Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl

Could you become a new councillor for your area? See https://www.local.gov.uk/be-councillor on the national ‘Be A Councillor’ campaign See outgoing councillor Seb Kindersley below: Above – from Cambridgeshire County Council “What does the county council do?” Have a listen to chief executive (i.e. the permanent head of paid service whose job is to ensure theContinue reading “County council chairman wants **You** to stand for election”

And if they don’t have the powers to do this, they should ask ministers and supportive MPs to table the necessary amendments to the Devolution Bill that’s due to be introduced into Parliament later this year The great thing about being a civil servant, my then permanent secretary told me, is that if you findContinue reading “The Combined Authority should make developers co-ordinate their employment and skills strategies”

On two developments along the Coleridge-Queen Edith’s boudary The controversial Paddocks redevelopment remains outstanding “Cambridge Re-Use asked the developers is they could make a provision for them somehow in the development – but they have said no we must leave, so we will be homeless. That means loads of people on low income including homelessContinue reading “Cambridge Re-use at risk due to sci-tech development as nearby Church has revamp”

Because my brain is frazzled after 46 posts in the first month of 2025, I thought I’d pick out trios of images from the past few years of blogging on this and work out why I put them there Summer 2020: Owls – can you see where the inspiration from ‘The Cambridge Town Owl’ cameContinue reading “What does a blog full of nearly 5 years of photos reveal about its author?”

The research paper was launched earlier today and as the venue was local to me, I popped my head around to see what it was all about. You can read the report here The guest panellists at the launch were: My top two takeaways from the event were: That second point was something that formerContinue reading “Insights into East Anglia from the Bennett Institute at Cambridge University”

Either Ministers need to crack up the funding, or provide Combined Authorities (that have devolved budgets on adult education) with substantial revenue-raising powers to pay for the investment in education, skills, and lifelong learning needed to being about a renaissance in adult education This is from Item 4 of the Cambridge City Council Strategy andContinue reading “Ministers won’t solve Cambridgeshire’s skills crisis with such feeble budgets”

The Advisory Council has been established and the council leaders represented on the Greater Cambridge Partnership along with the Mayor of the Combined Authority have ex-officio seats You can read the report at item 5 of the S&R Committee here The other two people named are: Interesting pair of people to have in terms ofContinue reading “Cambridge City Council engages with Peter Freeman and the Cambridge Growth Company”

The lack of comment from those firms and institutions supporting the Government’s announcement bringing back the OxCamArc regarding the risks and how to deal with them is striking Some of you may have seen the comments from the opposition leader on South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cllr Heather Williams (Cons) “The Chancellor is in trouble soContinue reading “OxCamArc promoters must be upfront with residents about the risks”

The Chair of the Cambridge Growth Company Peter Freeman invited local councils to send in their ‘wish lists’ of civic and leisure facilities (amongst other things) when I put some questions to him at a recent planning event. Now that the Chancellor has re-launched the OxCamArc, time to take him at his word? Image –Continue reading “Start writing those wish lists of civic and leisure facilities!”

The proposed monster planning application, even when amended, is large enough to cover a significant portion of the cost for this much-needed amenity in one of Cambridgeshire’s most economically deprived neighbourhoods I wrote about a new swimming pool for King’s Hedges back in January 2022 here (Yo! Progress update please?!?) and have been tabling publicContinue reading “Cambridge Science Park’s Fenway development should pay for a new King’s Hedges swimming pool”