draft] Depression in adults: treatment and management (update)” is here. NHS relations with local government – an ongoing issue since the former’sContinue reading “Linking doctors’ surgeries with local government”

In his speech in Birmingham on 04 Jan 2022 he name-checked the county, but the transcript says the city. Above – the Leader of the Labour Party said “biopharma in Cambridgeshire” (At 11m35s) …although the transcript from the party’s website reads as: “Labour would create 100,000 new start-up businesses and new hubs of excellence buildingContinue reading “Sir Keir Starmer’s plan for a Biopharma ‘hub of excellence’ in Cambridge[shire]”

Did it achieve anything? Have a read of the agreement here. The purpose of this post is to shine some light on a previous generation of local government relations with central government – one that for today’s generation of teenagers and young adults might look baffling. What I hope it reveals is the complexity ofContinue reading “Cambridgeshire’s Local Area Agreement 2006-09”

The national picture is grim. “The initial teaching and learning funding allocations for adult further education (FE) and skills in England fell from a 2010‑11 baseline of £3.18 billion to £2.94 billion in 2015‑16” Adult further education funding in England since 2010 – House of Commons Library Given where it was in 2003, funding for adultContinue reading “Why have ministers given Mayor Dr Nik Johnson so few funds for adult education?”

In 2012 Cambridge City Council & South Cambridgeshire District Council commissioned Peter Brett Associates LLP to produce an Infrastructure Delivery Study. You can read both the executive summary and the full report from the papers here from 11 Sept 2012. “Why does this matter?” Because it enables residents and councillors to hold planners and developersContinue reading “What is Cambridge’s social and civic infrastructure deficit?”

Only Cambridge University are taking ages with the one they are supposed to be building, the city is already at capacity, and further growth in North East Cambridge will only put further pressure on existing swimming pools. [Updated to add:] It’s worth noting the both Cambridge City & South Cambs District Councils have committed toContinue reading “Is the Milton Road Garage site in North East Cambridge suitable for a new municipal swimming pool?”