Author Archives: Cambridge Town Owl

I asked them directly and they got back to me. Which is splendid! Few people are aware that they can contact any government department directly to ask a question about government policy. Responses to members of the public are normally responded to by junior civil servants, countersigned by a middle manager. If the correspondence isContinue reading “Department for Transport’s policy on light rail”

Furthermore, the collapse of social media platforms as mediums of political exchange and debate bodes ill for our democracy TL/DR? Watch the candidates set out their public transport vision for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough here. (The full debate will follow when I’m fully recharged after the inevitable bout of Post-Exertional Malaise that follows anything I doContinue reading “Why was the Resilience Web mayoral hustings the only publicly accessible debate between the candidates?”

I wrote this piece for the Queen Edith’s Community Forum as part of their local election coverage. In the early 2000s the Electoral Commission published a video titled I don’t do politics. It was in part in response to the very low turnout at the 2001 General Election – one that the recent general electionContinue reading “On democracy and elections”

Birmingham City Council has been in the news in recent years for all of the wrong reasons – as this timeline on the Government’s website shows. Yet a long-lost publication reveals how great the city once was, before successive periods of centralisation reduced what was once an all-encompassing institution into something of a shadow today.Continue reading “How does your council compare with Birmingham in 1928?”

The remarks from Sir Ed Davey MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats and former Energy Secretary in the Coalition show how little room there is for any candidates to propose anything meaningful TL/DR? You can read Sir Ed Davey’s remarks in the Cambridge News here and come to your own conclusions. These read like theyContinue reading “Lib Dem Leader’s soundbites show how little flexibility there is in English local government”

One for Cambridge Connect supporters (myself included!) on some of the lessons learnt from a previous generation of failed light rail projects that never came to fruition TL/DR? Read the summary from the National Audit Office’s report on light rail here It started with such high hopes – the ten year transport plan presented toContinue reading “What National Audit Office said about light rail over 20 years ago”

So why is Labour not saying anything about light rail in these public debates? That’s something you’ll have to ask their mayoral and county council candidates – and MPs too. Image – books on politics that were gathering dust in a warehouse. Feel free to help get them into the hands of readers while alsoContinue reading “Four out of five mayoral candidates support light rail for Cambridge”

The Chair of the Cambridge Development Corporation / Growth Company will be speaking at Great St Mary’s, Cambridge on 15th May from 7pm Organised by the Federation of Cambridge Residents’ Associations, you can see the details here including links to free tickets And don’t forget the mayoral hustings on 23 April 2025 at the WesleyContinue reading “Peter Freeman to meet Cambridge Residents – and you can meet him too!”

In one of the least surprising decisions of year, DEFRA Secretary Steve Reed continued the pattern of Cabinet Ministers going against the advice of planning inspectors and approving large infrastructure developments in the name of growth You can see: The press release here The application documents and consent notice here BBC Cambridgeshire here What theContinue reading “Government approves Cambridge sewage works move to Honey Hill”

This post in part looks at some of the things that can bring people together but not involve politics or religion. One of the best ideas I’ve seen is The Rebel Badge Club who are coming to Cambridge on 26th April 2025! (Hence the image!) Call for ideas from former Abbey Ward Councillor Alex Bulat You canContinue reading “Labour’s Dr Alex Bulat asks: What should councillors do to be more visible?”